Recommended Reading » Traditional Chinese Medicine
The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine
Amazon.com Description: Completely and thoroughly revised, The Web That Has No Weaver is the classic, comprehensive guide on the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. This accessible and invaluable resource has earned its place as the foremost authority in the synthesizing of Western and Eastern healing practices.
Comments by People on mailing lists
I recommend this book, especially to people new to TCM. —Judy Fitzgerald in Chinese Healing
A very good book about Chinese medicine is "the Web That Has No Weaver" by Ted Kaptchuk. It gives a clear explanation of the theories behind the diagnostic process used in Chinese med. —Penel in Chinese Healing
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More Technical than you may want, but an eye-opening classic, February 11, 2004 This text is often refered to as the classic introduction to Chinese Medicine Theory. Because I am not a practitioner of Chinese medicine--or of Biomedicine--I cannot comment on its accuracy of portraying its subject matter. (I have heard that various texts abound with differing interpretations.)
I can say that the book is known as a classic, and it is HIGHLY DETAILED. It illustrates very well how Chinese Medicine is completely different from the view of health we are used to in "The West". For example, instead of diagnosing someone with cancer, or arrhythmia, or bronchitis, a diagnosis sounds something like dampness affecting the Spleen, Deficitent Kidney Yang, Congealed Blood, etc... (These are not respective equivalents for the western diagnoses cancer, et al.)
And Blood, Kidney, Spleen, Spirit, and a host of other terms that look familiar to our eyes take on larger meanings than we are used to.
What I liked best was the chapters on Meridians and on Organs, showing the organization of energy and systems of the human body.
Other later chapters got extremely detailed. While this was more than I wanted, it was fine, I just skimmed them without trying to memorize or really remember too much. Just get a basic sense of how there is a completely different approach to health and illness, which showed me that different possibilities and viewpoints always exist. I definitely enjoyed the book despite being more technical than I wanted. It opened my eyes.
(I am a massage therapist with just a pinch of training in "5 Element Theory" and Shiatsu, which is accupressure.) —M. Savoie
Classic?, August 19, 2000 This book is considered required reading for every acupuncture student and is often recommended for patients who are interested in learning more about the medicine. I find it too difficult for the layman. and the text becomes laborious. Exploring the wonders of Chinese medicine should be exciting and enjoyable. There are many books which fulfill this with excellent illustrations. As students we found the book less than helpful and few ever finished reading this tome. As a practitioner, it sits on my shelf, but I have never referred to it.
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As a professor of acupuncture, I have found this textbook to be one of the best attempts to integrate all of the translated material and organize it into a very readable reference. Excellent, invaluable resource for students and practitioners alike. —Phylis Wheeler
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