Today on How I Healed we speak with beloved friend Kate Ater, a licensed doctor of Chinese medicine in New Mexico since 2001. She practices classical Chinese medicine and Chinese herbology. You may have heard us mention her name many times before on the podcast, she is our favorite source of knowledge on TCM and she is finally with us. A scientist and critical inquirer, she originally wanted to be a doctor or vet. As a young biochemistry student, she had a lingering shoulder injury that was unresponsive to physical therapy and allopathic medicine, and she was driven to try acupuncture. Her injury cleared at last, and her fascination with Chinese medicine began. Initially she balked at the ineffable and unquantifiable aspects — the spiritual component of this field. But as she committed further to learning, the path to her life’s work revealed itself to her.
On this podcast, we give you an overview of qi, yin and yang, and the TCM understanding of organs, meridians, seasons, and so much more. Reflections of the cosmos in the micro and macro, we as humans contain all the medicine we need to be in harmony and health, even as we navigate seasons of imbalance or illness. Kate tells the story of how we can stimulate our own qi to bring ourselves back into harmony.
Kate also offers stories of healing illness, injury, and even complications in birth. She is a mother of two beautiful, spirited girls. Look at for an expansion of this conversation, available only to our paid subscribers.
The Heart Is an Empty Space where the Spirits Live