Finally, a short and easy-to-follow book that gives practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese medicine all the information they need to notice, understand, and refer their patients correctly when facing potentially dangerous signs and symptoms. * Introductory material gives you an outline of how to actually do a correct patient referral and how to follow up for your own and your patient's medical and legal protection. * In just 220 pages Dr. Anzaldua presents all the most common red flag signs and symptoms that we may see in an acupuncture clinic. He also tells us what level of referral may be necessary for each red flag case. * Every red flag has a real life case study, helping readers to understand the process of identifying red flag cases and making correct referrals. * The easy-to-follow design and thorough index lets you find what you are looking for quickly. * Questions at the end of every chapter allow students and life-long learners to review what you have learned as you go. This book belongs on every practitioner's shelf . . . it could save somebody's life!

Unique ready reference for all complementary medicine, massage therapy and manual therapy practitioners and students alerting them to 'red flag' symptoms which should be referred for Western medical investigation or emergency medical treatment. When can a patient be safely reassured and when do they need further investigation or treatment? 'Red flags' are clinical signs that suggest a patient needs prompt investigation and treatment for a potentially dangerous situation. Therapists increasingly find themselves working alongside conventionally trained doctors and nurses and it is vital for them to understand conventional medical diagnoses, symptoms and treatments and, crucially, to recognise warning signs of serious disease. This is essential in order to be a safe practitioner. Clare Stephenson's The Complementary Therapist's Guide to Red Flags and Referrals meets this need by providing an easily accessible reference to 'red flag' symptoms, designed especially for therapists. It offers guidance on how best to respond to those symptoms and signs of disease which can be readily discerned through routine history taking and basic examination of the body. The guidance is in language which is accessible to therapists, and clear advice is offered on when to refer patients to conventional medicine practitioners and how to communicate with doctors when making a referral. Clinical syndromes which merit rapid response are summarised for ease of reference.

If you are starting a practice for the first time or your existing practice needs a kick-start, this is the book/CD Rom package you need. It covers everything you need to know about the business of practicing acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Used by over 25 schools as a required text, the companion CD Rom alone is worth the price. * advice and stories from real practitioners all over the U.S. and Canada * scores of pages of downloadable forms, letters, work sheets, and templates on the CD Rom so you don't have to invent them yourself * a well-organized, easy-to-read, compact and humor-filled writing style * condensed "points to ponder" at the end of each chapter * hundreds or resources, websites, and tips to make your professional life easy * Many effective marketing ideas * New chapter on buying and selling a practice

Although acupuncture is currently experiencing a great increase in acceptance and growth, many acupuncturists are failing to earn a living. Recent statistics suggest that nearly 9 out of 10 acupuncturists end-up in private practice but most of those are struggling to earn solid incomes. This book offers candid and comprehensive advice about what it really takes to manage a successful acupuncture practice in the West today. Readers will learn the unique combination of skills needed to make acupuncture services effective and affordable while still allowing practitioners to earn a comfortable living. Distilled from 25 years of full-time private practice this is real-world advice offered by one of the acupuncture profession's most experienced practitioners and authors. "Not strictly a clinical guide, or a business book, or a political treatise, but rather an original fusion of the most important aspects of all three, Making Acupuncture Pay should be required reading for every student of acupuncture, for any acupuncturist who's struggling to make a practice work, and well, for any acupuncturist...PERIOD " -Brent Ottley, L.Ac. "This book should be required reading before one enrolls in acupuncture school, as each chapter addresses the fundamental concepts and realistic prospects of the graduate earning a living as an acupuncturist." -Pamela Howard, acupuncture student Matthew Bauer began his practice in 1986 immediately after obtaining his State acupuncture license and as the sole source of support for his family of four. Learning how to manage his practice by trial and error, Matthew currently sees between 75-100 patients a week. In addition to his busy practice, Matthew also became involved with acupuncture organizations and as a consultant for the insurance industry helping to pioneer acupuncture HMO plans. He is the author of The Healing Power of Acupressure and Acupuncture, which explores the Taoist roots of Chinese medicine as a means of educating the public about acupuncture's benefits. With Making Acupuncture Pay, Matthew begins his efforts to help fellow acupuncturists achieve the level of practice success he has been blessed to enjoy.

Offering a systematic comparative approach to Western and Eastern medicine, this unique textbook enables students and practitioners of Chinese medicine to develop a core understanding of conventional medical language and treatments. Acupuncture practitioners increasingly find themselves working alongside Western healthcare professionals. Now in its second edition, this book is a guide to conventional medical diagnoses, symptoms and treatments, and using examples drawn from the author's experience and knowledge of TCM it encourages reflection on how these diagnoses may be interpreted from a more holistic medical perspective. It includes introductory sections on physiology, pathology and pharmacology, chapters devoted to the physiological systems of the body and the conventional approach to the treatment of diseases that can affect them, and information on dealing with patients in practice. Accompanying online material, including self-testing questions and answers and checklists for revision, is available for those wishing to use the text for systematic study.

"This beautifuly designed two color book is filled with over 100 detailed illustrations to help the reader better understand the materials being presented. Red flag cases are included and clearly explained to help the practitioner decide when an immediate referral is necessary. This book covers many Western diseases you will encounter and is clearly written for practitioners of Chinese medicine. With this textbook you will learn the clinical presentation and treatment of the major diseases seen in Western medical practice today, and how to confidently interact with Western medical practitioners."--Publisher

Designed specifically for the needs of acupuncturists. Within each chapter of the book are not only basics of examination techniques, but problem-based case studies with questions, quizzes and review exercises -- from the publisher's review.

'Sometimes called coining, spooning or scraping, Gua sha is defined as instrument-assisted unidirectional press-stroking of a lubricated area of the body surface that intentionally creates 'transitory therapeutic petechiae' representing extravasation of blood in the subcutis.' Gua sha has been used for centuries in Asia, in Asian immigrant communities and by acupuncturists and practitioners of traditional East Asian medicine worldwide. With the expansion of traditional East Asian medicine, Gua sha has been used over broad geographic areas and by millions of people. It is valuable in the treatment of pain and for functional problems with impaired movement, the prevention and treatment of acute infectious illness, upper respiratory and digestive problems, and many acute or chronic disorders. Research has demonstrated Gua sha radically increases surface microperfusion that stimulates immune and anti-inflammatory responses that persist for days after treatment. The second edition expands on the history of Gua sha and similar techniques used in early Western Medicine, detailing traditional theory, purpose and application and illuminated by science that focuses its relevance to modern clinical practice as well as scholarly inquiry. This book brings the technique alive for practitioners, with clear discussion of how to do it – including correct technique, appropriate application, individualization of treatment – and when to use it, with over 50 case examples, and superb color photographs and line drawings that demonstrate the technique. NEW TO THIS EDITION • New chapter on immediate and significant Tongue changes as a direct result of Gua sha • Research and biomechanisms • Literature review from Chinese language as well as English language medical journal database • New case studies • Over 30 color photographs New chapter on immediate and significant Tongue changes as a direct result of Gua sha Research and biomechanisms Literature review from Chinese language as well as English language medical journal database New case studies Fully updated and revised throughout Over 30 colour photographs

In classical Chinese medicine, the ear is considered an extraordinarily powerful nexus of energy through which the entire body can be treated. Unlike numerous texts that apply Western approaches to Eastern medicine, Chinese Auricular Acupuncture explains ear acupuncture within the framework of traditional Oriental energetics consistent with the use