Acupuncture Books

well i thought this book would have everything and easy to understand well it has everything but as for easy to understand no this book is not for a beginner

If I could carry only one book to get me through love, trauma, injury, recovery; in other words,life, THIS would be the one!
Accurate, easy to understand and apply, this is the one book to own in order to understand and benefit from acupressure. Iona Teeguarden, as psychotherapist and founder of Jin Shin Do Bodymind Acupressure is a brilliant teacher, author and guide.
Don't leave home without this book!

This book is very informative and gives excellent descriptions of the points and thier uses.

This material was collated some years ago, and although has some good conceptual stuff, has little practical value.

This is an important reference book for those interested in Dim Mak, the deadliest Chinese martial art.Knowing the acupressure/acupuncture points is the basis for the lethal strikes of this art as well as the healing aspects that are an important part of it

I found this book disappointing, for reasons I will explain below. The first thing I wanted to note, however, is that this book is not designed for the general public. Unless you have a background in Chinese medicine (particularly herbal and acupuncture interventions), this book will be confusing and quite possibly frustrating.

As an acupuncturist, I found this book to be broad in scope but light on details. It certainly is not the "bible of excellence" as one reviewer noted, although I do not doubt that the author is well-versed in her field. As with many expert practitioners, it is often difficult for them to translate their knowledge in a way that less expert individuals can make sense of it. The author assumes that the reader has a great deal of knowledge in the areas of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, as well as a basic understanding of cosmetology. That is a big assumption. Nowadays, one would also need to be knowledgeable about quality assurance management in order to assess adulteration concerns for any herbal products coming from China. At our clinic, we only use Chinese herbal products made by US companies that have gone through our quality control audit, which is quite time consuming. While herbal products from China may be superior, I do not have the expertise or time to evaluate them.

Pragmatically, I question some of the statments the author makes. For example, I do not think one should broadly suggest doing gua sha or cupping on the face, as the author suggests, unless the practitioner is well trained in those modalities. My concerns about bruising increases when gua sha and cupping are done together with facial acupuncture, as outlined in some protocols. Bruising on the face makes most patients unhappy, which is why I tend to use microcurrent for facial points. Not surprisingly, patients paying out-of-pocket for facial rejuvenation are particularly unforgiving.

I also question whether it is possible to integrate facial rejuvenation into a general acupuncture practice, particularly if one is going to use the procedure the author outlines in Chapter 29. A practitioner in my area told me recently that she was ending the facial rejuvenation part of her practice because she can make more money doing general acupuncture in 45 minutes than she can spending 2 hours doing facial rejuvenation. She also mentioned that continually dealing with her patients' vanity and unrealistic expectations was wearying. To balance this, one of my patients who is an aesthetician and does facial rejuvenation at a local spa does very well and enjoys her work, but then she isn't expected to use exotic herbal masks, gua sha, cupping, acupuncture, facial massage, dietary interventions, and Qi Gong exercises with her clients - nor is she the owner of the spa.

In summary, my assessment is that this book would be a great supplement to any coursework taken with Ms. (Dr?) Zhang, or perhaps as an adjunct to her DVD. I do not feel that the book can be used as a "comprehensive" stand-alone text, however, unless you are already experienced in TCM facial rejuvenation. For myself, coursework taken with Virgina Doran and Mary Elizabeth Wakefield were very helpful in this regard.

My specialty is NOT facial acupuncture, however I do plan on doing it more and more often...

The book gives you basic concepts, and of course not only focusing on wrinkles and dark circles using needles... but also using body points and herbs...

Not sure if I will "make" my own herbal masks, but it is a great idea.

Overall, great book with great pictures!

Keep up the good work Doc...

But...it was difficult to reference the point locations, this is a good book for a practitioner, but for a student, I had to use it along-side a chart...

A great book full of practical wisdom, and a strange subject... So, what is a " Facial Rejuvenation" anyway? According to Ping Zhang, it is defined as "a heritage of Traditional Chinese Medicine in its field". As a Korea Oriental Medical Doctor with more than seven years experience, I looked at this book with interest.
I recommend this book. Read it, and then go make a difference for someone.

This book is useful with specific protocols for certain conditions. But it lacks breadth and does not cover a whole lot. 4 stars because info on facial acu is hard to find.

This is not a heavy textbook but a thoughtful review of some fundamental theories with Miriam Lee's description and explanation of her own Great formula. An engaging book for an afternoon read.

