Theory and Practice Mary Garvey Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers the late 20th century a true complement or alternative to the medical practices of its Western counterpart. Reasons explaining the success of TCM in the modern Western setting are offered and discussed. Apart from its on-going record of positive clinical outcomes, Chinese medicine also offers a unique perspective on life, health and the practice of medicine. Not only is this perspective in marked contrast to the methodologies arising from scientific materialism, but it is readily grasped and understood by Westerners. Part of the Western enchantment with Chinese medicine and part of its success is that some of its foundational philosophies actually resonate with recent scientific theoretical developments. The changing Western paradigm is explored and compared to Chinese medicine's conceptual traditions.
Bee Venom Therapy Bill Wright The author (an acupuncturist, bee keeper and attendee at conferences on apitherapy in China and the US) discusses bee venom in relation to its chemical constituents and its current use in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, multiple sclerosis and auto-immune deficient diseases.
Perfectly Organised Chaos: Acupuncture as the Model for a Mediating Function in Therapeutics Chris Low Healing within the patient-practitioner relationship is important in its own right and can be seen to be dependent on three things - the treatment itself, the patient and the practitioner. Meaning, evaluation and appraisal however, pose difficulties using the conventional medical model. In Chinese medicine it is the mediation of complementary opposites via the agency of qi which accounts for the resolution of conflict and restoration to wholeness. Using chaos theory, which allows for the complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity of subtle energy, the properties of qi can be modelled and mapped out on a computer screen. The latter can be perceived as an aesthetic model of a mediating function, with meaning on several different levels, as well as a research tool with potentially far-reaching applications in the holistic investigative field.
Innovations in the Treatment of Shingles (Herpes Zoster) Alan Rouse Two cases of herpes zoster are described and their treatment with acupuncture and adjunctive therapies discussed. Read the whole article
A Report on Research into Glycyrrhiza (Gan Cao), Paeonia (Bai Shao) and Rehmannia (Di Huang) Richard Blackwell and Sue Sutton Against a background of reports of hepato-toxicity from the use of certain herbal prescriptions, Blackwell and Sutton examine the research material on the herbs which most commonly appear in the reported prescriptions. They conclude that the evidence on gan cao, bai shao and di huang does not suggest that they are directly hepato-toxic.
West Meets East: A Model for the Integration and Synthesis of Western Medical Science and TCM Ted Davis The author introduces a model to unite the knowledge and perceptions of traditional Chinese medicine with those of Western medical science in a single unifying framework. This area is fraught with diffculties, not the least of which are the completely different conceptual frameworks and languages which attend these paradigms. It is no surprise that such integration has largely defied the efforts of decades past. The model encompasses the jing luo, zang fu, wu xing, pulse and tongue diagnosis, and the micro systems of acupuncture (hand, face, ear, scalp acupuncture). It is built upon a matrix consisting of an integrated notion of Depth, and a three-tiered conceptual structure which creates a homeostatic hierarchy. It is offered to the profession as a mechanism for initiating debate on the matter.
Acupuncture Treatment and the Piezoelectric Effect Xiang Yi and Weng Encong The authors, employing the conventional theory of acupuncture and the fundamentals of modern electronic technology, based upon the biological piezoelectric effect of the human body, undertake research to explore the mechanism of acupuncture treatment. Translated by Xy Zhang.
A Flexible Use of Wen Dan Tang in Clinical Practice Dr Gao Luwen The author outlines the various modifications he has made to Wen Dan Tang in the treatment of patients suffering from a variety of conditions. These include viral myocarditis, diabetes, accessory nasosinusitis, viral hepatitis, irregular menses and neurodermatitis. Translated by Xy Zhang.
Diversity Amidst Unity? Responses to a Survey of Acupuncture Practitioners Jennifer Dale A survey was conducted between April and July 1995 of practitioners belonging to the five separate professional associations meeting as the Council for Acupuncture (just prior to their unification into the British Acupuncture Council) and members of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists and the British Academy of Western Acupuncture. The survey provides a broad overview of acupuncture practice in Britain with respect to the type of acupuncture practised (ie. traditional and/or biomedical approaches).
Acupuncture Research: Emerging Priorities for the Profession Alison Gould This article reports on the First Acupuncture Research Symposium (held in London in March 1996) which aimed at raising awareness of research within the acupuncture profession by looking at the philosophical and methodological contexts in which research occurs. It also sought to inspire and support practitioners taking a more active role in research, providing a forum for practitioner-researchers to discuss their own practical experiences of research.
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