July 2025 Still PointAuthor: 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 ReachI 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
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