Customer Reviews

A Manual of Acupuncture

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At last! This book is not a manual of acupuncture, it is THE manual.

Students of TCM, don't let the price tag intimidate you, and let me assure you that it is worth every penny. This hefty and handsome volume leaves nothing unsaid, and meticulously provides detailed information, plenty of informative quotes from a wealth of classical sources, and is a joy to handle, browse, and read from. Of particular interest and value are the sections which describe the special point groupings, because they not only provide the lists of points which belong to these categories, but also systematized and coherent explanations behind the workings of cleft-xi, yuan-source, luo-connecting, and many other point categories. Also of great value are the commentaries pertaining to each individual point, because they describe relationships and important pointers regarding the workings of each individual point, how their use and indications developed through history, and other tidbits of information which will open new avenues of investigation and application for astute students and practitioners. The commentaries on the points provide not only information, but are written in a lucid prose, the style of which aids memorization and learning of important information.

The point location information is accurate, albeit in a few cases too brief, in my opinion. The illustrations are very detailed and actually useful (unlike in other texts) in locating the points. The notes and cautions on needling of points in sensitive areas are placed where they are readily visible, and provide information on the local anatomy of the point, and what the consequences of inappropriate insertion could be.

There are charts which show major points per anatomical region (which are actually legible and understandable), and indexes aplenty: pinyin and chinese point names, english point names, and a particularly interesting point indications index. There is also a Glossary of the Wisemanese-seeming terminology used by the authors, which although similar to that of A Practical Dictionary, is not exactly the same.

Should you buy this book? ABSOLUTELY!!! You will never need another acupoint book, EVER. There is a companion set of Point cards by the same authors, which uses the same illustrations and a summary of point information based on the contents of the book. One word of advice, though: if it stays standing on the shelf for too long, the pages tend to sag. However, given the amount of use this book has, that's unlikely to happen.

This is the only text that I have on the subject of acupuncture. I am not a practitioner, but had hoped that this one (expensive) text would be sufficient to give me a total foundation in the discipline and would eventually allow me to use acupressure or some rudiments of the field in my own efforts to promote good health.

I was a little dissappointed that the introductory and foundational material was lacking in the book, and that there were no separate sections on diagnosis or expositions of the nature of pathogens. The book is essentially a description of each and every one of the 360 or so primary acupuncture points of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There is a good bit of material about methodology of point selection, but the real gem of this book is the intelligent and thorough descriptions of the points, their properties, and how to locate and needle them. The reason that I gave the book five stars is that it is far more complete and logical in its point descriptions than any of the Chinese texts used by my acupuncturist, a Chinese chiropractor who was a medical doctor Shanghai for eight years before coming to the US and becoming a chiropractor. Often when a discipline is translated from one language and culture to another, the highly systematized translation is more complete and sensible than the eclectic literature corpus upon which it is based. Those who devised this book have created a phenomenally comprehensive synthesis of over 3,000 years of Chinese medical tradition. They have taken on a monumental task and succeeded brilliantly. The quality of this reference is so high that I would even recommend it to practitioners from the orient who are coming to the US or other English-speaking countries to start a practice. First, it will it help them learn the English vocabulary of acupuncture jargon and help them understand our butchered pronunciations of the many Chinese words in an English acupuncturist's vocabulary. Second, they will be able to better communicate their activities to their patients. Finally, the book is as high a quality reference as anything they will have brought with them from Asia.

Peter Deadman et. al. have really hit the nail on the head with this book. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and functional books of acupuncture points on the market! The drawings illustrating the points are wonderful!!! There is a reason this is a reference for the NCCAOM!

The Manual starts off describing the channels and collaterals, point categories ( luo connecting, xi cleft, eight influential, etc) and does a really nice, concise job of explaining the function of the points. Point selection methods are discussed (local, distal, point combos, cross needling etc.) and then point location and needling (cun measurements, needle angles, depth, surface anatomy, precautions, etc). There is a nice chart of the Meeting Points of the Channels and drawings illustrating the cutaneous regions.

I can't stress how incredible the drawings are...clear, concise, easy to see where the point is in relation to bone, tendons, and/or musculature. The descriptions of the points aren't limited to the usual functions and indications, but delve into the logic behind the uses for points. There are references to classical literature, such as the Spiritual Pivot and Essential Questions, which are used to explain the classical reasoning behind point application.

My favorite of all my dozens of books on acupuncture. If you never buy another book, this one is the last one to get...or the first!

First and foremost, one cannot emphasize enough that this book is NOT for the absolute beginner. It helps a lot to actually have some background in Chinese medicine before attempting to probe the mysteries in this tome. The sheer volume of information available was admittedly overwhelming to me, at first.

