The Art of Palpatory Diagnosis in Oriental Med.

By Skya Gardner-Abbate. Foreword by Mark D. Seem. Churchill Livingstone, 2001. Hardback, 323 pages. English

Key features:
• Provides a clear understanding pf principles and techniques, enabling all acupuncturists to rapidly add another dimension to their practice over a very wide range of conditions.
• Powerfully illustrated with line drawings and photos, giving the reader an accurate sense of what is being seen and felt.
• Takes a 'building blocks' approach whereby concepts are explored gradually and new terms introduced and reiterated at the end of every chapter.
• A question section is included at theend af every chapter.
• Forms outlining procedures, diagnoses and possible treatment strategies supplement the theoretical material in each chapter so that the practitioner is assisted in organizing and performing palpatory examinations.
• Emphasis is placed on the integration of Chinese and Japanese medical thought, helping the reader to see them as interrelated, classically based systems.
• Cases from the authors's 15 years of clinical experience are integrated whenever the concepts covered need further elaboration, helping the reader to study patient progress and gain a sense of how to use the material.

This book provides a step-by-step introduction and practical guide to palpatation as a method of assessment, diagnosis and treatment within the context of Oriental medicine, and in particular Japanese acupunture practice. Leading the reader through the 'how' and 'what' of touch, around the abdomen (or 'hara') and other areas of the body, the author explores key acupuncture points for clearing these areas as well as applied Japanese needle techniques.

The book supports the reader in developing a more vivid and sensitive feel for what lies below acupuncture meridians and points, and in being able to assess and treat successfully a very wide variety of clinical conditions.

Skya Gardner-Abbate is a licenced Doctor of Oriental Medicine in New Mexico Executive Director of Southwest Acupuncture College, where she also teaches. She has served over 6 years as an educational expert and Commissioner for the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental medicine.