The Dao of Humaning

How I Survive “Mayvember” as a Doctor of TCM

In this episode, Dr. Christine explores the phenomenon lovingly known as “Mayvember”: that unique stretch of the year where family schedules explode with school events, sports, performances, celebrations, and all the end-of-year chaos that somehow arrives all at once. Through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Wood element of spring, this conversation reframes May not as something to survive perfectly, but as a season to move with more intentionally. Rather than trying to stop the momentum, the goal becomes creating more flow within it. This episode explores movement, self-awareness, creativity, nervous system support, perfectionism, humor, and the importance of allowing space for rest and regrouping after intense seasons of life. It’s a grounded and honest conversation about navigating busy seasons with more grace, flexibility, and connection to what actually nourishes us. In This Episode: * What “Mayvember” is and why this season feels uniquely chaotic * How spring and the Wood element relate to movement, growth, and momentum * Why the goal isn’t to stop the chaos — but to keep energy flowing smoothly through it * Using movement and routine as support during busy seasons * The difference between fighting the season vs. working with it * A conversation about being a “Type C mom” and embracing flexibility * Letting go of perfectionism and making more space for grace * Why self-awareness is protective during intense seasons of life * Learning to recognize when you need movement vs. when you need rest * How nourishment includes more than just food in Chinese medicine * The impact of what we consume through our eyes, ears, and attention * Why humor, laughter, and joy are powerful nervous system supports * The role of creativity as a form of energy movement and inspiration * Redefining creativity beyond traditional artistic expression * Why intense seasons often highlight our desire for control * The importance of regrouping and reflecting after periods of activation * Creating intentional check-ins as we transition into a new season PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://thedaoofhumaning.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1869811351 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79Llx5Um3cDSJqXG0JIsVL RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss] Support & Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristine.sanmiquel/ [https://www.instagram.com/om_mami_/] Produced by: Reese Leanne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shot_by_reese/

Chinese Medicine Is the Original Functional Medicine

In this episode, we’re talking about individualized medicine, the growing interest in functional medicine, and why Traditional Chinese Medicine has been practicing personalized, root-cause care for thousands of years. So many people are searching for deeper answers when they don’t feel well, especially when their labs come back “normal” but they still feel exhausted, inflamed, anxious, disconnected, or unlike themselves. What many people are actually looking for is not just more testing, but a different relationship to care: one where they feel heard, understood, educated, and supported as a whole person. Through stories from clinic and conversations with patients and friends, this episode explores the overlap between functional medicine and Chinese medicine, including pattern-based diagnosis, individualized treatment plans, root-cause thinking, and why symptoms that seem unrelated often make perfect sense together through a Traditional Chinese Medicine lens. We also talk about the overwhelm many people experience trying to navigate supplements, testing, and online health information, and why personalized care matters more than ever in a world full of generalized advice. In This Episode: * What people are often really searching for when they seek “functional medicine” * The gap between “normal labs” and not feeling well in your body * Why feeling heard by your practitioner matters so much * A Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on individualized, root-cause care * How Chinese medicine looks for patterns instead of isolated symptoms * Why fatigue, digestion, sleep, mood, and cycles are often connected * A real clinical example of pattern recognition in practice * The concept of the “unwellness gap” and why so many people feel stuck there * The overlap between functional medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine * Why personalized care often feels validating and relieving for patients * The difference between branch symptoms and root causes in Chinese medicine * Why two people with the same symptom may need completely different treatments * The role of functional testing, supplements, herbs, and diagnostics * Why more supplements are not always better * The importance of education and helping people understand their own bodies * How tongue diagnosis, digestion, sleep, and menstrual cycles can provide insight into health * The value of creating a clear treatment plan with milestones and reassessment  * Why curiosity and learning about your body can be empowering * How AI and online information fit into modern healthcare conversations * Why individualized care still requires human interpretation and clinical experience PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://thedaoofhumaning.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1869811351 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79Llx5Um3cDSJqXG0JIsVL RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss] Support & Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristine.sanmiquel/ [https://www.instagram.com/om_mami_/] Produced by: Reese Leanne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shot_by_reese/