That set aside, I cannot help but wonder at the effort put into this book. Not only does it provide clear and concise location "blueprints" for the points, meridians, cutaneous regions and muscular regions, but it also provides practical locating tips.

In addition, it provides the Chinese characters for the point names alongside explanations for the names that actually enabled me, personally, to understand and memorize the points better. Included with each point is a list of indications from various classical sources such as the Thousand Ducat Formulas and Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

If that isn't enough, the appendices are also quite useful. The book has charts of significant acupuncture points (with corresponding location directions) arranged by body region. There is also a separate index listing all the indications quoted in the main text.

While I still have much to explore in this wonderful text, I believe I have used it enough in my personal journey through Chinese Medicine to be able to say: Bravo!

Following is a 4 part review consisting of:
1) Intro and recommendations
2) Point location review
3) Meridian review
4) Action/indications review

1) I am a first year acupuncture student at Bastyr University. We have been using this text as the primary book for our Meridians and Points class. It is a good text (one of the best out there for point location), and it is always undergoing revisions (got to love an author dedicated to his subject). I also recommend the flash cards as a quick reference (a lot easier to carry around) and Trail Guide to the Body by Andrew Biel (ISBN:0965853454) to supplement your education.

2) A Manual of Acupuncture is strong on point location with good images to help with quick reference. Only a few discrepancies contained within the text. Deadman usually gives clear anatomical descriptions in the text that will get you even more precisely to the point than the picture. There are a lot of quick ways to find a point, a few of them even work, luckily Deadman stays away from most of them and chooses to give you good accurate descriptions that will be true all the time under normal circumstances.
-- pet peeve exception: LI-4 Location note gives an unclear description of using the "bulge of the muscle" to find the point. This quick trick will have you needling in random directions in random places (some of them hurt!). The refined version of this trick can actually be helpful... 1. Passively adduct the patient's thumb so that it contacts the palmar surface of the index finger. 2. With the hand radial side up put your finger on the highest point of the bulge (this will be near the end of the crease). 3. Release the thumb and let your finger sink down as the bulge disappears -- there you go! After all, if you are using tricks on the major points of the body you need to make sure they work on most of the people most of the time; the rest of the time refer to Deadman's excellent text.

3) Meridians are given clearly with detailed text. Though our instructor subscribes to a slightly different theory for some of the fine points here and there, overall I have no complaints. Again, I love the illustrations in this book.

4) Basic actions are given, but without much explanation of the mechanism (thank you Kyo for breaking that down); the long list of indications and a solid understanding of Chinese medicine (or good instructor) will get you on your way to figuring out possible mechanisms. Once you understand the theory it will eliminate the confusion initially created by a long list of indications. References are good, but you must always look beyond it an figure out why/for whom/under what conditions that prescription was written; otherwise you will be trapped by ancient dogma and modern conditions.

Not possible to find a better English language reference source than this book. I have used the book in hard copy but prefer it on CD. Quick to find items using CD and a notebook and CD weigh less that the actual manual. The pronunciations that come with the book on CD seem accurate, depending on the area from whence your Chinese comes. Good background data for all point locations and rationale for their use.

Note that when I had a specific question about his work, Peter Deadman was quick to reply and clarify the descrepancy, which had already been addressed in later editions.

I teach at a college of Oriental medicine where this book has become the primary text in acupuncture point location. It is very useful for learning functions and inter-relations among meridians and points. If this book had been available when I was first studying, my learning curve would not have been so steep. Although both CAM and the Shanghai texts have more information on theory, diagnostics, and treatment, A Manual of Acupuncture brings a focus to point location that is lacking in other works. In the clinic, this text continues to be a primary reference; my partner has essentially worn her book out. I feel that Deadman's text is a necessary primary reference for any practitioner. Look elsewhere for deep exposition of meridian theory; look here for application in practice.

Unquestionably, when you get your hands on a copy of this book, you will agree with me that this may be greatest reference compendium ever published on acupuncture in the English language, to date. The quality of printing and binding is superb, to match its outstanding content.

This book is priceless. Sell all your other acupuncture reference books if you have to (e.g., CAM, FCA, etc., unless you are still a student), and keep this impressive book on the shelf and within reach. While it is not "officially" adopted as a standard text in U.S. schools, it would be an outrage if this book does not become one in the near future.

This is a required book for my Master's in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I have only one point location book to compare it to (CAM). I find the Deadman to be very clear and concise. It is easy to read, easy to locate info in the book and the diagrams are very clear and easy to understand as well. I do recommend this book.

This is an excellent read for any acupuncture student, practitioner or enthusiast! Deadman's language is poetry. The points come alive when reading this text!

Being an acupuncture student, we are given a load of texts to read on the points, this one is at the top of the list for must have resource materials because it is written in non-archaic language and is comprehensive.