We are very pleased that it has become necessary after such a short time to publish a new edition of this handy guide to acupuncture, which is intended to combine practicality with an affordable price. It, just like the first edition, is based on our larger Acupunclure Textbook and Atlas, but we have taken this opportunity to revise and update the text. For example, several scientific advances have been included in Chapter 2 (e. g. , findings of recent studies on drug addiction, antiemetic...

Following an introduction to the philosophical and theoretical background oftraditional Chinese medicine, the diagnostic system of acupuncture is presented. The Chinese system of channels and functional organs and the significance of the points are described. The 14 main channels with the most important acupuncture points for daily practice are presented with didactic emphasis on morphology and clinical applicability. The methods of needing and moxibustion are described in detail with thei...

In 1987, our first book Acupuncture: Textbook and Atlas received rave reviews (e.g., in New England Journal of Medicine). This prompted us to write this smaller, affordable version in order to reach a wider audience. The smaller format has been so successful that we are now into our fourth revised edition. This has given us the opportunity to update and improve the book. For example, nu merous new references to scientific advances have been added. Also the section on traditional Chinese me...

In 1988, when "Scientific Bases of Acupuncture" was published, its edi tors noted that 12 years had passed since the acupuncture endorphin hypothesis was first postulated, an event that marked the start of serious basic research on acupuncture. The editors also suggested that more was known about the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia than many pro cedures of conventional medicine and, in consequence, it was time to stop referring to acupuncture as an "experimental procedure. " Now anothe...

Scientific Bases of Acupuncture summarizes the major scientific advances from 1976 - 1988 on the mechanisms of acupuncture. Outstanding researchers from Western countries, Japan and China report their findings in the format of review articles. The individual reviews summarize each author's personal research while also referring to the overall literature in the field of acupuncture and TENS.