Acupuncture in Practice: Beyond Points & Meridians
CAMPBELL Anthony
The main difficulty facing the newcomer to acupuncture is deciding where to place the needles. There is a bewildering range of possibilities, including traditional acupuncture, the use of trigger points, and the segmental approach. This book aims to simplify the choice by building on what is already known. It shows that modern acupuncture is an extension of what health professionals already know. Becoming skilled in acupuncture doesn’t require the learning of an ever-increasing number of acupuncture points; rather, it consists in applying existing clinical knowledge in a different way. Acupuncture is an extension of what is already known. It is a rational procedure, based on modern anatomy, physiology, and pathology. The book is in four parts: Part 1 looks at traditional acupuncture in relation to the modern version and describes how they differ from each other. Part 2 considers the important question of safety and then explains the principles on which the approach used in the book is based. Part 3 applies the principles described in Part 2 to the treatment of the disorders for which acupuncture is suitable. The approach used is regional rather than systemic, because this accords best with the way in which acupuncture is applied in practice. Part 4 looks at the use of electricity in acupuncture and at specialized forms of acupuncture such as auriculotherapy. There are also chapters on self-acupuncture by patients and the best way to integrate acupuncture into one’s existing practice. Finally, the future of acupuncture in the West is reviewed, with a survey of modern research and its problems. A practical manual for health professionals practicing acupuncture. Contents:1. HOW TO LEARN ACUPUNCTURE: Learning acupuncture >The thinking practitioner’s version of acupuncture 2. THE TRADITIONAL VERSION: The basic concepts >Treatment according to the traditional system >Traditional acupuncture in the light of modern knowledge 3. MODERN ACUPUNCTURE: Pain & the Nervous System >Acupuncture Analgesia >Acupuncture & the Limbic System 4. NEEDLES AND HOW TO USE THEM: Types of needles >Using the needles >Other needling techniques >The effects of acupuncture >Complications of acupuncture & adverse effects >The question of consent >Main contraindications (all relative) >Effects of acupuncture on symptoms >Frequency of treatment >Introducing acupuncture to new patients 5. PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT: Where to needle? >Can we find common ground among the various methods? >Recording the treatment >Some examples (comments in square brackets) 6. ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT AREAS: Generalised stimulation >Specific ATAs >The spine - General considerations >The head & neck >The shoulder >The elbow >The wrist & hand >The thoracic spine (lower part) >The lumbar & gluteal regions >Lower abdomen >Medial thigh area >Posterior thigh area (hamstrings) >The knee >Gastrocnemius & soleus >SP 6 - Medial leg >The ankle & foot >Miscellaneous >Surface anatomy 7. ELECTRICAL ACUPUNCTURE & TENS: Electrical acupuncture >TENS for pain relief >References 8. EAR ACUPUNCTURE (AURICULOTHERAPY): References 9. RESEARCH IN ACUPUNCTURE: References 10. SETTING UP AN ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC: Some questions & answers about acupuncture >Instructions for self-acupuncture >Acupuncture & blood donors.
