Rating: 
Summary: Historical fiction
Review: "The Web that has no Weaver" is one of the early works on Chinese medicine that appeared in the West. However, the introduction of traditional Chinese healing practices and the subsequent curiosity about them has also been accompanied by the introduction of some rather widespread and fundamental misunderstandings of what traditional Chinese medicine is and was. The foundations of many of these misunderstandings can be found in Kaptchuk's book. Indeed, a tendency can be recognized in the writings by Western authors on Chinese medicine to associate Western medicine with all the disadvantages of modern science and technology, and to identify Chinese medicine as a perfect alternative, although historically there is little justification for such clear-cut antagonism. In addition, several conceptual ideals unmet by Western medicine have been attributed to Chinese medicine, although historical reality does not lend itself to support such attributions. Examples are the denial of cause-effect relationships or the claim of Chinese medicine as more "holistic" than Western medicine. Both claims have no historical justification. However, this book has popularized
these false claims and has influenced the perception of Chinese Medicine among tens of thousands of readers.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction
Review: "The Web that has no Weaver" is one of the early works on Chinese medicine that appeared in the West. However, the introduction of traditional Chinese healing practices and the subsequent curiosity about them has also been accompanied by the introduction of some rather widespread and fundamental misunderstandings of what traditional Chinese medicine is and was. The foundations of many of these misunderstandings can be found in Kaptchuk's book. Indeed, a tendency can be recognized in the writings by Western authors on Chinese medicine to associate Western medicine with all the disadvantages of modern science and technology, and to identify Chinese medicine as a perfect alternative, although historically there is little justification for such clear-cut antagonism. In addition, several conceptual ideals unmet by Western medicine have been attributed to Chinese medicine, although historical reality does not lend itself to support such attributions. Examples are the denial of cause-effect relationships or the claim of Chinese medicine as more "holistic" than Western medicine. Both claims have no historical justification. However, this book has popularized
these false claims and has influenced the perception of Chinese Medicine among tens of thousands of readers.
Rating: 
Summary: AMAZING, COMPLETE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING
Review: I found this book to be the most complete resource on Traditional Chinese Medicine. It goes through the introduction and goes to quite deep details of the basics, the diagnoses, and more. I found this book to be the best so far at explaining pulse diagnosis on a level understandable to a beginner.
This book can be read on many, many levels. It is meant to be read several times over the course of one's studies of TCM, each time getting a bit more than the last time.
Some advice to beginners like myself: If while reading this book you get stuck and feel uninterested and repelled by some part of the chapter, just skip it and move on. Don't get discouraged no matter what. You may just not be ready for that part yet. Skip it and move on to the next part. You can always come back and read it.
I found that the language of this book is very easy and flowing, there is no difficult jargon at all. It is very smooth and easy to follow.
An amazing book, I would recommend it to everyone interested in TCM!!
Rating: 
Summary: An OK source for TCM information
Review: I had to learn TCM basics as part of my chinese martial art training. This book was invaluable in learning the basics of TCM. Ted Kaptchuk's writing is at times confusing, but overall is pretty well easy to understand. A Great Book! 5 Stars ********************NEW COMMENTS************************
The above was my former review of this book. It is now almost a year later and I am now enrolled in Chinese Medicine school. Now that I have to know a great deal of theory, I find that this book is a bit lacking on explanation, as compared to "Foundations of Chinese Medicine : A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists" by Giovanni Maciocia. This book, I find is a much better basic explanation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) than "The Web That Has No Weaver." Apparently the California Acupuncture board uses The Web book for their exams, as well as others including Giovanni's. I wanted to correct my review now that I have some perspective and understanding in Chinese Medicine. Still a good book with 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye-opening Primer on TCM and Taoist philosophy
Review: Lent to me by an acupuncture and herbal doctor, I originally read "The Web" without any prior background and found it extremely enlightening. Thousands of years of Chinese philosophy and medicine explained by a Western doctor helps to bridge the chasm between the two approaches to medical care. In the end, expect to be frustrated that Western medicine largely ignores what is proven to work, or steals the ideas and repackages them as "new". The irony of the title is that Taoist philosophy acknowledges the intricate web of life, but ignores the Creator (the weaver). This is because, unlike western medicine and philosophy, Taoists do not constantly ask "why?", but instead focus solely on mapping what is. Understanding this fundamental difference may be key to understanding the Chinese mind and how to deal with their government and people. This book gives one a sense of how much we could learn from the Chinese, and what Americans miss by ignoring a medical practice thousands of years old. Over the course of two years since first reading, my mind repeatedly returns to lessons learned from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Eye-opening Primer on TCM and Taoist philosophy
Review: Lent to me by an acupuncture and herbal doctor, I originally read "The Web" without any prior background and found it extremely enlightening. Thousands of years of Chinese philosophy and medicine explained by a Western doctor helps to bridge the chasm between the two approaches to medical care. In the end, expect to be frustrated that Western medicine largely ignores what is proven to work, or steals the ideas and repackages them as "new". The irony of the title is that Taoist philosophy acknowledges the intricate web of life, but ignores the Creator (the weaver). This is because, unlike western medicine and philosophy, Taoists do not constantly ask "why?", but instead focus solely on mapping what is. Understanding this fundamental difference may be key to understanding the Chinese mind and how to deal with their government and people. This book gives one a sense of how much we could learn from the Chinese, and what Americans miss by ignoring a medical practice thousands of years old. Over the course of two years since first reading, my mind repeatedly returns to lessons learned from this book.
Rating:
Summary: review
Review: Ted J. Kaptchuk is the top authority on Chinese medicine. The title has it all, ...Understanding Chinese medicine, he really does help you to understand what it is all about. He doesn't just explain the terminology, he also gives the background on the philosophy of Eastern Medicine. In this book, he compares Western and Eastern medicine, the contrast helps to further your comprehension. Readability tests showed that this book is at a tenth-twelth grade reading level. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Rating:
Summary: A Simple but Comprehensive Guide to Ancient Chinese Medicine
Review: Ted Kaptchuk has distilled the essence of ancient Chinese medicine in this clear expose. He explains the body organs as they were understood by the ancient Chinese, the acupuncture points and meridians, the fluids and flows, both of energy and fluids, in easy-to-understand language. A+ for clarifying the concepts of this medicine. With some imagination you may even begin to understand how such an ancient art could tackle modern challenges like AIDS and cancer, which it does. This book is a classic that will be around for a long time. The nice thing about it is that it clarifies ancient Chinese medicine to a person with no background in the subject.
Rating:
Summary: A Simple but Comprehensive Guide to Ancient Chinese Medicine
Review: Ted Kaptchuk has distilled the essence of ancient Chinese medicine in this clear expose. He explains the body organs as they were understood by the ancient Chinese, the acupuncture points and meridians, the fluids and flows, both of energy and fluids, in easy-to-understand language. A+ for clarifying the concepts of this medicine. With some imagination you may even begin to understand how such an ancient art could tackle modern challenges like AIDS and cancer, which it does. This book is a classic that will be around for a long time. The nice thing about it is that it clarifies ancient Chinese medicine to a person with no background in the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for the student of acupuncture
Review: This book is a very good treatment of the subject of acupuncture, and its associated methods of diagnosis and pattern recognition. Herbology is not discussed. Having finished the book, one will at least have an understanding of what one's acupuncturist is talking about, and may be able to take steps to better one's health. The meridians are described in basic detail, with interior and exterior branches discussed. Points and their properties are not discussed. Overall, a very good and basic description of acupuncture and its methods.
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