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The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine
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The Web That Has No Weaver is a classic and comprehensive volume that discusses the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. Kaptchuk’s book is an invaluable resource in the field and an authoritative guide that helps readers understand both Western and Eastern healing practices. Here in the revised edition is further research into ancient Chinese practices as well as acti
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ebook, 528 pages
Published
November 29th 2010
by RosettaBooks
(first published January 1st 1983)
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Aug 22, 2020
Tamar...light at the end of the tunnel?
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
This is an amazing book that I was reminded of in a rating by GR Friend Laur💫.
I remember it being technical for me, the layman, with no background. Never-the-less, I read it at a time in my life when I was interested in reading about alternative methods for an ailment that was plaguing me at the time and I found the book illuminating on a far broader scale.
I remember it being technical for me, the layman, with no background. Never-the-less, I read it at a time in my life when I was interested in reading about alternative methods for an ailment that was plaguing me at the time and I found the book illuminating on a far broader scale.
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
Sep 26, 2007
Katherine
rated it
it was amazing
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
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Apr 25, 2007
Tom Gonzalez
rated it
it was ok
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
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An accessible overview of Chinese medicine (primarily acupuncture and herbs) written by a Western physician. It covers the basic philosophy and systems of “traditional” (Chinese) medicine, and how that differs from “biomedicine” (Western medicine based on anatomy and modern drugs). My favorite chapters dealt with various kinds of pulses and examining signs on a person’s tongue. These techniques reveal a surprising amount of detail about what’s happening in the body. My acupuncturist noted that p
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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
Thanks Tamar. There are a lot of extremely beneficial elements to Chinese medicine. This book was highly recommended to me by a highly respected Chinese Doctor who helped me when all other traditional methods failed
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
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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
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.
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.
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traditional Chinese Medicine
This book is a very good study of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's thousands of years of history, the philosophy behind it, how it fits into Chinese culture, how it compares to Western Medicine and how it can work with Western Medicine for the best of both worlds ...more
This book is a very good study of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's thousands of years of history, the philosophy behind it, how it fits into Chinese culture, how it compares to Western Medicine and how it can work with Western Medicine for the best of both worlds ...more
A very interesting and well-documented book. It's not easy to find someone that can bridge and understand both West and Eastern philosophies. I was looking for a good introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine and the concepts behind it. This was the right book for it. It gives a broad but very thorough perspective on the matter while maintaining a very neutral and non-judgemental approach, which is, very refreshing.
I'm not a medical specialist and the enumeration of patterns eventually becam ...more
I'm not a medical specialist and the enumeration of patterns eventually becam ...more
I was torn between giving this four or five stars. If you are looking to understand Chinese medicine- the big picture philosophy (yin and yang), how physicians examine for and approach illness (“patterns of disharmony”), and general techniques for healing (herbs, acupuncture, and lifestyle)- this book is excellent.
You could say that Chinese medicine is more concerned with health and western medicine more concerned with sickness. Or that Chinese medicine is most helpful for healing mild health i ...more
You could say that Chinese medicine is more concerned with health and western medicine more concerned with sickness. Or that Chinese medicine is most helpful for healing mild health i ...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.... ...more
I have "lost" this book to borrowers so many times I have lost count! I just buy a new one.... ...more
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've never gotten all the way through this, but i've gotten as much out of this as I have out of books i've read all the way through.
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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.
maybe this was a good book, i was too bored to get thru the first chapter. i even tried to read the last but it was boring too.
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!
My dear cousin Jill bought this for me for Christmas in a stack of other books that were perfectly calibrated to my current interests. Lucky me!
I didn't read all the way to the end page, and I didn't get through the amazingly comprehensive footnotes, but I did read the body of the book and it was fascinating and very helpful to understand more about the philosophy behind Chinese medicine, which I'd really only understood vaguely before. Folks cite this as the book for beginners wanting to learn ...more
I didn't read all the way to the end page, and I didn't get through the amazingly comprehensive footnotes, but I did read the body of the book and it was fascinating and very helpful to understand more about the philosophy behind Chinese medicine, which I'd really only understood vaguely before. Folks cite this as the book for beginners wanting to learn ...more
Terrific Read. I love learning about alternative therapy and medicines. Many think they're a placebo effect but not me. I am also into the concept of Scalar Energy which originates from the sun and is a fundamental force in all of nature, Improves spiritual & physical well-being and offers a ground-breaking approach to health and healing. It has also been suggested that magnets can be helpful for pain relief, including lower back and knee pains. Magnets can be used in many different ways. Wearin
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A good introduction to the differences between western and eastern approaches to health and wellness, but this book is likely to be a bit tedious for the casual reader, as Kaptchuk is quite thorough and goes into the philosophy as well as the 'medicine.' It is NOT a how-to book for people who want to try treating themselves with herbs or moxibustion! It's well-documented with hundreds of studies and weighs the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional Chinese approach to wellness and to cu
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I have always had an interest in acupuncture and alternative health treatments, this book is fascinating I like that it has so much detail about the body . Chinese medicine and their holistic approaches are a big interest of mine, I already have a sound knowledge of Ayurveda so I can see how the overlaps are being made. Can't wait to finish reading this now, wish there was a bit more on the magnetism and magnet healing power I have a real interest in this area.
magnetic bracelet ...more
magnetic bracelet ...more
This is one of the best book for people wants to get more understanding out of TCM without getting lost in muddle concepts explained/ appropriated by self-styled 'gurus' out there.
This book was on our reading list for first year Acupuncture school. For someone coming from an orthodox medical science background, it was a very good bridging text. ...more
This book was on our reading list for first year Acupuncture school. For someone coming from an orthodox medical science background, it was a very good bridging text. ...more
Fantastic opportunity to better understand the practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine through the Eastern lens. There are ALOT of notes and appendices, so unless you plan to study to be a practitioner, you might skim/skip some sections. This has been an invaluable tool to better understand my own body and the treatments recommended by my acupuncturist.
Even thought Oriental Medicine is not the answer for all but it is much more powerful and efficient as the western world thinks. With far less side affects than the pills you buy at the pharmacy.
I came to this book after I saw the results of OM in my family and got curios. I am surprised and amazed.
I came to this book after I saw the results of OM in my family and got curios. I am surprised and amazed.
Loved the way he broke down Chinese Medicine and Herbology so everyone can understand the advantages. He does an excellent job of comparison with Western Medicine and the strengths and weaknesses of both. This book is written for someone who is studying Chinese Medicine yet the information was delivered in such a way that it was very enjoyable reading. I learned a great deal.
A great read for both someone learning how to do acupuncture and someone who wants to understand the basic theories and ideas. As someone who gets treated with acupuncture I now have a better basis of understanding in the questions and practices that happen to me.
The book was simultaneously presented to biomedical practitioners and students of Chinese medicine. It should have chosen one focus. The appendices were often the length of a chapter and should have been incorporated into the text as such.
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