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Book Reviews
Reviews
Acupuncture in the treatment of depression: A
manual for practice and research.
Rosa N Schnyer & John JB Allen
Hardback, Pages: 240, Price: £30.99
Churchill Livingstone, 2001
ISBN 0-443-07131-4
Depressive disorder is a common chronic
condition. It results in a greater burden than cancer,
diabetes or heart disease in terms of disability
adjusted life years according to a pivotal study by
the World Health Organisation and World Bank.
Conventional treatments for depressive disorder
can be broadly categorised into pharmacological
and psychological. Antidepressant treatment is the
mainstay of treatment. Although the response to
antidepressants is good, there is a significant
number of patients who either do not respond to
treatment or do not develop full remission with
treatment. Psychological treatments range from
counselling using problem solving to cognitive
therapy and interpersonal therapy. All have been
shown to be efficacious. The outcome of combined
pharmacological and psychological treatments is
better than either alone. Electroconvulsive therapy
remains an important treatment for severe
depressive disorder. Novel treatments showing
promise include transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Professor Thase from University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine has written an excellent
chapter on depression, its symptoms, epidemiology,
aetiology and treatment. Schnyer & Allen state
that the book is based on their pilot randomised
Color Atlas of Acupuncture
Body Points, Ear Points, Trigger Points
H-U Hecker, A Steveling, E Peuker, J Kastner,
K Liebchen
Paperback, Pages: 268, Price: £22
Thieme, Stuttgart 2001
ISBN 3 13 125221 9
This small paperback measures just seven and a
ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2002;20(4):206-210.
206
controlled study evaluating acupuncture as a
treatment for depression. The authors’ perspective
of acupuncture is that of traditional Chinese
medicine. Clearly, the target audience are
acupuncturists of the traditional Chinese medicine
paradigm.
In chapter 7, the authors take the reader through
research methodology and problems unique to
investigation of acupuncture. They go onto present
their findings from their study. The authors also
present some interesting case reports from their
study.
In the assessment of depressive disorder,
general practitioners will screen for organic
causes of depression, such as anaemia. It is not
clear whether the authors’ intake protocol takes
this into account. The authors have covered
suicide assessment thoroughly. They have also
included a caution about acupuncture in treating
depressive disorder in pregnancy. One important
omission from this book is the risk benefit
assessment of acupuncture. There is no mention of
any of the adverse effects of acupuncture. The
safety concerns of acupuncture should be
mentioned. Most adverse effects can be avoided
by proper training of the practitioner.
Any attempt to scientifically evaluate a
treatment for depressive disorder is important. I
think that the authors must be congratulated on
their work in this field. Hopefully others will be
stimulated to embark on further research to
evaluate the role of acupuncture in mild to
moderate depressive disorder.
Hagen Rampes
half inches by four and three quarter inches. It is
therefore extremely portable and will fit into any
large pocket. Nevertheless, contained within its
covers is an immense amount of information of
clinical and practical significance, all the authors
being physicians with a special interest in
acupuncture.
After a brief introduction describing the
generalities of point location the book is divided
www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/aimintro.htm
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into three sections. Part one includes body
acupuncture points encompassing the 12 paired
meridians together with the Conception vessel,
Governor vessel and Extra Points. Each meridian
is traced on a photograph of a model with all the
points indicated, however, only selected points are
described in the text. All the most important
points are included and broadly conform to the
selection of points used in the foundation courses
of the BMAS. Each selected point is compre-
hensively described together with its location,
depth of needling, indications and action in TCM
terms. In addition, highlighted paragraphs include
immensely useful comments relating to safety and
anatomical location. There are also clear anatomical
drawings as well as illustrations of the practitioner’s
hand placements used to locate selected points.
