Shi Xue-min's Comprehensive Textbook of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Hardcover – 30 April 2008

Good

Muy buena información, se compró para su estudio recomendado por maestros de acupuntura china, todo el envío llegó en orden.

Everybody who is seriously interested in acupuncture will enjoy reading Shi Xuemin's Comprehensive Textbook of acupuncture and Moxibustion. The two Volume Textbook is untill now the most complete monography about acupuncture, I have read. First it introduces in the theory of acupuncture channels and colaterates. Then Shi Xuemin describes location, function, indication and puncture method of every single acupuncture point. Besides he explanes precisely the diferent acupuncture techniques, whih he developped during his over 50 years clinical experience. The second volume describes the treatments of a big variety of illnesses including rare or complex deseases like Tetanus, Schizophrenia and Crebrovascular accident. I can just highly recommend this Textbook.

This is a large two-volume set, and I was expecting some seriously advanced acupuncture material, but came away disappointed. There are a lot of point prescriptions for various Western diagnoses, but very little to aid in the understanding of acupuncture energetics in a way that would help the practitioner design individual treatments instead of using stock protocols. In general, protocols are not the highest form of acupuncture therapy, but orientation to them is understandable in the context of "proving" acupuncture using Western scientific research methods. To me, it's a mistake to even try fitting acupuncture into the Western model; the attempt to do so reduces Chinese medicine to the lowest common denominator, darkening its brilliance. A hundred different patients with the same Western diagnosis should get 100 different acupuncture treatments. Yet even though I believe "the inferior doctor" relies on protocols, if I can help just one person with the sequelae of stroke using the *ideas* behind Dr. Shi's "Clear the Mind and Open the Orifices" protocol, that would be worth the price I paid for the books.

The style is in TCM. This is a diagnosis/treatment format based on 'western' medical diagnosis broken down in Chinese medical terms. Very helpful for the new student especially medical doctors. It failed to give a comprehensive view of Stroke, the main reason I put the money out for the tome.