Fwd: OT: Disappointed with course

[Guest guest]

Judy Fitzgerald wrote:

>

> >Personally, I direct people toward specific books if they want to get

> >their feet wet in TCM. Among my faves are Ted Kaptchuk's " The Web that

> >has no Weaver " and " The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness "

> >by Misha Ruth Cohen.

>

> Thanks. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the second one.

 

Its not that well known, but I like it very much. It targets consumers,

but it doesn't smear the TCM issues, it just explains things well.

There are a few articles at acupuncture.com that come from that book including:

 

http://www.Acupuncture.com/Diagnosis/firsttreat.htm (about what to

expect at a treatment)

 

http://www.Acupuncture.com/Nutrition/dietfaq.htm (dietary therapy faq)

 

http://www.Acupuncture.com/Nutrition/diet.htm (more on dietetics)

 

> Do you have any favorites for people who know the basics but want to get

> into it even deeper?

 

The hard part is finding deeper books that also include commentaries.

One of the better in that regard, by english language standards is the

Shang Han Lun by Mitchell, Feng, and Wiseman (Paradigm Publications)

 

Some of the other books that I use on a regular basis include:

 

Clinical Handbook of Internal Medicine published by the University of

Western Sydney, Macarthur. The authors are Will Maclean and Jane

Lyttleton. This is the first of two volumes. The second should be out

soon, but they have been saying that for a year now. Its a thick book

and does an excellent job of differentiating major chief complaints,

then adding point prescriptions with techniques and finally herbal

formulas. I also like it because it uses the terminology that we use

in school rather than the wiseman-speak. I prefer the excess/deficiency

over the repletion/vacuity terms.

 

One more: The Chinese Herbalists Handbook by Dagmar Ebling. This book

is generally organized by Zang Fu which is the diagnostic paradigm I use

the most frequently. When I have a patient with a chief complaint, I

determine which organ system is whacked, and go to that chapter of this

book. Now, organized before me are all the formulas that have an effect

on that organ and all I have to do is find one that addresses the chief

complaint form within the diagnosis. I find it a quick and

well-organized reference for my needs. I put herbal powders into

capsules while a patient has their needles in, so I have to get it all

done inside of 20 minutes. This book enables me to quickly perform this

task, though later on, if there is any doubt in my mind, I'll consult

the Bensky books to make sure I like what I'm doing.

 

> I find any of the helping yourself with books by Bob Flaws

> to usually be a good second step.

 

I agree with what you're saying, but I find myself gravitating away from

the Blue Poppy publications. They tend not to say anything I didn't

already know. They're like class notes from my Chinese Internal Medicine

classes.

 

> If someone is interested in learning still more, I usually recommend The

> Foundations of by Giovanni Maciocia. Since it's an

> expensive book, I point out that their local library may be able to get a

> copy on interlibrary loan. At that point if they really have an aptitude for

> TCM and want to learn more, they know it and usually end up buying their own

> copy to study.

 

We should start up a sub-category at ebay, like " tcm.ebay.com " and we

can start dealing with used books. There is a good store in West

Hollywood that sells a lot of used TCM books (The Bodhi Tree) but

unfortunately, not everyone has access to that store. (8787 Melrose for

those who might end up over there)

 

> But what's a good next step if the person can't get to a good TCM school? A

> good next step for someone who is interested in starting to learn to apply

> TCM and work with it?

 

I began my training in TCM through my martial arts school. Chinese

martial arts schools are well known for teaching other courses in TCM

and related disciplines such as herbal medicines and Tui Na.

 

Happy holidays.

 

--

Al Stone L.Ac.

<AlStone

http://www.BeyondWellBeing.com

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

 

Attachment: vcard [not shown]

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the suggestions on TCM books. I'll be trying to find them.

 

>The hard part is finding deeper books that also include commentaries.

>One of the better in that regard, by english language standards is the

>Shang Han Lun by Mitchell, Feng, and Wiseman (Paradigm Publications)

>

>Some of the other books that I use on a regular basis include:

>

>Clinical Handbook of Internal Medicine published by the University of

>Western Sydney, Macarthur. The authors are Will Maclean and Jane

>Lyttleton. This is the first of two volumes. The second should be out

>soon, but they have been saying that for a year now. Its a thick book

>and does an excellent job of differentiating major chief complaints,

>then adding point prescriptions with techniques and finally herbal

>formulas. I also like it because it uses the terminology that we use

>in school rather than the wiseman-speak. I prefer the excess/deficiency

>over the repletion/vacuity terms.

 

I hate the repletion/vacuity terms. Every time I see them - especially the

term " Liver Depression - I have a duhhhhhhhhhh! reaction. For readers new

to TCM, different translators use different translations of Chinese terms.

For example, Deficiency may be translated as " Emptiness " or " Vacuity " ,

" Excess " as " Fullness " , etc. I also prefer the Excess/ Deficiency

translation.