The Seirin Pictorial Atlas of Acupuncture
An illustrated manual of acupuncture points
Yu-Lin Lian, Chun-Yang Chen, Michael Hammes,
Bernard C Kolster
Edited by Hanhs P Ogal & Wolfram Stor
Hardback, Pages 351, Price: £25
Konemann, Cologne 2000
ISBN 3 8290 2996 9
The Seirin atlas is a large A4 sized book devoted
to 409 selected Chinese acupuncture body points.
Each is clearly indicated with three different
illustrations (two photographs and one anatomical
3D colour drawing). The text includes brief
Each of these Acupuncture atlases are quite
exceptional in their own way and I would
thoroughly recommend obtaining a copy of each.
I only wish they had been available when I first
Bonica’s Management of Pain
Editor: John D Loeser
Associate Editors: Stephen H Butler, C Richard
Chapman, Dennis C Turk
Hardback, Pages: 2178, Price: £181
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2001
ISBN 0 683 30462 3
ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2002;20(4):206-210.
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Page 207
Book Reviews
Part Two covers the ear acupuncture points
(Chinese and Nogier) located on very clear close-
up colour photographs with amplification in the
text, which includes specific indications and
general comments.
Part three includes 19 muscles and their
commonly occurring trigger points illustrated by
simple and very clear, coloured anatomical
drawings. The Trigger Points are shown together
with their referral patterns and, most interestingly,
important acupuncture points occurring close to
trigger points are also shown. The text includes a
description of each muscle, and includes its
origin, insertion, innovation and action, as well as
preliminary background, examination techniques
and therapeutic comments. The book is well
referenced and indexed.
descriptions of the location, needle insertion,
action, indications and special comments that
include safety aspects. The 12 paired principal
channels are included together with the pathways
of the Du Mai and the Ren Mai, and there is a
comprehensive selection of extra points. The
introduction includes basic principles of
measurement, needling techniques and a brief
summary of channels and points. All points are
located numerically as well as being named in
Chinese together with the English translation.
There is also an index and list of reference texts.
This is obviously not a book that can be easily
be carried in a pocket but the quality and clarity of
the illustrations more than compensate.
started studying acupuncture. Any student of
acupuncture, at any level, will find them of
immense value.
Adam Ward
Anyone involved in acupuncture / dry needling
becomes something of a pain expert if only
through the day-to-day experience of treating
patients. This was exemplified by a recent survey
of NHS hospital pain clinics in the UK that
revealed that it is now unusual for acupuncture /
dry needling not to be offered as part of the
therapeutic repertoire.
207
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Book Reviews
Bonica’s Management of Pain has become
something of a classic in pain management texts
and provides a comprehensive and practical
approach to all areas of pain control. The late John
J Bonica’s first edition was published in 1953 and
rapidly established itself as a leader in the field.
This third edition is now very much a multi-author
textbook and has grown into standard reference
work with no less than 132 contributors.
The book is made up of five parts. These are
devoted to a general introduction, patient evaluation,
generalised pain syndromes, regional pains and
methods of symptom control. This comprehensive
approach covers all areas of pain management and
includes a contribution from Chan Gunn as well as
Pediatric Acupuncture
May Loo
Hardback, Pages: 372, Price £45
Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh 2002
ISBN 0 443 07032 6
A handsome new textbook written by an Assistant
Clinical Professor in paediatrics at Stanford
University should be a good setting for a
comprehensive account of paediatric acupuncture.
With 25 years experience of working with children,
as a western paediatrician and then in combination
with traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA), the
author has a wealth of experience in paediatrics.
22 common conditions are detailed, both as
western description and treatment, and then using
traditional Chinese concepts; this is very
comprehensive and has 804 references. The author
explains the pros and cons of immunisation for the
western and Chinese approaches, and I am glad to
observe that she broadly supports vaccination. In
practice she allows the parents to make an informed
decision about whether to vaccinate or not.
Disappointingly, there are no scientific or
medical acupuncture principles, and nothing about
segmental innervation, or neuro-hormones. It is all
heavy TCA – but very well described. The only
common ground is in some of the methods of
acupuncture technique, and the fact that electro-
acupuncture, laser, and non-invasive techniques
may have a part to play in treatment.
ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2002;20(4):206-210.
208
a brief chapter giving an overview of acupuncture.
But this book’s strength is in its broad coverage and
practical approach. It discusses psychology, ways of
measuring disability, physiology, specific diseases
and a wide range of therapeutic interventions.
Those of us who regularly use acupuncture /
dry needling know that helping patients who come
to us with pain and disability is much more than
inserting needles in a technically proficient way.
I thoroughly commend this book as a first class
reference source for developing a rounded,
knowledgeable and, in the end, more satisfying
and effective approach to the care and treatment of
pain and suffering.
Adam Ward
The book is full of interesting ideas. Attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a
challenging condition to treat in the West. The
author claims to have had success in treating 7-9
year olds incorporating five-element developmental
theory. A number of recipes for this condition are
given, for example, Sishencong and Yintang for
general treatment.
The author manages to ‘integrate western
knowledge and technology with ancient Chinese
medicine’ and a good example is seen in treating
acute otitis media where ‘Acupuncture treatment can
be given concomitantly with antibiotics, as Chinese
medicine’s goal in expelling the pathogen and
tonifying the immune system complements the
western regimen’. However, the author gives very
little guidance on when not to use acupuncture, and
alarmingly suggests that most western diagnoses
can by treated by traditional Chinese acupuncture,
which may give the wrong impression to lay
acupuncturists. This approach is not medical
acupuncture, but simply western medical education
for those practitioners without medical training,
and not always informative for doctors.
There are pictures of happy children having
acupuncture and clear graphics showing
acupuncture points and meridians. The book is
the most comprehensive text on paediatric
acupuncture that I have come across, but I do hope
that the author will incorporate scientific and
medical acupuncture principles in the next edition.
Colin Lewis
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Anatomy of the locomotor apparatus
Francesco Bettinzoli, Bio Media
On 3 CD-ROMs – Upper extremity,
Lower extremity, and Trunk and Head
Price: ^47 per CD
Bio Media, Switzerland 2002
www.biomedia.ch
Content:
One of my fond memories as a medical student
was getting to grips with anatomy. Many an evening
was spent with Gray’s in one hand and the bones
of my half skeleton in the other. Reams of notes
were made describing the origin and insertion of
each muscle, with annotations showing the muscle
in action.
How easy anatomy would have been using this
software! Set up installs the QuickTime playback
program, and inserts information into the computer
registry, but the program runs directly from the
CD-ROM. The first CD of the series shows the
bones, joints and muscles of the upper extremity
in glorious multimedia. A series of menus allows
you to focus down on the particular aspect of
anatomy that you wish to study. So, I chose bones,
selected scapula, and the screen showed a virtual
scapula bone in fine detail, with a written
description. By allowing the mouse pointer to
hover over an anatomical term, the scapula picture
revolves round and zooms in, to show me the
highlighted detail. In virtual reality mode I am
able to rotate the scapula about a vertical axis.
Well, now I know all the anatomical landmarks,
written my own notes with the inbuilt notemaker,
I can now proceed to discover how the shoulder
joint works. I choose the glenohumeral articulation,
and a short movie accompanied by the narration
of an Italian, speaking very good English, shows
me just how mobile the joint is. The muscle menus
take me down to the individual muscles where
their origin, insertion, innervation and function
are described as text. The movie option again gives
a narrated action sequence of the muscle in action.
I found that moving the mouse too quickly
ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2002;20(4):206-210.
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Page 209
Software Review
over the action ‘hot spots’ would cause the program
to freeze, requiring a Ctrl-Alt-Del sequence to end
the program task. In fact, the same technique was
useful to close the program rather than go through
an endless scroll of credits. I would like to see a
facility to be able to minimise the program screen,
so that I could return to the program easily rather
than closing it down, and then waiting for the
entire opening credits before using it again. The
anatomical content is reasonably comprehensive,
but what happened to the missing quadratus
lumborum muscle?
