A Practical Guide to Acu-Points

"This is one of the best books about acupoints that I have ever come across, and a must for all students and experienced practitioners in the fields of acupuncture, acupressure, shiatsu, Tuina etc. It is well laid out, very informative, and contains clear, detailed illustrations of each point.

The illustrations are excellent, as are the precise anatomical descriptions of each point location. The points are noted by Chinese name, English name and international nomenclature, which will be recognisable to all those working within the framework of Chinese medicine or other oriental therapies. Equally helpful is the information on what the best treatment positions are, as well as guidance on needling, manual techniques, and moxibustion etc.

Each point is considered in relation to its actions and indications, as well as the main area and functions it covers.

`A Practical Guide to Acu-points' is precisely that. A fully illustrated and comprehensive reference guide to acupoints, and an invaluable reference source for all those involved in using acupoints and meridians as part of their therapy.
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~ Written on 2008-07-16

"Anyone involved in studying, using or teaching anything concerning acu-points should have this book. It is particularly clear and easy to reference, with aesthetically beautiful illustrations throughout. In fact the book is a piece of art in its own right, which is arguably unimportant, as it is the information that counts. However, as it has the most comprehensive information on points that I have come across, its attractiveness as an item is just an added bonus.

I must confess that I usually skim through the introductory sections of such books, but I immediately found myself engrossed in the lucid three pages on `How to Use This Book'. The next four pages concern `Needling Considerations', which is so clear and colourful that I found myself going through that word for word; which as a practicing acupuncturist, is something I would normally take for granted and therefore skip over. The other introductory chapters cover, manual technique considerations, moxibustion, cupping and deqi, followed by a comprehensive classification of points and their principles of application, concluding with excellent drawings to clarify Cun measurements, and useful information on general cautions and contraindications.

The main body of the book deals with acu-points on the twelve primary channels plus those on the Ren Mai, Du Mai and Extra Points. There are many books around that do that, but this book has an edge insofar as it gives a greater amount of useful practical information about what to do with any given acu-point. Most of the other such books are aimed squarely at the acupuncture practitioner's need to know where and how to needle and moxa each point. This book does all of that to at least the level of any other text I have read, but goes further by mentioning stimulation sensation, relevant manual techniques such as shiatsu, magnets, cupping, and even guasha (scraping) where relevant. Furthermore, the illustrations for each point not only highlight the location of the point for the purpose of needling it, but include an extended area of shading which denotes the area that acupressure can influence that point. Note also that in both the text and the illustrations, anatomical detail is far superior to that so far published.

Even though this book is packed with useable information, it manages to fit itself into around 350 friendly pages. It keeps itself concise by not going into detailed academic commentaries on the point functions. If you want more of that, I would steer you towards the excellent Manual of Acupuncture, by Deadman, Al-Khafaji & Baker. If you get that book and this book, you will have the subject very well covered.

Finally, out of the three most graphic and user friendly comprehensive books on this subject (A Manual of Acupuncture, The Seirin Pictorial Atlas of Acupuncture, and A Practical Guide to Acu-points), this book is arguably the most useful, yet sells at one-third of the price!

Reviewed by George Dellar MBRCP Lic. Ac. MRSS(T)DS

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~ Written on 2008-07-02