Interviews

Here is Toby's December 2010 Interview with Jude:

TOBY: How did you become interested in acupuncture and oriental medicine?

JUDE: While I was in PT school, I went out to Portland to visit a friend who was in Naturopathic Medical School. At the time, I was getting over a bad case of the flu. I was feeling tired and worn out. My friend recommended an acupuncture treatment from the acupuncture school. I got a treatment and left feeling better. I felt different sensations during the acupuncture treatment. It was nothing like any thing I had learned about in PT school or experienced in Western medicine. Something significant had changed inside of me. After talking with the students and teachers and seeing the herbal room, I decided that I had to learn this - even though I knew nothing about it.

TOBY: What was the training in China like?

JUDE: As part of my four-year Masters degree program, I studied for 5 weeks in Chengdu, China at a Traditional Chinese Medical hospital. We followed Chinese Medical Doctors who specialized in acupuncture and/or herbal medical in the morning and then had classes in the afternoon. In China, acupuncture is given daily. In the US, the standard is one or two treatments a week. It was helpful to be immersed in the culture and to see a totally different system of care. It would be great to return and study under a specific Chinese Medical Doctor for an extended period of time.

TOBY: What was the wildest thing you ate in China?

JUDE: On a bet I ate a dried, salt-cured scorpion, which was by far the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. They are actually medicinal and not normally served during meals. Normally, I don't eat such things, but I did not want to be rude to my hosts.

TOBY: What's the deal with all the herbs you have? How many are there? Were any tigers or rhinos hurt in the process?

JUDE: I have roughly 200+ granular herbs in my herbal pharmacy. The vast majority of herbs are plant or mineral based - roots, bark, plants, flowers, twigs. It is illegal to use tiger bone or rhinoceros horn. The companies I get my herbs from have specific quality control measures in place for purity and consistency. They test to ensure there are no heavy metals or pesticides in the herbs. I'm currently enrolled in a 2 year Graduate Mentorship in Chinese Herbal Studies.

TOBY: Whew! That's good to know. I was worried about the tigers . . . Didn't you just purchase a collection of whole herbs as well? How are they different? Will you be selling them at InsideOut?

JUDE: I am adding a bulk herbal pharmacy as well. The biggest difference from herbal granules are 3 fold: 1) Bulk herbs need to be cooked in water which can take around 60 to 90 min depending on the formula. 2) They are less expensive because they have not been processed. 3) They tend to be stronger than granules and tea pills.

I will be selling them starting in 2011.

TOBY: That's so cool! How does Tai Chi fit in with all of this?

JUDE: Tai Chi is based on the same theories as acupuncture - ying and yang and Chi. Tai Chi is an extension of Chinese health and wellbeing. It takes the same theories behind acupuncture and applies them to movement and martial arts.

TOBY: Didn't you play football in college, too?

JUDE: No, but my dad played at Penn St when JoPa was an assistant coach. I played in high school.

TOBY: What is your Tai Chi master like?

JUDE: Master Wei Lun Huang has been studying martial arts since he was eight. He teaches slow and fast Yang style Tai Chi, Hsing Yi, Ba Gua, Liu He Ba Fa, Chi Kung, Push Hands, sword, spear, and martial applications. He is highly regarded for his teaching of energy work and self healing as well as for the powerful and explosive quality of his martial arts. He's an excellent teacher - both for beginning and advanced students.

TOBY: Are the forms hard to remember? They seem long?

JUDE: The forms can take time to remember. The yang style long form has roughly 108 postures, but many of them are repeated. When done slowly it can take about 25 minutes to complete. The form is also broken down into 3 sections. I teach the first section in the Beginners class, which is the shortest (about 5 min). In the Tai Chi I class, I focus on the rest of the form.

TOBY: What kinds of clients seem to benefit most from a Chinese approach?

JUDE: Acupuncture can be helpful in a lot of different situations. People who are experiencing a lot of pain, such as joint and muscle pain, post-operative pain and trauma injuries can benefit a lot from pain. I also treat people with colds, the flu, asthma, gastro-intestinal problems and allergies to name a few.

TOBY: And Tai Chi?

JUDE: I think many people can benefit from Tai Chi. Studies have shown that Tai chi can improve balance, strength, flexibility, reduce stress, decrease fibromyalgia pain, and work the cardiovascular system moderately, while still having a low impact on the joints. It requires a lot of effort and patience to learn the principles, but it can be a fun process. Being a physical therapist as well as a Chinese medical practitioner, I try to blend both the Western and Eastern language to explain the form and its benefits.

TOBY: Will acupuncture help my headaches?

JUDE: Yes, I'm pretty good with headaches.

TOBY: What do your two boys think about all of this? Do they practice Tai Chi at all with you? Have they received acupuncture treatments or taken herbs? I can only imagine . . .

JUDE: My boys have started to practice some aspects of Tai Chi with me. We keep it simple and fun. They have a lot of energy and Tai Chi can be too slow for them at times. They like to punch and kick their dad - when I let them. They also take herbs, mostly for colds and flus. My youngest takes the herbs with yogurt, while my oldest can take them in capsules. My oldest, Miles, recently let me use acupuncture on him for the first time. He didn't even know the needle was in and reported feeling better after the treatment.

TOBY: You appear to be very passionate about your practice, family, and marriage and at the same time to be very laid-back and easy-going about the whole thing. Is this a hallmark of an experienced practitioner and teacher?

JUDE: The Chinese have a saying "Read 10,000 books, but walk 10,000 miles." Meaning you need to study, but you also need to get out there and do it. Anything you do, whether it is being in a relationship, raising kids, or practicing Chinese Medicine and Tai Chi, you need to give it time and work/practice (gong fu) to get better at it. So, I think a good practitioner continues to study and look for ways to improve, while doing their best for clients and students.