Basics of acupuncture

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 effects, and urogenital efficacy). In response to numerous requests we have added a detailed account of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Chapter 8. Although most practitioners in the West have been using "scien­ tific" acupuncture (e. g. , stimulating peripheral nerves to release endorphins), a growing number are now trying TCM approaches. The mechanism of action of TCM is unknown: the method is based on empirical phenomenology and pattern recognition rather than cause-and-effect logic. Nevertheless, double-blind, controlled scien­ tific trials are required to determine whether TCM is more effective than "scientific" acupuncture. Scientific assessment of TCM in con­ trolled clinical trials is possible even in the absence of a scientific explanation of its mechanism of action, i. e. , even if we do not know how it works. Many successful Western medical procedures are empirical; for instance, gaseous anesthetics are used widely al­ though we do not understand how they work.