Ted J. KaptchukThe Web That Has No Weaver : Understanding Chinese Medicine

I realize enthusiasm among reviewers for this text varies greatly. In the absence of identifying specific flaws, what we write may say more about us at the moment of our reading, than it says the about the text. However, I am personally skeptical about any review written by someone who did not bother to complete the book!!!I had the first edition and admit I did not finish it. That was nearly 2 decades ago. I am not sure whether it was too far a stretch from my western graduate school and medical school education...or that I was just too busy to devote sufficient time and attention combined with an open mind.I now have the 2000 edition. I intentionally approached this time with an open and curious mind -- looking for the bridges between eastern and western concepts of health and illness. Instead of rushing through to condense it into logical, highlighted memory bites, I simply let it wash over me. And during this time I attempted to let my western concepts of how the body works float in a suspended state to be retrieved and integrated at a later time.I found that it provides a detailed but very readable "sky-view" of oriental medicine. It is not intended to provide specific treatment or diagnostic recommendations for an individual patient. Rather it builds the concepts upon which these later efforts can be refined. When you can see the bird's eye view of the terrain from above, its easier to see how cities, trees and rivers relate to each other and then draw your own map.Reading from this perspective I truly enjoyed the book, its artistry and the holistic, natural metaphors connecting the microcosm of the body with the greater world and universe in which we exist. Refreshing!!!I found it to be a wonderful invitation into the world of eastern medicine, whetting a respectful longing to learn more. I'm probably glad I lost the first edition and started over with the newer one.

I just started Massage Therapy school, this book was on a recommended reading list. So far has been very invaluable . Great addition to my holistic health collection of books.

About halfway through – really good book. Although it is a great overview for someone who isn’t familiar with TCM, it is still a heavy read. If you’re not already familiar with Chinese medicine somewhat, you may have to do a little extra searching here and there to make sure you understand what you’re reading. But I’m not so sure TCM is something that has a simple version, if it does tho this is probably it. Worth reading even if you have no interest in pursuing TCM, shows a whole other world of medical thinking

As an RN retired, wish I had read this book before training; would have chosen Eastern Medicine. They treat the root cause instead of pushing pills. (Today's doctors, I believe, tell us to take aspirin because our body is lacking it. Eastern medicine has ways to determine if from stress, anger or other reasons.

This is still, after 40+ years, the 'standard' text available in the US as an introduction to TCM. It is on the shelf at every TCM college, and the book acupuncturists recommend to their patients who inquire about learning more about TCM.Understand the angle from which Dr. Kaptchuk comes from. This text definitely sees foundational TCM and Taoist constructs as needing explanation, justification, and analysis from Westerners. This is a flaw: it makes this text apologist in tone when one reads the chapter endnotes. It is classic Westerner behavior to have to explain and provide academic expositions on things which to the Chinese just exists. Of course there is compare/contrast of Western/Eastern in China as well, but is this so germane to a layman's book about the mechanisms of TCM? I do not think so. I believe that it detracts form the text.Note that Dr. Kaptchuk, now a Professor at Harvard University, stopped practicing Chinese Medicine over 25 years ago. His chief interest now is the placebo effect, and the role of suggestion and the mind in healing. This echoes other Anglophone TCM authors (Eckman, Worsely, Macioca to a much less extent) who put what I feel is overemphasis and 'over interpretation' into terms and constructs which they feel correlates to individual human choice and thought. Through reading (translations) of Daoist texts, especially 'The Secret of the Golden Flower' and the books of Eva Wong, It is clear that these sorts of 'things' are the domain of Daoism, and that a contemporary TCM doctor, who has not immersed him/herself in the practices elucidated in the ancient and medieval Chinese texts, is ill-advised to walk in this muck: this is not what they are qualified to do. An orthopedist/internist/other specialist does not prescribe Zoloft, even if they are qualified to do so.Coming to terms with life as it is lived is not an easy task, and it is foolish to think that seeing a Chinese Medical doctor will do much towards this end. What a TCM doctor can do is replace destructive practices (lifestyle, certain medications) which can lessen the obstructions towards a fuller, healthier life in the holistic sense. To think though that the bodhi/moksha will occur through contact with an acupuncturist is delusional and destructive. Freedom from lower back pain, asthma, or irritable bowels? Certainly. A resolution to life's existential questions? find your nearest yoga teacher or meditation center: the TCM clinic is no place for that. These stages are beyond what we define as 'holistic health' and without deep and serious study, which can be independent/concurrent with acupuncture studies, TCM doctors are not qualified for this pursuit.Read Kaptchuk for the terse descriptions of the Vital Substances, Zang Fu, Meridian Channels, Pulse Diagnosis, Tongue Diagnosis, and so forth. Do not get mired in his descriptions of Shen, Po, and Hun. While valuable, to me they left too many questions opened and not answered, and the chapter endnotes do not provide a resolution. For this, as stated above, you must seek out a qualified teacher (the only one I know of who is publicly presenting in the US is Dr. Jeffrey Yuen jadepurityfoundation.org) for transmission

The author does a great jobs displaying fact from studies with personal insight, for both Chinese and western medicine.

Chinese medicine is a complex subject which presents you not only with the patterns of disharmonies to learn but also with the patterns of confusion to find yourself in. This book takes a different angle at the subject. I read close to a dozen so far and found it to be a valuable link in clarifying certain concepts. There are other books which are more concrete and clear-cut, however, I found this book to elaborate on certain topics (like Qi, Essence, etc.) in a much more comprehensive manner. It also gives you great critique on different theories (such as 5 Phase theory) that I wasn't able to find in other sources. The language is not your everyday English, it took me lots of trips to the dictionary, as a foreigner, however for an intelligent reader it should not pause a problem. Quite recommend for someone who wants to dig deeper or finds too much confusion in other sources.