Every acupuncturist should learn a little about Miriam Lee's (arguably the most notable acupuncturist in US history) approach, and this book can be read in one sitting. It is somewhat different to what you would learn from any standard TCM text (i.e Peter Deadman)and is a fascinating reminder as to the diversity of acupuncture techniques. It is especially valuable for those who use primarily acupuncture rather than herbal medicine. Miriam Lee practised using what some refer to as the "Taiwanese" or meridian theory, as opposed to the more standard version of acupuncture used in TCM hospitals throughout China (which some say is more drawn from herbal medicine theory). Anyone who has practised in China and found the domination of herbal medicines frustrating will be very inspired by Miriam Lee.

I love this book because it is small but has so much in it. I know I will read it countless times to make sure that I have absorbed every detail. It will definitely be helpful in my future practice.

A must read for all acupuncturists. Set against a background of Miriam's
experiences as the person who brought acupuncture to the U.S, the book
is really about how an acupuncture "formula" or combination can be used
for many, many conditions by changes in how it is applied. This book is
one that changed the way I understand acupuncture and I thank Miriam for
sharing her knowledge in such a simple and powerful way.

Very limited in the numbers of points used. There is no conceptual or methodical explanation for the points selected. Very interesting that she uses the same treatments for multiple ailments. I have no regrets in reading and purchasing this material. But then again, I read everything on acupuncture that I can get a hold of. It shall remain in my acupuncture library.

This book is easier to understand than many others I have referred too. It shows good illustrations for self-treatment for different conditions. It is a good little guide for the non-professional. I have quite a few acupressure books. This one is the most user-friendly for me.

The strengths of this book are in the concise explanation of the techniques of acupressure and the clear illustration of the location of the acupoints. The layout is nicely done, too; each condition is on a double page spread with a brief explanation on the left-hand page and illustrations on the right-hand page. However, a little more thought on the indexing would have improved the book a lot. For example, PMS or things related cannot be found in the index, but are included under "dysmenorrhoea". Otherwise this is a great little book.

Guide is easy to follow and helpfull for everyday ailments. Lots of pictures!

This is a very handy little book to have for your medical library. It is easy to follow, has a nice index to look up your particular problem and doesn't bog the reader down with a huge history and medical jargon of accupressure.
It has easy to use pictures too.
I have used it already to help my annoying neck and shoulder pain! Sure beats a $50.00 office visit (and most likely, a 3rd or 4th) to your doctor :)

This book is almost useless for helping someone understand how to use acupressure to alleviate physical symptoms. As a licensed massage therapist who already knows quite a bit about acupressure, I am always willing to learn more about any kind of bodywork. I had hoped to be able to pass on some ideas to my clients for self help but this book was definitely not it. The book gives some accupoints for specific problems, some of these are "golden points" able to stand alone in use, but others are not. The book gives no order to use these in and furthermore does not specify if all or any of the points are to be used together in sequence, or not. Also,it does't tell where the points are EXACTLY. There are really too many flaws to go into here. Acupressure is very complex, this book tries to simplify it to the point that it looks like some goofy folklore advocating some bad mojo.

I am a trained bodyworker with 3 massage therapy courses to my credit and cadaver lab plus an associate degree in physical therapy. This book when followed to the letter was universally detested by every client while I was required to use it as a student at massage school. The massage course portion in which the book was used was taught by the books author. After using the Balanced Body as a manual, I had to give another massage to the client as compensation for the pain and discomfort resultant in the use of this pretentious "text". That is my experience and opinion of this putative "text'.

This is a good general massage overview for the beginning massage student.

Yet some important suggestions are made below if this text should cater as well to more advanced students of deep tissue as I know it.

#1 Origins and insertions of all of the muscles should be listed in the pictures for reference: it would help even the beginner massage student to add this in earlier than later; to each and every diagram, as this is "good form". You may find it handy to keep Trail Guide To The Body and and a more detailed anatomy book by Mcminn's by your side otherwise and in any case.

#2 My aesthetic sense liked the cover, but I think the sentences should be spaced out a little further apart with a larger font, more colorful pictures, and removing some of the seemingly overabundance of the red and grey color bolded in to many of the the letters, and diagrams... all that crimsoness is a little too "visceral" for me, and I've been to the Body World exibit and liked it. If data was spread out onto more pages, I know the trees won't like it per say, but they have no retinas.

