Five Elements and Ten Stems: Nan Ching Theory, Diagnostics and Practice (Paradigm title) (Paperback)

~ K. Matsumoto (Author), S. Birch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this essential text, the authors explore concepts from the Su Wen, Ling Shu and Nan Jing to bring us a view of ideas that flowered in an age rich with Chinese medical history. They discuss the philosophical and theoretical development of the five-phase system, in particular the relationship of five phases to the I Ching, Tao Te Ching, and other classical Chinese texts, then present the correspondences that a practitioner can apply to the problems of diagnosis and treatment. The diagnostic section is a complete and practical discussion of technique, including pulse, body type, visual diagnosis, and hara or abdominal diagnosis. The treatment section describes basic exercises, breathing techniques, treatment principles, and techniques from eminent classical texts. Modern treatment protocols are presented in clear, easy to use tables. It is one of the best sources of technique currently available and it reaches beyond technique to the art of healing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Paradigm Publications (MA); 1st edition (June 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912111259
• ISBN-13: 978-0912111254
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #930,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern classic, December 20, 2002

By	Reader (Beijing, Taiwan, US) - See all my reviews

This is a great book for people who want to know more about 5 phase acupuncture. I have owned this book for about 3 years, and have gone back to it over and over. Each time I pick it up, I find something new. While some "cookie-cutter" approaches to 5 phase styles are presented, there is also enough theoretical meat to keep the reader interested. Great book to have in your collection!

15 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, April 2, 2000

By	M.N. Largent (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This book explains the five phases(as in the chinese classics) in a very understandable manner. It is much more comprehensive than many other books on the same subject. Highly recomended...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some Good but Mostly Bad, June 4, 2009

By	Ronin - See all my reviews

This book is best for someone about to begin acupuncture study, or someone in their first semester, however they should be aware that there is some very bad information in this book. The first 36-pages encompassing the "Theory" section is generally good for any beginner. Still its rather short and shallow, and is nowhere near complete. The yin/yang explanation is a joke; its barely 3-full pages and in this context it should have been a whole chapter. The same with the "Source of Disease" section; a whole 3-pages mostly quoted from other sources. The "Correspondence" section is decent, except when it gets to my next grievance.

The worst part of this book is that the authors don't have a clue how hara, or abdominal breathing, is correctly done. They offer numerous descriptions starting on p13 and then again on pp47, 75, 102, & 133. I think the entire Chinese community of doctors and martial practitioners need to stop everything they're doing and go find a quality Ashtanga yoga teacher and spend a month learning how to breath; and then take that new breath and go back to what they were doing and see the difference.

Distending the stomach is incorrect, and no advice is made on nasal (correct) or mouth (incorrect) breathing. Many of the internal martial art "masters" are sickly in their old age, despite all their readily offered advice on internal health, and I have known many who died in their 60's & 70's. I've also met a lot of them with a permanently distended belly; the glaringly obvious result of poor breathing and a bad diet. Compare them to the yogi's who remain fit and vital into their 90's, and the many who continue practicing asana's on a level many younger people can't.

The other area the book really loses it is that it strays from offering a comprehensive explanation of 5-Element Theory (its too short) and it goes off on wild tangents involving diagnoses and treatment but does not adequately show how to apply 5-ET to do so. The 4-exercises in the treatment section are a joke, which I would only proscribe to a geriatric patient with a totally decrepit body. Lastly, there is no adequate discourse on Qi, which should be an essential topic here along with yin/yang which was offered in the sorriest of brevity.

I give the book 2-stars only because there are some good basic 5-ET explanations and also some good quotes throughout the book from primary sources. There is some useful information for a beginner, but my concern is that there is more poor information that can really mislead the inexperienced.