'Goes into detail to recisely explain the methos used.'-Choice

'Explains the ancient Chinese theories and goes on to a lucid description of modern acupuncture practices.'-Medical Wrold News

'The text is clear, and of special interest are the photographs.'-Library Journal

'Well-researched...explains in concise form the principels and practice of acupuncture.'-Science News

the ancient Chinese medical practice of acupuncture is enjoying an upsurge of interest around the world as its man instances of dramatic efficacy both baffle and intrigue a growing number of doctors and scientists. It is undeniable that acupuncture can successfully treat a great number of common ailments, not to mention disorders that do not respond to Western medicine, such as certain forms of deafness and color blindness. But just how and why it works are questions that cannot yet be answered in modern scientific terms.

In The Layman's Guide to Acupuncture two leading acupuncture authorities draw on their extensive clinical experience as well as the latest research findings to introduce both the principles and practice of this 5,000-year-old science.

In addition to presenting a concise but thorough explanation of the concepts underlying acupuncture, the authors discuss diagnosis, uses of different kinds of needles, various treatment procedures, treatment of children, ancillary techniques like moxibustion and pressure massage, and finally some of the exciting experiments that are now testing the empirical results of acupuncture according to scientific standards.

The text is amplified by a weath of illustrations, incuding both traditional woodcuts and up-to-date photographs and drawings. Sally Reston, wife of New York Times correspondent James Reston, has supplied a foreword based on her firsthand observation of acupuncture in Peking. Authoritative, informative, and comprehensive, this book is the most clear-cut general introduction to the fascinating science of acupuncture to appear in English.

Yoshio Manaka, M.D., was born in Japan in 1911 and received his medical degree from Kyoto Imperial Universty. Both a surgeon and a master acupuncturist, he is the head of a general hospital in Odawara, near Tokyo. A leading Japanese authority on acupuncture, Dr. Manaka has had many papers on the subject published in French and German research journals.

Ian A Urquhart, Ph.D., was born in Glasgow in 1920. Educated in Scotland, Itally, Canada, and the United States, he holds a doctorate of philosophy and has been awarded the Diploma of Acupuncture by the Japan National Acupuncture Association and the Osaska Medical University Pain Clinic. A member of the official acupuncture associations of Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, and Britain, he has worked closely with Dr. Manaka for many years.

Contents

Foreword by Sally Reston
Authors' preface
1 An introductory overview
Part I Principles
2 The concepts of energy and yin-yang
3 The five-element theory and the organs
4 Energy circulation: Meridians and points
5 Biorhythms and energy fluctuation
Part II Practice
6 Diagnosis
7 The needles and their use
8 Auxiliary techniques: Moxibustion and massage
9 Methods of treatment
10 The efficacy of acupuncture
11 Indications for the future: New reseach in acupuncture
Appendices
A Command points of the bilateral meridians
B Hourly open points
C Pulse qualities