Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine: Volume 1 - Diagnosis and Treatment by Michael Tierra, Lesley Tierra

I am very impressed by the amount of information contained in this book. This book presents a working picture of TCM, set in a straight foreward manner, giving the student a very useful module for diagnosis and treatment of imbalances in the body. TCM is a complete and self contained system set along far different lines than western medicine. It is very logical and practical. TCM works complimentary to western medicine, often time filling in the large gaps ignored by westen thought.

Westen medicine tends to be very heroic, producing miraculous feats with very acute and traumatic cases. Where as allopathic, or western medicine tends to see health as the lack of disease, Chinese medicine tends to look at health as a delicate balance of the functions between the multibple systems of the body. Systems are classified in TCM by function rather than physiological location. Where as allopathic medicine seems to be concerned with eliminating syptoms, Chinese medicine is concerned with eleminating the problem by its root, and restoring the delicate and harmonious blance of the body. Dr. Tierra's book addresses in quite some detail the recognition of patterns of symptoms, which when applied properly give a very advanced system of diagnosis within the frame work of Chinese medicine.

One of the greatest obsticals facing the practitioners of natural medicine is treading on the delicate toes of allopathic doctors by claiming to be able to treat diseases that they have named, without the use of their expensive chemical drugs. Traditional Chinese Medicine, because it is a complete and comprehensive system of balance restoration within the body, and because the approach and terminology is unique to itself, and often times much more specific has its own complete and unique method for the classification of imbalances. On its most basic level, the function of TCM is the restoration of balance betewwn yin and yang. This is broken down further into excess or deficient, heat or cold, on the external or internal. External, excess, and heat are classified as, "Yang," or hyper-metabolic; and internal, deficient, and cold are classified as, "yin," or hypo-metabolic. For example, when one is treating a fever one is clearing wind heat, or wind cold. This is an external condition but by examining accompaning patterns there may be internal causes.

Dr. Tierra gives very clear and useful explanations and modules for every principle he explains, as well as summaries for quick reference and easy memorization. My suggestion for digesting the material is to read book one all the way through. Then with a note pad go back over the material making notes for yourself sumerizing the principles presented in each chapter. Go through the chapters one by one making sure you have a grasp of the information before moving to the next. The picture will unfold in more and more detail as you progress giving an amazing and powerful tool in the prevention and treatment of disease and the maintaining of the balance of health.