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.