052 Topical Steriod Withdrawal • Mazin Al-Khafaji

Some itchy dogs look like damp heat but aren't, and what you feed them can show you the difference. In this episode, we sit down with Steve Marsden, veterinarian trained in naturopathy and Chinese medicine, to explore allergies in pets. We unpack why a change of diet is the first diagnostic step, how the coat, the pulse, and the spots an animal chews point to a Shao Yang disharmony, and why a ginseng-based Xiao Chai Hu Tang paired with Si Wu Tang can calm what damp-heat formulas can't. When an allergy won't follow the rules, it isn't a failed formula, it's a clue that something is stuck at the gate between inside and outside.

Genital lichen sclerosus can take away comfort, intimacy, and quality of life, leaving patients searching for lasting relief. In this episode, we sit down with Juliette Aiyana, holistic dermatology practitioner and Chinese medicine specialist, to explore treating this challenging condition through herbal medicine. We discuss pattern differentiation, tissue repair, inflammation, and the importance of individualized treatment, alongside practical ways to protect sensitive skin. Healing requires careful observation, patience, and integrated care—helping patients find comfort, restore function, and work toward lasting improvement.

Diagnosis in Dong style acupuncture rarely comes from what the patient says. It comes from what the hands find first. In this conversation, We sit down with Sean Goodman — acupuncturist and longtime student of Dong style acupuncture — to explore how this tradition treats atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions. We discuss how palm diagnosis reads the five zang organs through discoloration and subtle shifts in tissue, why Dong style needling often works a whole area in groups of three points, and how a real case combined heart-related points with the Sima combination to clear dermatitis on the neck and arms. We also touch on the "cooling the mountain" technique, when to needle bilaterally versus unilaterally, and why Sean tries to read the body before letting his mind explain what he's finding.

Every practitioner develops a feel for the body that goes beyond what any single test can tell you. For Brian Lau, that feel comes from decades of manual work woven directly into his acupuncture practice. In this conversation, we sit down with Brian Lau and his student Grant Rettison to explore myofascial release in sports medicine acupuncture practice. We discuss how Brian's background in qigong, tai chi, and structural integration shaped his approach, why he keeps the language of the channel sinews central to his manual therapy, and how palpation itself becomes a form of diagnosis. Brian demonstrates live on the knee and forearm, showing how tissue that pulls, resists, or lacks pliability can guide both point selection and pattern differentiation. We also explore the fascia as a fabric, the "canoeing" analogy for finding the right direction of treatment, and why unwinding restricted tissue helps restore the gliding surfaces that support movement and healing.

Every body carries a history, and the practitioners who treat it well know how to read that history instead of just chasing the pain in front of them. In this episode, we sit down with Kim Fong, a physical therapist and licensed acupuncturist, to explore treating the body as an integrated whole. We unpack why observation and palpation come before diagnosis, why patients cling to labels like "bone on bone," and how old injuries quietly shape movement patterns showing up today. We also dig into the role of intuition alongside clinical training, and why getting a patient to eighty-five or ninety percent is often the honest, sustainable goal. Healing isn't about erasing every old injury, it's about helping a person understand how they got here, and giving them the tools to keep moving well.