In this accessible reference for students and others, editor Hai (Nanyang Technological University) unites US and Asian scholars, practitioners, and educators in Chinese medicine, acupuncture, health sciences, psychology, and integrative medicine to review Western scientific explanations for acupuncture and to consider the problems inherent in Western-style clinical trails of acupuncture. Some areas explored are the ontological status of meridians, cognitive neuroscience and acupuncture, and the difficulty of controlling for the placebo effects of sham acupuncture. Two final chapters report on acupuncture treatment for addiction and the use of dense cranial electro-acupuncture stimulation for neuropsychiatric disorders. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Acupuncture is widely practised in the 21st century in scientifically developed countries for a wide range of ailments, ranging from chronic pain, giddiness and high blood pressure to gastrointestinal disorders and sexual dysfunction. Yet the reasons for its vaunted effectiveness remain a matter of controversy.In ancient China, its mechanism of action was understood in abstract terms, promoting the flow of qi and the balance of yin and yang through the body's meridians a complex network painstakingly charted but never found. Modern medical researchers have examined old and new needling points, viewing them as trigger points that stimulate physiological responses in the body. There is also mounting evidence of strong placebo effects.This volume contains twelve articles covering the latest research on the scientific explanations of the mechanism of acupuncture and critical reviews of clinical trials on its efficacy by leading scholars, including Edzard Ernst of Exeter, Thomas Lundeberg of Karolinska Institute, Lixing Lao of the University of Maryland and Ping-Chung Leung at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
More info about World Scientific e-books