July 2025 Still Point

Author: Aarti Tandon  

Chapter: Kansas City University College of Medicine, Kansas City  

Description: "Roots and Reach" is a personal poem that reflects my journey from growing up with Ayurvedic traditions to pursuing a career in osteopathic medicine. As a child, I was surrounded by holistic healing practices where my grandmother used herbal remedies and pulse reading to treat the whole person. These early experiences taught me that medicine is not just about eliminating symptoms but about restoring balance in both the body and the mind. This poem explores how those cultural roots inspired me to seek a form of medicine that values the connection between physical, mental, and emotional health. Osteopathy offered a natural continuation of the principles I was raised with. It gave language and structure to what I already believed to be true about care and healing. In the poem, I share how my background and training have come together to shape my path as a future physician. "Roots and Reach" honors both the ancient practices that guided me early in life and the clinical knowledge I am gaining now. It reflects the sense of purpose I feel in combining these two worlds to care for patients in a more meaningful and complete way. 

 

Roots and Reach

I was raised on turmeric teas
and oil that warmed the spine
where healing lived in daily acts
and balance was divine

My Nani whispered pulse and breath
read tongues like sacred scripts
She taught me that the body speaks
through symptoms on its lips

We gathered neem, crushed bitter leaves
boiled truth in copper pots
Medicine was not a pill
it was knowing what you’ve got

In those slow, intentional ways
I learned to see the whole
A fever wasn’t just a fire
but imbalance in the soul

Years later in a sterile lab
my hands found bones anew
But deeper still, I felt the thread
my ancestors once knew

It was this care for every part
for spirit, mind, and frame
that led me to osteopathy 
and gave my calling name
 
Now, I carry both in me
the ancient and the learned
One hand holds charts and techniques
the other, what I’ve earned

From roots that taught me how to heal
to training that gives me voice
I blend the wisdom of both worlds
with purpose and with choice