What Stress Is Trying to Do

In this episode, we’re reframing stress through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, nervous system health, and personal growth. Stress is often talked about as something inherently bad, something to eliminate, avoid, or “fix.” But the reality is more nuanced than that. Stress is a normal part of being human. We need challenge, activation, movement, and periods of intensity in order to grow, evolve, create, and move forward in our lives. The problem isn’t stress itself. The problem is when stress gets stuck in the body and we lose the ability to move with it, process it, and integrate it. Through both clinical examples and a Chinese medicine perspective, this episode explores how stress can actually become supportive when we learn to work with it differently. We talk about nervous system activation, stagnation, growth, awareness, and why some of the most transformative periods in our lives are often the most uncomfortable. This is a conversation about learning to build capacity, strengthen awareness, and relate to stress with more intention instead of fear. In This Episode: * Why stress is not inherently “bad” * The difference between activation and perceived threat * A nervous system perspective on challenge, movement, and growth * Why we actually need periods of activation in life * How stress can support personal and spiritual growth * The role of discomfort in transformation and change * Why some of the most meaningful seasons of life are also the hardest * A Chinese medicine perspective on stagnation and why “stuck” stress matters * How stress that doesn’t move through the body can contribute to pain and illness * Clinical examples of how stagnation shows up physically and emotionally * The importance of awareness and “training the noticing muscle” * How we can learn to move with stress instead of fighting against it * The relationship between stress, resilience, and capacity * Why healing isn’t about removing all stress from your life * How challenge can become supportive when we learn to work with it differently PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://thedaoofhumaning.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1869811351 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79Llx5Um3cDSJqXG0JIsVL RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss] Support & Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristine.sanmiquel/ [https://www.instagram.com/om_mami_/] Produced by: Reese Leanne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shot_by_reese/

Why Everything Feels So Overwhelming Right Now (And What Actually Helps)

In this episode, we’re talking about overwhelm not just as a reaction to what’s happening in your life, but as a reflection of how much you’re taking in on a daily basis. Many people are feeling overwhelmed right now, even when nothing is objectively “wrong.” And a big part of that is the sheer volume of information, input, and stimulation we’re exposed to constantly. Our systems were never designed to process this much, this quickly, without support. Through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this episode reframes overwhelm as a digestion issue. Not just digestion of food, but of life. What we take in through our eyes, ears, and attention all requires processing, and when there’s too much input without enough discernment, clearing, or integration, things start to feel like too much. This episode walks through three simple, practical ways to work with overwhelm: becoming more discerning about what you take in, creating space to release what isn’t serving you, and allowing time for integration. These are small shifts, but they can have a meaningful impact on how you feel day to day. In This Episode: * Why overwhelm isn’t always tied to a specific life event * How modern life is flooding our systems with more input than we can process * Why your nervous system doesn’t distinguish between real and perceived threats * A Chinese medicine perspective on digestion beyond just food * The role of the Small Intestine in discernment (what to keep vs. release) * What it means to be intentional about what you take in (and when) * The impact of social media, news, and constant information exposure * Why what feels supportive varies from person to person * The importance of creating boundaries around your inputs * Simple ways to practice discernment in daily life * Why “clearing” practices matter and how to make them your own * Examples of clearing: water, movement, sound, ritual, nature * The importance of integration time (and why we’re often missing it) * How overwhelm connects to stagnation in the body * Why stagnation can show up as anxiety, fatigue, pain, or digestive issues * How small, intentional shifts can create more ease, clarity, and flow PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://thedaoofhumaning.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1869811351 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79Llx5Um3cDSJqXG0JIsVL RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss] Support & Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristine.sanmiquel/ [https://www.instagram.com/om_mami_/] Produced by: Reese Leanne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shot_by_reese/

Prevention > Diagnosis: A Better Way to Care for Your Body

In this episode, we’re shifting how we think about healthcare and when to actually get support. Most people come to acupuncture and Chinese medicine after something is already wrong, when pain, a diagnosis, or a clear issue is interfering with day to day life. And while this medicine is incredibly effective there, that’s not where it works best. Traditional Chinese medicine is fundamentally a preventative medicine. It’s designed to catch patterns early, when symptoms are still subtle, and guide the body back into balance before things become bigger problems. We talk about what prevention really looks like in practice, why it’s often overlooked, and how this approach can actually save time, money, and energy long term. This is also a conversation about what people are really looking for when they seek “functional” or “integrative” care and how Chinese medicine already offers that depth of listening, pattern recognition, and personalized support. In This Episode:   * Why most people only seek care after something is already wrong   * The difference between treating symptoms vs. maintaining health   * What “preventative care” actually looks like in Chinese medicine   * Catching symptoms early: sleep changes, digestion, tension, cycle shifts   * How ongoing care can shift from weekly visits to seasonal tune-ups   * Why prevention is harder to prioritize (and why it matters anyway)   * What people really mean when they ask for functional or integrative medicine. * The role of deep listening, pattern recognition, and personalized care   * A real example of how the system often requires you to be “sicker” to get care. * Why how you feel every day matters more than just lab results. * The “Thursday afternoon” baseline and what it says about your health. * Why fatigue, pain, and poor sleep are not things you have to accept.  You don’t have to wait until something is officially wrong to get support. The earlier you listen to your body, the easier it is to maintain balance and feel well in your day-to-day life. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://thedaoofhumaning.buzzsprout.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1869811351 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79Llx5Um3cDSJqXG0JIsVL RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss [https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2574021.rss] Support & Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchristine.sanmiquel/ [https://www.instagram.com/om_mami_/] Produced by: Reese Leanne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shot_by_reese/