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The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine
by
Ted Kaptchuk
The Web That Has No Weaver" is the classic, comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of Chinese alternative medicine. This accessible and invaluable resource has earned its place as the foremost authority in synthesizing Wester and Eastern healing practices.
This revised edition is the product of years of further reflection on ancient Chinese sources and active invo...more
This revised edition is the product of years of further reflection on ancient Chinese sources and active invo...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
April 11th 2000
by McGraw-Hill
(first published January 1st 1983)
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Sep 27, 2007
Katherine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people interested in Chinese medicine
Shelves:
finished-awhile-ago,
all-star-favorites
This is hands down the best book for an English speaking person who is interested in Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. It is very well written and highly informative. Many concepts of Chinese medicine are difficult to express in English and the true meanings become lost in translation. Futhermore, the concepts are far beyond a Western person's mindframe capacity. Dr. Kaptchuk does an incredible job of opening up the concepts to a Western person (such as myself), therefore allowing us to understa...more
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As a dyed in the wool WASPy westerner, I once struggled with the whole eastern medicine concept. And then I had my gall bladder out, in a modern American hospital, with all the amenities and twice the pain, at which point, I started struggling with the whole western medicine concept.
In order to contain the waves of nausea and continued right upper quadrant pain that followed my surgery (I can still see the surgeon smiling and shrugging as I described my misery), I went in desperation to an acup...more
In order to contain the waves of nausea and continued right upper quadrant pain that followed my surgery (I can still see the surgeon smiling and shrugging as I described my misery), I went in desperation to an acup...more
Pretty much THE book on Chinese Medicine. Not a book to read if you just want to know herbs and folk remedies. This is a book for someone wanting to understand Chinese Medicine, whether to know how to use it, or if you are planning on studying it. It does an excellent job of explaining why Chinese Medicine is not some mystical idea, but an actual art and science just like Western medicine.
Feb 26, 2010
Sidewalk_Sotol
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Sidewalk_Sotol by:
juasanera18@yahoo.com
This is a good book for non-practitioners of "the Way", which is how i'm going to refer to so-called Oriental medicine from now on. :) Meaning that it holds a nice introduction to some of the core ideas behind how your body works from the standpoint of pre-modern Chinese medical theory.
It's important to say that it does leave certain important things out, though. Either that or I did not read it carefully enough. I don't know if this was the intention of the author, but references to the relati...more
It's important to say that it does leave certain important things out, though. Either that or I did not read it carefully enough. I don't know if this was the intention of the author, but references to the relati...more
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A seminal book, full of Ted's usual perambulating perorations. It's dry and technical but he's a bright guy, so it's one of a handful of books that should be considered fundamental in western understanding of an ancient Asian healing art.
Dr. Kaptchuk makes frequent appearances in western print, notably The Economist, where they do everything in their editorial power to get the word "sham" as near as possible to his name. He is currently on the Harvard Med school faculty doing research on placebo...more
Dr. Kaptchuk makes frequent appearances in western print, notably The Economist, where they do everything in their editorial power to get the word "sham" as near as possible to his name. He is currently on the Harvard Med school faculty doing research on placebo...more
Apr 25, 2007
Tom Gonzalez
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People interested in Chinese Medicine
I read this thoughtfuly written book while I was soul searching, for I had considered becoming an Oriental Medical practitioner and had given up on Western Medical practices. To me, the fall of medicine in the west was as a result of having lost its way from the compassion centered healing that has been the root of its art, to what now has become a techno-pharmaceutical monstrosity, incestuously merged with managed care and insurance. As a result, sadly, modern physicians no longer touch patient...more
This book is superb at assisting in the comprehension of chinese/eastern medicine for the western mind. The difference between two very different seeming medical modalities can be bridged once one transcends the inflexible concept that there is only one worldview....plainly there are multiple ways of viewing ourselves and the world we live in.
I have "lost" this book to borrowers so many times I have lost count! I just buy a new one....
I have "lost" this book to borrowers so many times I have lost count! I just buy a new one....
Apr 29, 2011
Nicole
is currently reading it
I've been currently reading this book for many a year now. I feel like I need to get through it to consider myself a real student of chinese medicine, but damn! is it dry. If you can make it through, it's a very clear and concise description. though I find CM impossible to understand without discussion and guidance from a more experienced practitioner, many have found Web to be enough to learn the basic tenets of TCM.
I love this book - not because its easy to read or even understand, just because it exists. I read it once before I became an acupuncturist and once while I was a student. The first reading inspired me - I was immersed in ideas that were completely new and largely mysterious, while the second reading brought the satisfaction of 'ah-ha! I get it now!'.
