Top 10 Books About Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

Here’s a list of the top 10 books on acupuncture and Chinese medicine, based on an informal poll I took (gotta love Facebook, sometimes). 

If you love learning and want to learn more about TCM and acupuncture, check these out:  

1. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine – Tom Williams, PhD.
   Great pictures, easy to read.
2. The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness – Mischa Cohen, LAc.
   Mischa presents the medicine clearly and has easy to follow suggestions for self care.
3. Healing With Whole Foods, Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition – Paul Pitchford.  Now in its 3rd edition.  
   Integrates Oriental and Western nutritional knowledge.  It was one of the first books that I read on Chinese medicine.  It’s not meant to be read all at once, but more as a resource for specific conditions.  It lists specific foods that can aggravate and heal certain problems.
4. A Manual of Acupuncture – Peter Deadman and Mazin Al-Khafaji.
   Excellent, invaluable resource for students and practitioners alike.  I use it all the time to re-read and remember specifics about acupuncture points.  The anatomically detailed pictures of the acupoints are a must for understanding point location, if that’s what you’d like to do.  
5. The Web that has No Weaver – Ted Kapchuk.  7 out of 10 acupuncturists recommend it, including your truly.  Some say it’s too much for the casual reader; it’s more for people who are interested in pursuing Chinese medicine as a careerpath, but you can be the judge of that.  
6. Chinese System of Food Cures – Henry C. Lu.  Specific Chinese medicine “cures” for certain health problems.  Could be useful.
7. Wood Becomes Water: Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life – Gail Reichstein.  “5 elements theory” and real-life applications in healthcare (acupuncture and diet), exercise, and feng shui.
8. Between Heaven and Earth:  A Guide to Chinese Medicine – Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efrem Corngold, L.Ac., DOM.  A thorough guide into all aspects of Chinese medicine:  yin and yang theory, the phases of disease, how acupuncture and herbs work, and a nutritional guide based on Chinese medicine principles.
9. Tao of Healthy Eating:  Dietary Wisdom According to Chinese Medicine – Bob Flaws.  This book delves into Chinese medicine theory, but only as it relates to nutrition.  Foods that causes imbalances, and other foods that help to heal those imbalances.
10. Adventures in Chinese Medicine – Jennifer Dubowski, L.Ac. is an overview of Chinese medicine theories and principles, written in easy-to-understand language.  Plenty of pictures and diagrams.  It could be a great book for children and teenagers who are showing interest in natural medicine and want to know more.