Customer Reviews

Color Atlas of Acupuncture: Body Points - Ear Points - Trigger Points (Complementary Medicine (Thieme Paperback))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was a bit dubious about buying this book as I have a lot of books on acupuncture already and no one had reviewed it. The reason I was considering it was mainly because of the ear acupuncture, which is often not covered in much detail in mainstream acupuncture books. Anyway, about a year after looking at it (since it was always popping up when I was browsing), I took the plunge - and it was well worth it.

The book is paperback size and weighs about 280 g (10 oz), mainly due to the glossy high quality paper used. The contents are extremely well organized and key information is presented clearly. The illustrations and photos are excellent. The introduction covers the body cun measurements. Part I covers the 12 main meridians and the conception vessel (Ren mai), governing vessel (Du mai) and extra points. For each meridian, all the points of the meridian are shown in one photo of a real human body, followed by detailed illustrations (showing bones, muscles and tendons), locations, actions, indications and needling of the major points. There are also blue boxes containing extra tips for locating points or warnings about treatment. Part II (50 pages) covering the ear is well done with reference to both the Chinese ear points and Nogier's ear points, including indications. The locations of points (or areas) in this section are depicted on photos of real ears. Part III (90 pages) on trigger points is equally well done. The references indicate a wealth of acupuncture research and resources in German. While this book may never become a recommended text in North America due to the already well-established texts available, it would be useful as a compact compendium for carrying around or as reference for both the student and practitioner.

IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR ACUPUNCTURE POCKET BOOK YOU WILL FIND A VERY NICE ONE. WITH PRECISE ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOS.
ITS POCKET SIZE IS SUPERB. IT CAN BE USED AS A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE.
I GAVE IT FOUR STARS BECAUSE THE TITLE SAYS ACUPUNCTURE ATLAS LEADING ME TO THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE A COMPLETE ATLAS WITH ALL POINTS, BUT IT ONLY COVERS SOME POINTS,MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES.
OVERALL IT'S A NICE POCKET BOOK BUT NOT FOR BEGGINERS WHO MUST LOOK FOR A COMPLETE TEXTBOOK BEFORE BUYING THIS,

I have found this book very useful for certain points. Unfortunately the Body Acupuncture Points section only covers about 117 points and does not cover all the points I need. For example, for the Lung Channel it only includes Lu-1, Lu-5, Lu-7, Lu-9, and Lu-11. The Pericardium Channel only includes Pc-3, Pc-6, and Pc-7. The Kidney Channel covers Ki-3, Ki-6, Ki-7, and Ki-27. The drawings and pictures, as well as the information provided on these points, are very good. I like the fact that not only do they have drawings but actual human body pictures locating the points, and it does show most of the points on these pictures, even though it does not name or describe them.

Some additional points are shown in Section 3, Trigger Points, but that section is basically by muscle or section and the points come incidental to treatment and are not listed in the index so it is not easy to find them. Also the information on these points is limited to a diagram and a brief description of location so it is useful only for treating the particular trigger point. This section is the largest section in the book and covers 35 muscles or muscle groups. The information provided in this section appears to be very good.

Part 2 of the book, Ear Acupuncture, is very good and probably would rate five stars.

I would probably buy this book again because it is very good for the covered areas with useful concise information, but it is limited. If it covered more points, it would definitely be a five star book.

Caroline's review is true, but this book was not what I expected. It describes only some selected points after showing all points on a full human picture. That is why it is not for beginners.

If you are looking for a fairly complete illustration and description of meridians and acupuncture points, this is not the book for you. If you order this atlas, you are getting a handy 5 x 7 inch, 328-page paperback in which only 117 points clearly marked with indications and actions. Also, there is no complete picture of a body with all meridians labelled. It's sort of like getting an atlas of the world that only shows one continent at a time and then leaves out Antarctica, Botswana and Khazakstan because, in the opinion of the editor, they don't contribute all that much to the rest of world. If you're just a beginner or intermediate delving into this topic, there are probably other, better, much cheaper guides.

The book does, however, do some things well. For instance, it describes the anatomy that underlies certain acupuncture points, suggests needling depths and gives a description of cun measurement that may be helpful. It also shows some points on the meridians on an actual photographs of people. An entire section is devoted to showing various points on musculature. It also has a whole section devoted to trigger points and their relationships to various acupuncture points. The indexes are very handy. I can't comment on the ear point section, as that is something with which I am not familiar enough to give a good review.

I't great ! I loved it, easy to read, easy to navigate through, pictures are excellent, it's a small book , easy to carry with you, yet it gives more than enough details to find the points.
this is was a very successful purchase ! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

I use trigger points to relieve pain and this book has pretty pictures and gives you very nice descriptions and photos to let you know how to relieve some painful areas. Of course, if you haven't gone to school you won't understand the depth descriptions and so forth, but the pictures make this book worth the money.

I like this book for point location. Anatomical references are very good and I feel I can "grok" the point. I found the trigger point areas somewhat tedious, but liked the excellent anatomical references. For a "visual person" this one is great. It's a little thick though.

Very good and compact reference. Outstandingly clear depiction of the points.
The only missing thing I'd like to be included is the meridian activity time-table.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It is a good combination of western and eastern viewpoints. The ear points are well illustrated, and overall, the points are described clearly and concisely. An easy to consult index allows one to look up specific issues quickly. I am a licensed massage therapist who works with Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this book is a great addition to my reference library.