Acupuncturist Nicole Lange joins Sean to dive deep into trauma, fertility, and what real whole-person care looks like in practice. Nicole shares her early path into TCM, how personal experiences led her to specialize in reproductive health and trauma, and why she structures care around a 25 percent troubleshoot, 75 percent cultivate-wellness ratio. The two unpack somatic healing, Stephen Porges’s idea of neuroception, and why felt safety in the clinic, the vibe, the pacing, and touch, is foundational to any lasting result.

They explore boundaries and burnout, the lighthouse metaphor for building a practice, and the power of patient education, not as marketing, but as the core of medicine. Nicole talks East-West integration for fertility, trauma-informed care, and the small, cumulative choices that change outcomes, from sleep and food to relationships and money stress. Sean shares personal stories on knots in the body, movement, and habit stacking, and the pair close on a simple mantra for life and healing, it’s like this now.

If you are curious about TCM, fertility support, somatics, or how to build a sustainable, heart-centered clinic, this conversation is a blueprint.

Your 39GEN host Sean sits down with veteran clinician and teacher Dr. Jake Fratkin, who has spent 45 years in East Asian medicine. Jake traces his path from 1970s apprenticeships in Chicago with Dr. In-yeon Moon and herbal pharmacy work with fellow YSU colleague Dr. Lau, to translating and co-teaching with Dr. Guo Zhengong, and a life-changing year of hospital training in Beijing. He explains the split between classical Shang Han Lun approaches and the modern hospital style of Chinese herbal medicine, why Japanese meridian therapy shaped his acupuncture, and how specialization made him a go-to for respiratory cases and pediatrics. Jake shares how swine flu and later COVID pushed his research into antiviral herb categories and long haul patterns, which he describes as a mix of lingering pathogen and blood stasis. He argues that good history taking often beats pulse and tongue, and urges new practitioners to find what they love and what they do best, then go deep. He also offers practical Qigong, daily meridian circulation sets, and reflects on a single career regret, not holding an MD for institutional clout, while affirming that his heart is in Qi, channels, and herbs. Resources mentioned include his book Essential Chinese Formulas and his site drjakefratkin.com, plus his China photo archive.

In this episode of the Yo San University 39Gen Podcast, host Sean Trace sits down with Dr. Aram Akopyan, a medical doctor, licensed acupuncturist, and global advocate for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Dr. Akopyan shares his unique journey from computer science executive to Yo San graduate, TCM practitioner, and eventually MD, offering a rare perspective on how Eastern and Western medicine can integrate. Together, they explore how chi can be understood as ATP, how quantum physics parallels yin and yang, and how modern science is validating ancient TCM wisdom. They also dive into the future of acupuncture, including AI-powered diagnostic tools, hybrid education models, global collaborations, and the movement toward recognition of acupuncturists as primary care providers. This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in integrative medicine, holistic healthcare, and the evolving role of acupuncture in modern practice.