Two world‑class paradigms. One clear path.
➕ Our mission: Clear, practical guidance on how Eastern and Western medicine work together.
We bridge the world-class paradigms of Western and Eastern medicine, combining rigorous science with pattern-based insight to create an integrated roadmap. This approach delivers deeper understanding, clearer choices, connected care, and measurable improvements for today's health concerns.
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Get clear explanations for complex cases—when symptoms overlap, diagnoses conflict, and standard plans fall short—so you can understand what's really happening and identify effective next steps.
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Who we are
Maile McKain, L.Ac.
Chinese medicine practitioner focused on systems‑based care and cross‑paradigm translation.
Nate Handley, MD
Physician with training in internal medicine, medical oncology, and integrative medicine.
Our approach
Systems‑First Lens
Western precision and Chinese pattern-recognition aren't rivals — they're complementary.
The separation between these approaches creates a false dichotomy that fragments our understanding of health. Instead, a semi-permeable approach integrates molecular precision with systemic wisdom, recognizing that health emerges from interconnected systems.
This integration leads to a more holistic understanding of patients by combining diagnostics, treatments, and prevention strategies from both paradigms to improve health outcomes.
Four Layers Framework
Four Layers, one map
Regulation. Flow. Transformation. Structure. A simple way to read the body as a living system—and act.
- Regulation: Set baselines and rhythm. When it falters, sleep, stress, and temperature go noisy. First, restore rhythm.
- Flow: Move and distribute resources. Heaviness, swelling, or fog signal stagnation. Unblock before adding inputs.
- Transformation: Convert inputs to energy and signals. If lagging, think crashes, bloating, low stamina. Reduce load, build capacity, then add complexity.
- Structure: The scaffolding that holds gains. Changes are slower but set ceilings on function. Rebuild while keeping other layers balanced.
How it works together: Stabilize Regulation, clear Flow, upgrade Transformation, fortify Structure. Loop as needed—small, timed tweaks ripple across the system.
Real Stories
Alice's story lies at the heart of this blog.
She is diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Follow her journey to see our framework in action.
Alice’s story follows one person across specialties to reveal how fragmentation happens — and how integration helps. Follow Alice through her journey
Through story and conversation, we aim to humanize the biomedical system that constrains her, revealing how a living systems model—one that embraces all aspects of human experience—can unlock possibilities for transformation and healing.
Foundation Series
A guided set of essays to orient new readers to Medicine 3.0: What health means, why “normal” isn’t enough, and how to think in systems. Understand the thinking behind our approach.
- What is Health? Redefine health as resilience and rhythm, not “nothing’s wrong.”
- Balance: Why balance is dynamic. Learn to read signals and course‑correct.
- The Wall: How East and West talk past each other—and how to bridge the gap.
- Normal Labs ≠ Normal Health: When numbers say “fine” but life says otherwise. Here’s what to check next.
- The Four Layers: Regulation. Flow. Transformation. Structure. A simple map for complex care.
- Alice’s Journey: One story across specialties. See the framework work in real decisions.
Featured narrative
This is Alice
Following Alice from diagnosis through recovery lets readers see each part of our framework applied in real decisions, not abstract theory.
- Each chapter highlights a different layer—Regulation, Flow, Transformation, and Structure—so patterns become visible as causes and effects in her day‑to‑day life.
- Moments where “normal labs” conflict with how Alice feels illustrate why measurement and lived experience both matter in a systems view.
- As her care moves across specialties, the story exposes where fragmentation happens and how integration restores rhythm and resilience.
- By the end, readers don’t just understand the framework—they’ve watched it work, step by step, in a life that feels like their own.
Read more about Alice and her journey through to health using Western, Eastern, and Integrative medicine
Where to begin? Start with a gentle first step
➕ Explore: What Does it Mean to be In Balance?
Balance is a dynamic process involving the interplay of various bodily systems. Western medicine emphasizes homeostasis and allostasis, highlighting the body's adaptability to stress, while Chinese medicine focuses on patterns of imbalance, such as yin and yang, qi, blood, and fluids. The ongoing goal is to cultivate awareness of bodily signals and restore equilibrium through practical interventions.
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