The software is written using Macromedia
Director (the Rolls Royce of interactive multimedia)
and uses QuickTime movie control. There is a
choice of four languages, and the package gives a
good feel of professionalism to the presentation,
and no doubt forthcoming medical students may
well learn their basic anatomy from a package like
this. For medical acupuncturists, it is a painless
way to become re-acquainted with the knowledge
of anatomy that may have slipped away during the
clinical years. At about £30 per CD, it represents
good value for medical software. Don’t throw
away your Gray’s anatomy just yet, as the extra
detail in the book makes anatomy come alive in a
way that no animation by itself can possibly achieve.
The Biomedia website (address above) gives a
very useful hands-on feel for the program, and is
well worth a visit.
Rating:
Presentation 10/10
Medical content 9/10
Ease of use 9/10
System requirements:
PC: 486, 66MHz, 16mB RAM, Win 95, 640x480
graphics resolution, CD-ROM x 4 speed, SB
compatible sound card.
MAC: OS 7,8, or 9
Reviewed:
29th September 2002
Colin Lewis
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Software Review
The Journal of Chinese Medicine (1979-2002)
4th Edition
CD-ROM (279MB), Price: £120 + VAT
Increasingly, I find it very convenient to have
resource material stored as digital media – just
look at the success of Microsoft’s Encarta. The
CD-ROM takes up so little room compared to a
book, and the search facility should better any
index.
However, the CD-ROM must obey some basic
rules. First, it must not install files on my
computer without my knowledge. Secondly it
must be fast and intuitive to use, and thirdly, the
search facility must be able to find a keyword,
title, or author for the whole content. This CD
scores well on the first two rules, but the third
could be better.
The JCM CD-ROM contains a varied mix of
articles and reviews from its paper journal – 454
full articles, 527 abstracts and 157 book reviews
and plenty of news features, spanning the last 23
years. Acupuncture is the main topic, but there is
some reference to herbal medicine and massage.
Under the heading contents by subject, the
submenu lists Acupuncture points (very
descriptive – not an anatomical catalogue),
Techniques (from cupping to propagated needle
sensations), Case histories, Diseases, General
discussion and General theory. The emphasis is
very much on Traditional Chinese Medicine, but I
was pleased to see in the News sections, that there
was reference to the BMJ and Acupuncture in
Medicine. The abstracts are taken from the Journal
of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the book
reviews are very thorough – even including
medical acupuncture books.
ACUPUNCTURE IN MEDICINE 2002;20(4):206-210.
210
You will need to have Internet Explorer and
Adobe Acrobat reader installed on the computer
before you can use the disc. Copies of this
software are provided (albeit old editions).
Navigation will be familiar to anyone who uses a
web browser, and allows the reader to zoom in on
a final article, which is in a Portable Document
Format (.pdf) file, and read using Acrobat reader.
The search facility configuration is complicated
and instructions are given for version 4 of Acrobat
reader. I use a more up-to-date version of the
software, and I was unable to configure it so that I
could search the whole CD rather than just the
article I was looking at. This deficiency needs to
be sorted out before the next release.
There was a fascinating selection of
acupuncture topics on this CD-ROM despite the
heavy emphasis on TCM. It is time that a CD of
Acupuncture in Medicine articles is put together!
Rating:
Presentation 8/10
Content (Traditional Chinese Acupuncture) 10/10
Content (Medical acupuncture) 4/10
Ease of use 8/10
System requirements:
CD-ROM drive, Internet Explorer, Adobe Acrobat
reader
For more details:
Contact Journal of Chinese Medicine
Internet: www.jcm.co.uk
Email: info@jcm.co.uk
Reviewed:
10th November 2002
Colin Lewis
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The Seirin Pictorial Atlas of Acupuncture An

illustrated manual of acupuncture points
Adam Ward

Acupunct Med 2002 20: 207

doi: 10.1136/aim.20.4.207

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