This book was actually really informative. Coming from someone who's basically got no knowledge of western or eastern medicine, I really appreciated how Kaptchuk was able to explain the different aspects of TCM in a relatable manner. It definitely puts gave me a different, lasting perspective on how my fellow humans and I treat our bodies.
This book was recommended to me by one of my Acupuncturists. Who I can't remember unfortunately. It's really good, gives a good overview of Chinese Medicine, and allows you to understand a bit better the possibilities of what a diagnosis means.
A diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is not the same as in western medicine. For example six people who have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia could quite easily have six different diagnoses. The diagnosis is one of what is "causing" the issue much more so than...more
A diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is not the same as in western medicine. For example six people who have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia could quite easily have six different diagnoses. The diagnosis is one of what is "causing" the issue much more so than...more
Kaptchuk writes a fascinating introduction to Chinese medicine. More than just a clinical analysis of acupuncture and herbal treatment, Kaptchuk describes the entirely different, more holistic, worldview of a Chinese physician.
As a patient who has received some relief for chronic migraine through herbal and acupuncture treatment, this book was totally intriguing.
As a patient who has received some relief for chronic migraine through herbal and acupuncture treatment, this book was totally intriguing.
This is an excellent book. It is an in depth look at Chinese Medicine from the view of the practitioner. I know that is has been used as a required text in Acupuncture training. After I gave up thinking I was going to remember every detail, I was able to read this a get a good sense of the subject, its artistry, and the contrast with Western medicine. I recommend this book.
I read this interesting book after my first visit to an accupuncturist. The book was written initially as a laymen's guide, but turns into something pretty technical. It convinced me that Chinese medicine is a valuable tool particularly in addressing disorders which Western medicine does not understand; even better, the accupuncture I recieved helped me get over severe back pain.
Aug 29, 2010
Pam
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Recommended to Pam by:
Greg Shim
My accupuncturist recommended this to me when I kept asking questions. Very good explanation of the overall theories. It will also put you to sleep REAL fast if you have insomnia. I'm taking it in small bites.
This book are great in explaining the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The book has founded the basis of my understanding of TCM and helped in knowing when to rely on it and when not to.
I just started at a new job and was given this book by my boss. I have heard of AC and TCM but didn't understand it. The Web that has no weaver is a great book for beginners like me.
This is a deep book which is considered one of the essentials for understanding the medicine taught at Bastyr University. It also has alot of appeal to the study of medical anthropology.
Great introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Explains the philosophy and main concepts and theories without getting into a lot of detail about meridians and points.
I absolutely love this book! I read it all the way through in 2008. Now I continue to pick it up and reference it all the time!
This gets an extra star for being my introduction to Chinese medicine. In truth this is many people's introduction to the medicine, and deserves a lot of credit for that. Certainly worth reading as a first book, especially for those of a very western/scientific mindset. I think if I had read Lonny Jarrett or J.R. Worsley first I would have been thrown off by their language. This book allowed me to move into the idea of the medicine before I needed to understand the origins. For someone with a ne...more
Apr 03, 2012
Marcyr.
marked it as to-read
The guy who did my acupuncture today knows the author. He said it is a great starter book, but to take note of the writer's perspective..he tends to focus more on the psychology of Eastern medicine.
Good intro to acupuncture philosophy, but gets way too deep for the layperson in the last chapters.
I'm really interested in learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this book was recommended to me by my acupuncturist. But, I have to say, I'm getting annoyed by the repetitive style of the author. I think he's so convinced that Westerners won't "get" it that he says things a million times. And maybe I won't "get" it, but the repetition isn't helping.
Ok, I finished it, relatively speaking. I got impatient and started skipping to parts that seemed like they would be relevant to me. Yeah,...more
Ok, I finished it, relatively speaking. I got impatient and started skipping to parts that seemed like they would be relevant to me. Yeah,...more
Bought at The Bookmill on our Temenos vacation, 4/18/10. For my massage school.
Aug 03, 2009
Lisa
added it
This is a great read if you what to understand the foundations of Chinese Medicine.
This book is exactly what it says it is: an explication of the concepts and practices within traditional Chinese medicine. It is a bit too comprehensive and exhaustive for anyone who doesn't actually plan to study the medicine; as someone who sees an acupuncturist, it helped clarify and expand my appreciation for and understanding of how it has helped me. It's also practical, but not as "self-help" as HEALING WITH WHOLE FOODS. Also, the introductory chapter explaining the concept of "qi" (chee)...more
I found this book particularly interesting because I've been to acupunture. It's a little too much like a textbook for casual reading, but it covers the differences between western and eastern medicine well.
A detailed introduction to Oriental Medicine for Western readers.
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