The Complete Idiot's Guide to Acupuncture and Acupressure [antikvár]

Foreword Just a generation ago, a Westerner suffering from a medical problem would consult the family doctor and, perhaps, an allopathic specialist. Today people can choose from among an explosion of treatments that extend beyond the bounds of conventional medicine. The consumer's challenge is to make sense of the interventions available and figure out which treatments—conventional, complementary, alternative or a combination of these—are likely to best heal their aches and pains and help them maintain good health. "Oriental Medicine," which originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, is one "new" choice that is increasingly available in the West. At first glance, the treatments that belong under the heading of oriental medicine—acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese herbal medicine, qi gong—may seem exotic and mind boggling. Most of us need some guidance in navigating this complex medical system based on theories and terminology that can sound as foreign as the Chinese language itself. That's where The Complete Idiot's Guide to Acupuncture and Acupressure comes in. In a single volume, David Sollars has succeeded in pulling together an accessible presentation of Oriental Medicine for the layperson. He clearly presents the medical theories on which acupuncture, acupressure, and its cousins are based, decodes key terminology, and straight-forwardly describes a variety of related treatments. Most important, he sheds light on the many medical conditions treatable by Oriental Medicine—from asthma to chronic pain to infertility and more. At a time when Western civilization was still in its infancy, China had already developed this highly complex and effective medical system. Though known through the centuries to a small number of scholars, missionaries, and visitors to China, traditional Chinese medicine and its offshoots were, until recently, virtually unknown and unavailable in the West. Then with President Richard Nixon's widely publicized visit to China in 1973, ordinary Americans were introduced to acupuncture and oriental medicine. Within a few decades, this profound healing art has entered the mainstream. Today the National Institutes of Health fund research in Oriental Medicine, more than 40 states license acupuncturists, and some insurance companies cover acupuncture services. Oriental Medical treatments, now available in conventional medical settings such as hospitals and community health centers, are used to treat an extensive range of conditions, some of which have been unresponsive to standard approaches. Accredited colleges of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine continue to spring up around the U.S. and abroad. And today we're even likely to hear a television character remark off-handedly about seeing an acupuncturist. Despite the growing availability and acceptance of oriental medicine, too many people continue to suffer from illnesses and conditions, or undergo needless surgery, when acupuncture, acupressure, and related treatments could effectively and gently