Extraordinary Vessels (Paradigm title) (Paperback)

by Kiiko Matsumoto (Author), Stephen Birch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
".this is an excellent book to be highly recommended to any acupuncture practitioner." -- Giovanni Maciocia, in a letter to the Journal of Traditional Acupuncture

"It is a delight to see that there is a return to the original concepts of acupuncture and the movement of energy on a global level, as distinct from the use of points purely for the removal of specific perverse influences." -- British Journal of Acupuncture

Product Description
This text makes available the information a student or practitioner needs to add important and powerful treatments to their repertoire. The authors have assembled theoretical explanations and treatment systems based on the use of the eight extraordinary vessels. The information comes from highly successful Oriental scholars and practitioners. The reasoning and research from which these treatment systems are derived is detailed, beginning with the classical descriptions of these vessels as the oceans of qi and blood.

Descriptions of the eight trajectories include starting points, pathways, variant pathways, and branches. Eleven full-page body charts illuminate the text and more than 50 tables summarize the trajectories, the meeting points, and the areas of diagnostic correspondence. Classical extra meridian treatments are set out, with treatment styles that are detailed in step-by-step presentations. Fascinating systems that have been only partially or superficially reported in the West are fully explained. These systems include plus-minus needling, the Chinese system of body zones, the use of bipolar metals, magnets, and electrically pulsed magnets. Sample treatments, illustrations of correspondence and reflex areas, treatment tables, and diagrams provide practical support. There is a major treatment list for the eight master-coupled points, with thousands of indications for the points from Japanese, Chinese, English, and German texts. Organized by body area or specific condition, this reference permits the practitioner to see how the various indications relate to one another and form groups. A final section describes the authors' experience in combining extraordinary vessel and magnetic treatments with element/stem diagnosis, scar treatment, and zone therapy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Paradigm Publications (MA); 1 edition (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912111356
• ISBN-13: 978-0912111353
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #729,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of extraordinary vessel theory and practice, December 9, 2002

By	Alexander Kunlun (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This is an well-researched, clearly presented work on the eight extraordinary vessels, which represent the deepest level of energetics in chinese medicine.
The book's first section covers vessel trajectories and classical chinese treatments. There are a lot of valuable quotes from the classics here to help you understand the nature of each vessel, as well as symptom/point combinations.
The second part of the book covers modern japanese extraordinary treatment strategies, especially those of Dr. Manaka, who was Kiiko Matsumoto's teacher.
This is a great reference book for any practicioner or advanced student of acupuncture, I highly recommend it.

9 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy, November 2, 2002

By A Customer

Totally unreadable for beginners of acupuncture.
Even for a practitioner, one may get really
confused. Translations of Chinese and Japanese
words are lost in essence. Attemp to compile
a book according to the Japanese style of publishing
acupuncture books does not do good service to
American readers.