Here's the crux of the matter I think when considering this book- "Energy/polarity" and "Swedish massage" was not what I expected to find in a book where such was not included in the title (which as you know is called Deep Tissue); it would be fine if these topics were touched on briefly, but these topics are definitely a large part of the entire book and if anything, I would have prefered if these extra modalites of massage, apart from "deep tissue" had their own chapters; rather than having it all mixed together as they are in this present edition. In addition, Art Rigg's book on Deep Tissue, cleary and or thoroughly covers the field of "myofascial sculpting" if one should like to have a comparative standpoint.

I understand that "deep tissue" is by it's very nature just too broad of a term. Thus to be specific and clear, a Certifed Rolfer or someone with a commitment to the art and science of deep tissue bodywork, is the high standard definition of Deep Tissue that I am speaking of, and I am putting all the books online which I buy on Amazon on this subject up against this gold standard.

In conclusion, my opinion is that the text is a banquet of information great for massage 101 students, interested as well in getting to know something about shiatsu and "energy work", if they so desire, not catered however to he or she who already knows principals of deep tissue massage and has more than a few solid, tried, and true deep tissue moves for each body part in their repetoire.

By Ari Arom L.M.T.

As the author of The Balanced Body I welcome constructive criticism of my ideas and writing. However, I feel obligated to respond to the review of my book by John R. Frame because his comments grossly misrepresent the philosophy and application of techniques presented in the book. His descriptions of the results of his deep tissue sessions demonstrate a profound lack of understanding of the methodology of the integrated deep tissue therapy system as described in The Balanced Body.

Mr. Frame states that when he followed the routines in the book to the letter, his treatments were universally detested by every client. Perhaps this is because he chose to ignore the often repeated admonition in the book that the practice routines are not meant to be strictly adhered to but rather serve as training tools and to provide general guidelines in designing individualized, client-centered sessions. To quote page 13: "The routines given in the lessons do not represent exact reproductions of specific bodywork sessions that would actually be performed on a client. Rather, they outline a general sequence of possible moves for an area of the body. Each routine describes techniques for releasing most of the muscles associated with that particular part of the body. Although the therapist needs to know all of these techniques, he or she would not use every procedure described on any one client."

The reviewer also claims that he had to give a client an additional massage as compensation for the pain and discomfort he had inflicted during a deep tissue session. This unfortunate circumstance was most likely due to Mr. Frame's not being attentive to the response of his client to his touch and not making the necessary adjustments. Nowhere in The Balanced Body is uncomfortable, invasive pressure advocated. In fact it is actively discouraged. To quote page 36: "To be able to relax and willingly accept deeper gradations of pressure, the client must be assured that the therapist is mindful of the effects of his or her touch on the client's body. The therapist must be capable of making the necessary adjustments to prevent touch from becoming painful, harmful, or intrusive. The organic, ever-changing nature of the interaction between the therapist and client during a deep tissue session requires constant vigilance to ensure that the quality of therapy remains productive."

It is interesting that the reviewer refers to the book he is reviewing as the text he used as a student in school. As a matter of fact, the training manual that he worked from was the first edition of this work, which was a privately produced, much smaller text meant to accompany the curriculum he was being taught. The current edition, which is sold by Amazon, is the 2nd edition of this work. It has been greatly expanded and augmented to serve the massage community at large. It seems likely that Mr. Frame has never even seen the edition of the book he is supposedly reviewing. I suggest that he read the second edition carefully and follow the proper guidelines to prevent him from continually hurting his clients.

This book teaches you how to do it properly.
Buy this one if you feel unsure about how to do the therapy.
You will be relieved that you did.
Only problem with this book is that it does come to an end.
Like lays potatoe chips, you can't read just once.
I loved it. It gave me more confidence in my hands on therapy sessions.

I have been a massage instructor for a number of years on the east coast, and I have been using Mr Scheumann's book the "Balanced Body" in the college that I teach for 3 years. In order for my review to seem pertinent, I feel as though I should give my background. I not only teach advanced tissue massage and A&P at a college, I am also a CEU provider for the NCBTMB in NMT and Myofascial Release continuing education courses.

