The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: 3rd Edition

The latest edition of this hugely popular volume continues to provide readers in the West with a clear explanation of the theory and practice of Chinese medicine.

Richly illustrated and fully updated throughout, Foundations of Chinese Medicine 3e retains its careful structure to present the subject in a systemized manner which ranges from first principles to the diagnosis and management of a wide range of disease states. NOW WITH AN ACCOMPANYING WEBSITE containing an extensive bank of review and test material, the latest edition of this important volume has been redesigned to provide a more accessible, up-to-date feel to the content to enhance the reader’s learning experience.

Offering a unique combination of rigorous scholarship together with a wealth of clinical experience, Maciocia’s Foundations of Chinese Medicine 3e will be ideal for all students of Chinese medicine, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine as well as qualified practitioners needing to stay up-to-date with changes in the field.

Ever since the first edition of The Foundations of Chinese Medicine was published in 1989, it has been the ‘industry standard’ textbook for the theory of Chinese medicine, translated into numerous languages and used as a core text in just about every non-Asian school of Chinese medicine. It is probably also the single best-selling text ever on Chinese medicine outside Asia.
Building on this solid foundation, this second edition is bigger and better in every way, though some students might groan at the tendency of Chinese medicine texts to get heavier and heavier. It is substantially expanded, thoroughly revised and peppered with numerous illustrations, diagrams, boxes for key information and case examples.
Specifically, expanded sections include: discussion of the functions and nature of the Pericardium and Triple Burner; the external pathogenic factors as both causes of disease and patterns presenting in disease; diagnosis (now nearly 100 pages); two new chapters on pathology (full and empty conditions, yin-yang imbalance, and the pathology of the qi mechanism); a thorough revision of differentiation of patterns of the zangfu with a clearer distinction between yin deficiency and empty heat patterns; the addition of herbal formulas to the treatment options for zangfu disharmony patterns; patterns according to the four levels, six stages and the three burners; the functions and application of the eight extraordinary vessels; a discussion of more categories of points including points of the eye system; the functions of the points, now with added indications and some points not discussed in the first edition; discussion of the principles of combining acupuncture points; more discussion of the five spiritual aspects; the addition of pinyin equivalents to technical terms; clear learning outcomes at the end of many chapters to assist students in absorbing the material presented.
In addition a CD-ROM that comes with the book includes 750 self-testing questions and 65 surface anatomy images.
This version remedies some of the shortcomings of the first edition and is now as near a complete exposition of Chinese medicine theory as could be presented in a single text. It is unlikely to be supplanted for years to come, if ever, and with Giovanni’s similarly seminal textbooks on clinical practice, diagnostics, gynaecology and obstetrics and tongue diagnosis, forms the bedrock for all practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West.

Peter Deadman

Contents:

1 Yin - Yang

2 The Five Elements

3 The Vital Substances

4 The Transformation of Qi

5 The Functions of the Internal Organs

6 The Functions of the Heart

7 The Functions of the Liver

8 The Functions of the Lungs

9 The Functions of the Spleen

10 The Functions of the Kidneys

11 The Functions of the Pericardium

12 Yin Organ Interrelationships

13 The Functions of the Stomach

14 The Functions of the Small Intestine

15 The Functions of the Large Intestine

16 Functions of the Gall Bladder

17 The Functions of the Bladder

18 The Functions of the Triple Burner

19 The Functions of the Six Extraordinary Yang Organs (The Four Seas)

20 Internal Causes of Disease

21 External Causes of Disease

22 Miscellaneous Causes of Disease

23 Diagnosis by Observation

24 Diagnosis by Interrogation

25 Diagnosis by Palpation

26 Diagnosis by Hearing and Smelling

27 The Pathology of Full and Empty Conditions

28 The Pathology of Yin-Yang Imbalance

29 Pathology of the Qi Mechanism

30 Identification of Patterns According to the Eight Principles

31 Identification of Patterns According to Qi-Blood-Body Fluids

32 Heart Patterns

33 Pericardium Patterns

34 Liver Patterns

35 Lung Patterns

36 Spleen Patterns

37 Kidney Patterns

38 Stomach Patterns

39 Small Intestine Patterns

40 Large Intestine Patterns

41 Gall-Bladder Patterns

42 Bladder Patterns

43 Identification of Patterns According to Pathogenic Factors

44 Identification of Patterns According to the Six Stages

45 Identification of Patterns According to the Four Levels

46 Identification of Patterns According to the Three Burners

47 Identification of Patterns According to the 12 Channels

48 Identification of Patterns to the Eight Extraordinary Vessels

49 Identification of Patterns According to the Five Elements

50 The Five Transporting Points (Shu Points)

51 The Functions of Specific Categories of Points

52 The 8 Extraordinary Vessels: Introduction

53 The 8 Extraordinary Vessels

54 Lung Channel

55 Large Intestine Channel

56 Stomach Channel

57 Spleen Channel

58 Heart Channel

59 Small Intestine Channel

60 Bladder Channel

61 Kidney Channel

62 Pericardium Channel

63 Triple Burner Channel

64 Gall-Bladder Channel

65 Liver Channel

66 Directing Vessel (Ren Mai)

67 Governing Vessel

68 Extra Points

69 Principles of Treatment

70 Principles of Combination Points