Aryana Libris

Author : Campbell Anthony
Title : Acupuncture in practice Beyond points and meridians
Year : 2001

Link download : Campbell_Anthony_-_Acupuncture_in_practice.zip

Foreword. Acupuncture is full of controversies, and none is greater than the fundamental approach we should adopt. On the one hand, the traditional practice of acupuncture has evolved over many centuries of clinical observation and been passed down by respected masters to grateful apprentices. Supporters of the traditional approach argue that its concepts of energy flow operate as a knowledge system in its own right which should not be rejected just because it does not fit in with current western understanding of the body’s mechanisms. On the other hand, the ‘modern’ approach declares that acupuncture is a relatively straightforward form of stimulation therapy that is beginning to be explained in physiological terms. So, learning complicated rules about where to place the needles and different methods of stimulating them is no longer necessary. This debate is particularly active in Britain, where Anthony Campbell is perhaps the best known proponent of the modern approach, and certainly the most articulate. He was originally attracted to acupuncture by his knowledge of and fascination for eastern philosophy. He soon came across Felix Mann, one of the first to challenge the old ideas and look afresh at what happens when a patient is needled. Anthony was instinctively sympathetic to a modern approach, and tested it carefully by many years of careful observation of his own patients. Through teaching, the rigour of his thinking has been refined in the hot fire of critical challenge by students. He has been prepared to knock down (but always politely: he is highly respectful of traditional philosophies in themselves) any icons or preconceptions that are not common sense and that hinder progress. The sum of all this wisdom and experience is accumulated in this text, which will stand as one of the most thoughtful yet accessible treatises on acupuncture of all time. This is a radical book that succeeds in demystifying acupuncture. It presents a closely argued but entirely practical approach to needling patients. It is compatible with the little we do know about the function of the nervous system, requiring no leap of faith or suspension of disbelief. Anthony Campbell does not claim to provide short-cut recipes for treating patients – that still requires careful thought and application of basic principles. He accepts that there are plenty of aspects of acupuncture that we still cannot explain, but reassures the reader that modern science is the best way of finding useful and meaningful answers. This book reflects the author’s truly innovative contributions in certain particular aspects of the technique, most notably what he calls the ‘acupuncture treatment areas’ that replace traditional points. He also emphasizes the likely role of the brain’s limbic system, which suggests that patients’ nervous systems must in some way be ‘prepared’ (but not simply by suggestion or belief) if acupuncture is to be really successful, which in turn leads on to an open acceptance of the essential role of ‘placebo’ in all clinical practice. This book promises to become a milestone in the debate about acupuncture and the development of a rational approach to the technique. Dr Adrian White. MA BM BCh Dip.Med.Ac, Lic.Ac. ...