Best Books For Beginners
I’m often asked to recommend books for people who are interested in knowing more about the very rich tradition of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. There’s a wealth of material out there and sometimes it’s hard to decide where to start.
Here are five favorites to give you a taste of this very different way of understanding, health, the body and the world. Happy reading!
Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine – Harriet Beinfeld, LAc and Efrem Korngold Lac
Interesting guide to the key elements of Chinese Medicine with a fun section on understanding constitutional types as related to the five elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.
Very accessible for people interested in Chinese Medicine who have no previous knowledge.
Click here to view the book
The Web That Has No Weaver – Ted Kaptchuk
One of the books often recommended before taking the step of actually studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ted Kaptchuk’s book has become something of a contemporary classic.
It looks at the difference between Western and Chinese medicine and explores the textures, elements and philosophies behind our understanding of this ancient Chinese art. It also explains tongue and pulse diagnosis and some of the diagnostic patterns that stem from that.
Click here to view the book
The Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine – Daniel Keown MD
Fascinating, funny and accessible book on the links between traditional Chinese and modern Western medicine using the maps of acupuncture points on the body and medical anatomy.
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Intelligent, accessible and incredibly interesting guide to what the main ancient Chinese Philosophers can teach us about flourishing today, written by Harvard Professor of Chinese History, Michael Puett
Click here to view the book.
The Acupuncture Points Functions Colouring Book – Rainy Hutchinson. Forewords by Richard Blackwell, and Angela Hicks and John Hicks
Easy visual reference/idiosyncratic colouring book to guide you through the location and functions of the main acupuncture points (- in case you are wondering why we stick a needle in your wrist when you have a headache.)
Click here to view the book
