Rating: 
Summary: If you buy one book on Chinese Medicine, this is the one
Review: For a beginning student of of TCM like myself, this book is invaluable. Its language is clear and accessible. If you have Ted Kaptchuk's "The Web That has no Weaver" on your shelf, this one should be right next to it. This would also be the text that I would chose to give to patients or potential patients (if you are a practitioner)if they want to read up on the TCM modality.
Rating:
Summary: Just what's needed
Review: For a beginning student of of TCM like myself, this book is invaluable. Its language is clear and accessible. If you have Ted Kaptchuk's "The Web That has no Weaver" on your shelf, this one should be right next to it. This would also be the text that I would chose to give to patients or potential patients (if you are a practitioner)if they want to read up on the TCM modality.
Rating: 
Summary: FULL INTRO, MAYBE TOO FULL
Review: I found this book to be very very full of information on TCM. Being a beginner in this area, I was amazed at the amount of material combined in this one book. However, as I read this book I tend to skip parts because of how wordy they can be. Also sometimes the discussions got a bit too involved and maybe a bit repetitive. So it is a bit on the difficult side of reading, but still an excellent addition to my library and an excellent reference guide!
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical and Deep
Review: I have read a lot of books about how the universe works but this one also tells us how to live in it. This book shifts our view of medicine, providing a how-to guide for self-awareness that includes both body and mind. It is an owner's manual for our everyday lives as well as a great introduction to Chinese medicine that is well written and easy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Review: I must first admit my bias: I seek to write a better intro to Chinese medicine than this, or the Web that has No Weaver...This book talks only about "5 Phase" Chinese medicine- this is only one school of thought in Chinese medicine, and most acupuncturists don't practice it to the degree that you find described in this book. Most acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists practice TCM, or some variation of it. There are many acupuncture styles (I mean Japanese, Korean, Tong, etc.), and herbal medicine is based on organ-system pattern diagnosis... you'll find none of that in this book. What is in this book is good and interesting, and perhaps an ok intro to Chinese medicine, but please remember there is much much more to even getting acquainted with Chinese medicine. "The Web..." is much too philosophical and scholarly for more readers. The danger there is that no one will read the whole thing. The danger with "Between..." is that readers will misunderstand the breadth and variation within Chinese medicine and be confused when they visit an acupuncturist who does not practice 5 phase style.
Rating:
Summary: Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Review: I must first admit my bias: I seek to write a better intro to Chinese medicine than this, or the Web that has No Weaver... This book talks only about "5 Phase" Chinese medicine- this is only one school of thought in Chinese medicine, and most acupuncturists don't practice it to the degree that you find described in this book. Most acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists practice TCM, or some variation of it. There are many acupuncture styles (I mean Japanese, Korean, Tong, etc.), and herbal medicine is based on organ-system pattern diagnosis... you'll find none of that in this book. What is in this book is good and interesting, and perhaps an ok intro to Chinese medicine, but please remember there is much much more to even getting acquainted with Chinese medicine. "The Web..." is much too philosophical and scholarly for more readers. The danger there is that no one will read the whole thing. The danger with "Between..." is that readers will misunderstand the breadth and variation within Chinese medicine and be confused when they visit an acupuncturist who does not practice 5 phase style.
Rating:
Summary: If you buy one book on Chinese Medicine, this is the one
Review: I read this book and used it as a reference in acupuncture school. I highly recommend it to everyone, including my patients. It gives you a basic understanding of how the organs are viewed in Chinese medicine. For example, the heart is affected by all emotions. Thus, if you experience extreme emotions for an extended period of time, you can develop a heart Qi (energy) deficiency. This would cause insomnia, palpitations and fatigue. This can be cured with acupuncture and herbs. If you have too much stress, your liver energy becomes stagnant, or stuck. This causes you to be even more stressed with each added stressor. Chinese medicine can fix that. Fear affects the kidneys. Have you ever noticed how often you have to go to the bathroom when you go to the dentist? :) Your kidneys become weak and can't control your bladder. Chinese medicine treats the root of your health issues. Your symptoms will go away once you address the underlying problems.
Rating:
Summary: an interesting overview of chinese medicine
Review: In the first glance I couldn't get the idea of information contained in this book but after spending few minutes on the contents I decided to purchase it. It doesn't not give you all the details you need yet it is one of the best introductions on chinese medicine one can have. It stirs up the interest for the further studies and itself could be one of a good reference books. Even those who read books for fun would enjoy reading it. The diagrams and the expression absorbs you in.
Rating: 
Summary: For the Uninitiated
Review: The nature of the content is fine for the lay reader, but hardly worth the time and money for the serious. This is book is like reading the chinese "zodiac" found in chinese restaurants and coming away thinking like you have any insight at all into chinese cosmology theory. Clearly meant for the uninitiated western reader.
Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Oriental Medicine
Review: This book gives a good foundation for understanding how the Chinese five elements theory is used in clinical practice. The description of five-element theory is very poetically written, so the book is fun to read. There is also a good introduction to acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. The chapters on acupuncture and herbal medicine are fairly technical, so if you don't have much interest in these areas, you may find the sections boring. The main problem with the book is it's over-emphasis on the Five Elements. From what I understand, the Chinese five element theory is not regarded as important to diagnosis and treatment in TCM as the theory of yin/yang and chi (in fact, the validity of the theory is still hotly debated in China today) so its treatment here may be a bit over-emphasized.
| 
