Description
Book SynopsisAs the world's most comprehensive and deeply researched system of alternative and complementary medicine, Chinese medicine enjoys a large following in scientifically developed communities. Yet its concepts and principles have been shrouded in mystery and obscure language. This path-breaking book strips this ancient science of its mystique and metaphysical pretentions and interprets it to strike common ground with biomedical science. Concepts like qi and meridians are interpreted not as physical entities, but as constructs to facilitate diagnosis and therapy using heuristic models. Written for medical professionals, philosophers of medicine and discerning readers interested in holistic therapies, the book offers a unique perspective of Chinese medicine in an advanced biomedical world. It has practical chapters on cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer, and a compilation of Chinese herbs. This second edition of the acclaimed Theory of Chinese Medicine has new material on chronic diseases and the intriguing possible convergence of biomedicine and TCM.
Table of ContentsThe Origins and Nature of Chinese Medicine; Chinese and Western Medicine: Never the Twain Shall Meet?; The Causes of Disease; The Fundamental Ingredients of Life; Organ and Meridian Systems; Methods of Diagnosis and Therapy; Treating Illness: Herbs and Other Therapies; Scientific Evidence for TCM; Cultural Factors in Placebo Effects; Treatment of Chronic Illnesses; Chinese Medicine: Reinterpretation and Future Direction;