I am going to get right into the meat of Mr Scheumann's book. I find his introduction and musculoskeletal anatomy of each of the hands-on chapters to be a good review for my students who have had some previous A&P. The introduction paints a concise and vivid picture of the muscular physiology and kinesiology of the body area, and the musculoskeletal section gives the students a quick and thorough review of the muscular and skeletal anatomy that is needed for the hands-on techniques. The postural analysis tables are a quick and easy reference for any student, and the exercise and self-treatment section are simple exercises for a student to apply.

Now to the hands-on treatment, the NMT techniques that Mr Scheumann describes in the book are standard NMT treatments. They are well written and easy to follow for any person who has a basic training and aptitude for massage. The NMT treatments not only treat the belly of the muscle, but the author guides the reader through treatments of the origin and insertion of many of the muscles throughout his book (a good thorough NMT treatment). As far as the myofascial release treatments that are laid out in the book, are also basic treatments that are easy to follow. In this readers opinion, myofascial release and NMT go hand in hand. A true thorough therapeutic treatment of the body can easily be achieved with these two alone.

In my humble opinion, the only reason that this book didn't get five stars from me is due to the polarity and shiatsu techniques that are given in the hands-on chapter. I understand what the author is trying to achieve by bringing the eastern and western energetics and therapeutics together, but I believe the book falls short in achieving this goal. As far as, the western techniques that are offered within the text, the book gets five stars.

This is the third time I have ordered this book in multiple quantities. I run a natural health clinic and offer the book as reading material, but clients just can't seem to put it down and are constantly asking to purchase it. Even though we offer a smaller book on the same subject for a fraction of the price, a lot of clients prefer this book by Frank Navratil and are willing to pay for it. As a professional Bowen Practitioner myself, I can account for the accuracy and thouroughness of the book. Definitely 5 stars!

There are very few books available about the Bowen Technique, so it was very nice to find this one, even though I had to send to U.S. for it. The author is a very experienced and knowledgable practitioner and explains the origins and philsophy of the technique very well. The book as well thought out and a very useful resource for the novice and experienced pratitioner too. Good photographic content and well explanation of procedures.

TAG. Bowen Therapist & Instructor. U.K.

This is a very good book. It provided a good balance of information on the subject and a section on application of the technique.
Being a visual person, I wish there would have been an accompanying DVD, but I was very happy with the book.

¡Totally disappointed! I bought this book thinking I could learn to do some Bowen therapy, but... after the title page you can read "It is not intended for use un practice except by qualified accredited practitioners who have undergone practice training in the Bowen method".
And on page 14: "This book is designed as resource for patients..." and on page 77 "Please note that this is not a complete manual on how to perform the Bowen Method".
I read the Chapter 12 "The Bowen Move": At the beginning you can read "Probably the most fundamental component of Bowen Therapy is the move itself". Well, I couldn't understand this chapter. To me is unclear and confusing.
So, if you want to learn Bowen Therapy do not waste your money buying this book. And if you are a patient, you don't have to buy the book ¡It's cheaper to ask the Practitioner!

This book gave good clear information. The background information was very informative and the section which dealt with the moves clear and precise. I particularly liked the way Frank included information on the kind of aliments each of the group of moves would aid.

I think this is a book for everyone and a valuable addition to have for anyone studying the Bowen Technique

This book is full of fascinating information about reading the lines, bumps, and configurations of the face. It is based on ancient Chinese tradition and will intrigue you enough to get out your mirror. Putting it into practice will require re-reading the book but you will never again look at someone's face the same way. Amazing!

This is an excellent primer in the art of Face Reading. If you are a TCM practitioner, patient or have a passing interest in face reading, Lillian gives great examples and anecdotes throughout the book. The pictures are spot on. A very enjoyable book to read and use.

I have read most books on face reading and this book immediately shows the real wealth of knowledge and sensibility of the author. A lot of people take a seminar and write a book, this is just the opposite. The author shows experience and an open heart, I know she is the teacher to a lot of face readers like Jean Hanner so If you want to know the real source for a lot of what is out there this is a most and Lillian is the best.

I tried to check the information in the book on the people I know and could not find that the information applies to their character. This sure tells that the information cannot be generalized, which puts the book in the "not needed store" as far as I am involved. I did not gain any knowledge from it and I cannot understand how the information was arrived at. It is not applicable to reality at all.

