This is the official revision of Essentials of Chinese Acupuncture used by the International Acupuncture Training Centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing. Presented in 18 chapters, it begins with a brief history, followed by a discussion of yin-yang and the five phases, a review of the zang fu, and extraordinary fu and their interrelationships, a discourse on qi, blood and body fluids, a description of the meridians and collaterals, and location of the acupuncture points.

Theoretical discussions include etiology and pathogenesis, diagnostic methods, differentiation of syndromes, and acupuncture techniques. Treatment information includes moxibustion and cupping, general principles of acupuncture treatment, internal diseases, and gynecological diseases. There is a supplementary section on ear acupuncture and anesthesia, a bibliography, a cross-index of acupuncture points, and an index. The book incorporates the experience of teaching classes of Western physicians as well as clinical practice and acupuncture research. The information retains the characteristic features of traditional acupuncture and stresses the integration of theory and practice.

In this second edition, a number of revisions and readjustments have been made in the light of existing needs in education, scientific research, medical treatment, and international academic exchanges. These include typographical corrections, locational and terminological standardization according to guidelines set out by the WHO and the PRC State Bureau of Technical Supervision standards, and elimination of more abstruse contents. Students sitting for the U.S. licensure exams will find this book requisite reading.