 

>One more: The Chinese Herbalists Handbook by Dagmar Ebling. This book

>is generally organized by Zang Fu which is the diagnostic paradigm I use

>the most frequently. When I have a patient with a chief complaint, I

>determine which organ system is whacked, and go to that chapter of this

>book. Now, organized before me are all the formulas that have an effect

>on that organ and all I have to do is find one that addresses the chief

>complaint form within the diagnosis.

 

This sounds very handy. Right now I'm looking for recommendations on herbs

and foods to strengthen the Spleen. It's a strictly a seek and keep seeking

and maybe I'll find route at this time.

 

For those new to TCM, there are different approaches to analysis in TCM.

The most basic is the Eight Principal Patterns. The 8 Principal Patterns

are Excess/ Deficiency, Exterior/ Interior, Heat/ Cold, and Yang/ Yin. The

Fundamental Processes is another approach, and you look at things like Qi,

Qi Stagnation, Rebellious or Sinking Qi, Blood, Blood Stasis, Fluids, Shen

(Spirit), and Jing (Essence). There's a Pernicious Evil approach - Wind,

Heat, Dampness, Dryness, and Cold. Then there's the Organ Analysis

approach. I too tend to use that frequently.

 

There are certain keywords and concepts which will point to which Organ

Systems are affected the most. I try to mention those on here. For

example, if some of the major complaints include back pain (especially the

lower back), weak knees, problems with the ears and/or hearing, problems

with the teeth or bones, problems with the hair, and/or pronounced problems

with the urinary tract, suspect Kidney involvement. If breathing problems

are particularly pronounced and/or there are skin problems, suspect and rule

in or rule out Lung involvement. With the Heart the accent is on mental/

emotional problems and the center of the chest. This can include things

like excessive dreaming,insomnia, and the person coming across as

disspirited as well as more severe problems like manic-depression. With the

Liver it's things like anger and frustration as well as problems with the

eyes and/or vision. The sides of the tongue frequently will be affected

when there are Liver/ Gall Bladder problems. Fatigue and trouble with the

digestion can point to the Spleen being imbalanced. BTW, Spleen problems

are very common in the U.S. because of diet, overwork, and stress. If the

center of the tongue is affected, suspect Stomach involvement. These are

some of the key concepts when trying to pinpoint an Organ imbalance. I hope

others will list some of the other key concepts they've found.

 

I want to remind those new to TCM that in TCM an Organ system includes much

more than the physical organ it's named after. For example, the Kidney

Organ system not only includes the physical kidneys but the adrenal glands,

the ears, the bones, the teeth, and the hair. You will be surprised how

often people with chronic Kidney problems will have a history of ear

problems or problems with the teeth or dull, lifeless hair that go above and

beyond what is normal. The Liver also includes the eyes. The Spleen not

only includes the spleen, but the pancreas, and some books actually refer to

it as the Spleen-Pancreas instead of just the Spleen.

 

There are some limitations to the the Organ system approach. For example,

sometimes a manifestation will be in one system, but the Root is in

another. A good example is when asthma is due to Kidneys Not Receiving Qi.

The person's most pressing problem is s/he can't breathe. One automatically

thinks " Lungs " when a person is having pronounced problems breathing. But

in this case, the Root is not in the Lungs, it's in the Kidneys. They're

refusing to grasp Qi. Corrections have to be directed primarily to the

Kidneys or the breathing problems are going to continue. Kidney Refusing to

Receive Qi is a variation of Kidney Yang Deficiency. It's the total picture

that tells you the problem is in the Kidneys and not primarily in the Lungs.

For example, the person may also complain of lower back pain, have extreme

sensitivity to cold and have trouble warming up, have a history of ear

infections and aches, etc.

 

Each of the analysis approaches have their limitations if used by

themselves. So what you actually do is use all of them though you may rely

primarily on one. By the time you get more familiar with TCM, this isn't as

hard as it may sound at first.

 

>We should start up a sub-category at ebay, like " tcm.ebay.com " and we

>can start dealing with used books. There is a good store in West

>Hollywood that sells a lot of used TCM books (The Bodhi Tree) but

>unfortunately, not everyone has access to that store. (8787 Melrose for

>those who might end up over there)

 

It's needed. I'm still trying to locate a copy of a book on Blood Stasis

and aging. Unfortunately I'm not as close as I need to be to a large city

with a very good used book store that sells a lot of used TCM books.

 

>I began my training in TCM through my martial arts school. Chinese

>martial arts schools are well known for teaching other courses in TCM

>and related disciplines such as herbal medicines and Tui Na.

 

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. And if the martial arts school doesn't

have classes in TCM and related disciplines, it would be a good place to

start a discussion group up. I don't know about other countries, but many

small cities and even towns in the U.S. now have martial arts schools. BTW,

when my husband and I went shopping the other day, when we came out, someone

had stuck a flyer under the windshield wiper for two weeks of free lessons

at a local martial arts school.

 

Victoria

 

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