This book answers questions about my self, my health, about others and their health with a breathtaking generosity of goodness. The goodness of everyone conveyed by the author is not to be confused with a sugar coated sweetness but an honest look at the options we have in perceptions. The gentle teachings conveyed pictorially via facial markings gives the questioning readers a bright ray of enlightenment.

As a beginning student, I got a lot out of this book. If you are an advanced student, you might be familiar with most of the material. I thought it was great!

Excellent! A must for Chinese Medicine practitioners.

This book, "Five Spirits", it is indispensable the all that that works with psychology and acupuncture. Being more thoroughly known the five spirits, Shen, Hun, Yi, Po and Zhi, we can understand the disturbances psychic, spiritual, mental, emotional and physical better that so much afflicts us, still more in a life so afflicted that the modern times impinge us. It is an easy and fluent reading, of great value to all searching of the human knowledge. Every acupuncturist and psychologist should read this book, and even the veterinary doctors that work with disturbances of animal behavior. It is a good book!

I'm an acupuncture student and was looking for a more in depth discussion of the mystical aspect of acupuncture...The title is beautiful and implies insight into the spiritual and alchemical aspects of acupuncture, yet it does not do that. Instead we are given case histories and few acupuncture points used, but no background info as to why those points were chosen. There was nothing alchemical or spiritual about the book. Although it does give a good example of the interview process of the patient.

Ms. Dechar has been able to weave the Chinese characters and the meaning behind the words of Oriental Medicine, showing the depth of health care even 3 thousand years ago.
The book is very comprehensive and should be regarded as a resource to return to, time after time.

I am enjoying the beauty of the words and the medicine very much.

Ms Mercati gives the reader a good overview of this style of massage. One problem many books on Eastern medicine concepts is that the scientific paradigm of qi, yin-yang, etc is difficult to grasp for someone who has been educated on Western scientific principles. This book starts with an introduction to the Eastern principles in a more understandable, concise fashion. This makes it good for a massage therapist who wants to expand his repertoire. At times, the anatomical descriptions are inaccurate eg: referring to the malleolus as an "ankle bone"; however, the informal style of the book keeps it interesting and readable, as well as informative.

When I have this book in my hands first time I liked how many photos and how easy to follow it may appear. Well now I am studing 1500 pages 5volumes book just on theory of the Classical Chinese Medicine (unfortunatelly not available in english.. just Czech language) compiled from moct basic old chinese canons.. So my view is.. trying to explain yin yang, 5 elements (which in fact are not any elements) on several pages and then explain meridians and points in rest of the book is.. well just making nice product for sale. Well you may say that business is about it.. so yes but than..

this book showed much of basic TCM theory with little technics, and technics was not much different than swedish and deeptissue technics. tui na technic vary, some said 12 different techs, some said up to 35 different techs. it would'nt matter how many techs it use as long as it shows how to use different techs and why it use it. how to transit one techs to another techs. this book lacks latter part.

I am a massage therapist and found this book to be very helpful as reference for the non-western portion of the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. It had lots of information on meridians and the five element theory. It was also written quite clear and was quite easy to clear. I also used the followng which is also on amazon:
The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers by Patrick Leonardi (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3).
The last 3 books were right on target with the type of informatioin ask on this national test. All 4 books are must buys.

I loved the different techniques in this book. It teaches the the law of the five elements and it presents detailed diagrams of the meridian channels.

This is a very helpful book. I read this book couple of times and found out where my weakness is . My score is better each time I repeating the practice exam. I think this book is especially good for the people like me who are not in the school right now. It gives the chances to practice the exam before you take it, and it helps you to get an idea what level you are at and what score you are expect if you take the exam.

This is a horrible prep book. I took three of the tests and found, upon review, that over 10% of the answers were wrong! I can't believe that the previous reviewers didn't catch this. Difficult to use for test taking and scoring. Many of the questions are as poorly worded as the actual NCCAOM test. In this way, it is helpful.

Although it is a very good book for preparing any acupuncture examination, it may be not the one you need. Before I bought this book I checked the content and sample of questions on the website namaa.org to make sure that was what I needed. I believe that all reader should do the same to avoid disappointment.

HELPFUL WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT SCHOOL ANYMORE BUT HAS SOME ERRORS, ANYWAY CHEKING THEM HELPS DOING THE REVIEW.

Before I read this book, I was not sure if I could pass. This book help me preparing the test. I passed it at the first time easily. There is new informtion about this book and some samples of questions at the web site namaa.org. check it.