2023/07/05

The Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture: Keown, Daniel

The Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine eBook : Keown, Daniel: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

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Dr Daniel Keown M.B.Ch


The Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine First Edition, Kindle Edition
by Daniel Keown (Author) Format: Kindle Edition


4.7 out of 5 stars 683 ratings




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Why can salamanders grow new legs, and young children grow new finger tips, but adult humans can't regenerate? What is the electricity that flows through the human body? Is it the same thing that the Chinese call Qi? If so, what does Chinese medicine know, that western medicine ignores?

Dan Keown's highly accessible, witty, and original book shows how western medicine validates the theories of Chinese medicine, and how Chinese medicine explains the mysteries of the body that western medicine largely ignores. He explains the generative force of embryology, how the hearts of two people in love (or in scientific terms `quantum entanglement') truly beat as one, how a cheating heart is also an ill heart (which is why men are twice as likely to die of a sudden heart attack with their mistress than with their wife), how neural crest cells determine our lifespan, and why Proust's madeleines evoked the memories they did.

The book shows how the theories of western and Chinese medicine support each other, and how the integrated theory enlarges our understanding of how bodies work on every level. Full of good stories and surprising details, Dan Keown's book is essential reading for anyone who has ever wanted to know how the body really works.
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ISBN-13

978-1848191969
Edition

First Edition
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Singing Dragon
Publication date

20 March 2014



Product description

Review
This book is an important milestone in our understanding of how acupuncture might operate in the body, and the often remarkable correspondences between traditional Chinese and modern medical thinking... Dr Keown uses the holistic framework of Chinese Medicine to pull modern concepts together to give an inkling of what a true integrated medicine of the future might look like... the author, makes visually appealing comparisons... The writing style is creative and often humorous... Overall this book is a great read, and will certainly be enjoyed by acupuncturists interested in the connections between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. --This text refers to the paperback edition.


Review
This book is an important milestone in our understanding of how acupuncture might operate in the body, and the often remarkable correspondences between traditional Chinese and modern medical thinking... Dr Keown uses the holistic framework of Chinese Medicine to pull modern concepts together to give an inkling of what a true integrated medicine of the future might look like... the author, makes visually appealing comparisons... The writing style is creative and often humorous... Overall this book is a great read, and will certainly be enjoyed by acupuncturists interested in the connections between biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Singing Dragon; First Edition (20 March 2014)
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10 in Acupuncture Textbooks
37 in Chinese MedicineCustomer Reviews:
4.7 out of 5 stars 683 ratings
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Dr Daniel Keown M.B.Ch


Dr Daniel Keown MD MCEM Lic Ac became interested in Chinese medicine when hearing from his octogenarian grandmother about her travelling around China. In 1998 he qualified in medicine from Manchester University, England and then obtained a degree in Acupuncture from The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in 2008.

He continues to practice Western medicine having passed the membership exams of the College of Emergency Medicine (MCEM) in 2014. His enduring aim is to re-establish acupuncture and Qi at the forefront of medicine in the West. To this aim he published The Spark In The Machine in 2014 which shows how the principles of Chinese medicine can be fully explained with a deeper understanding of how the human body works, an understanding that necessitates a semi-mystical force at work ie Qi.

He lives in Kent, England, with his wife and two children, and still searches for the elusive perfect wave.

See more on the author's page

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From Australia
OneHand
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, in every regard
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 14 June 2019
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An excellent text that is a must read for all Acupuncturists, traditional and modern alike. Certainly opens up a he,thy discussion to be had by our profession.
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Dr
5.0 out of 5 stars Acupunture & Embryology the Unity of East and West
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 8 April 2017
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A well written and thought through book and unifying eastern and western thought processes on acupuncture. It also helped me as an anaesthetist to understand some of the things which I had a gut feeling on. Thank you for producing this book. A must read for those wanting to understand acupunture/energy medicine.
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BarryR
2.0 out of 5 stars A prescientific model of blood vessels and nerves?
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 26 January 2018
I've had acupuncture from a few practitioners. Despite wanting to believe in it, it's never improved any of my ills/injuries. It is known to release opioids and so may have relaxation properties and, of course, placebo benefits. I started this book with interest as I know nothing about fascia. I became a bit dubious at the mention of biophotons. He completely lost me on the chapter about human fractals. To start with, the author talks about lines of communication but his example is about simple combinations,nCr. Later on, he says a basic fractal equation is a simple feedback mechanism. It's nothing of the sort. It's an iterative equation using complex numbers, i.e it requires the square root of minus 1, √-1. Further statements might have some metaphorical validity but only if you don't know anything about fractal maths.

As regards fascia and acupuncture, This article compares acupuncture to early Greek beliefs. I found itmuch more convincing:
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-and-fascial-planes-junk-science-and-wasteful-research/
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Nadia
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 4 October 2019
Good book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 7 January 2017
Amazing work with a huge value for the future of health! A must read for every health professional
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From other countries
RichieRich
3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating content marred by poor writing and illustrations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 January 2016
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In short, I found the book a mix of the good (the content), the bad (the writing) and the ugly (the illustrations).

THE GOOD
Daniel Keown suggests that acupuncture channels can be explained in terms of Western anatomy; that they're inter-fascial spaces and that Qi is electricity transported along fascia courtesy of the electrical properties of collagen. Keown also suggests that Western anatomy and physiology can make sense of the properties of and relationship between organs set out in the Chinese classics. This is fascinating stuff, and Keown clearly has a real knowledge of and passion for his subject.

THE BAD
Clearly, a number of reviewers disagree, but, in my view, Keown doesn't write well. I found much of the book an effort to get through, with the poor writing detracting from the fascinating content. For me, the text was very much a case of "death by a thousand cuts": lots of minor issues cumulatively diminishing the reading experience. Here are a few examples. There are many more.

++ p95: Keown correctly points out that the black and white of the Taijitu symbol represent Yin and Yang but then suggests the line between them represents Qi. However, the line actually represents Yuan (neutrality), with Yin, Yang and Yuan forming one of the many trinities within Daoism. (The trinity within which Qi sits is Jing, Qi and Shen.)

++ p95: Keown suggests that, in Chinese Medicine, Qi is synonymous with Blood. However, in fact, they're regarded as two distinct "vital substances".

++ p114: The diagram representing the embryo on Day 17 is drawn as a bilaminar disc when, at that time, it's already trilaminar (i.e. the mesoderm has developed).

++ p93: Keown thinks it's amusing/helpful to refer to the combination of "the amniotic sac and its lining of ectoderm" as the "Angmion". I've really tried but just don't see how this word play works and can't understand why he doesn't stick with established embryological terminology.

++ ​pp148, 154: On p148, we're told that cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal cortex, is not "Kidney Yin; it is an aspect of Kidney Yin". But what then is this "Kidney Yin" of which cortisol is merely an aspect? By p148, Keown's used the term "Kidney Yin" three times but without offering a definition. And it strikes me as rather unhelpful to start talking about aspects of Kidney Yin when you haven't actually told the reader what you mean by the Kidney Yin itself.

Keown appears to offer a definition of Kidney Yin on p154 when, as part of discussion of the nephrons, we're told that "nephron function of the Kidney is the basis of our Yin energy. Nephron and Kidney Yin are indistinguishable". So if our nephron function is our Kidney Yin and cortisol is an aspect of Kidney Yin, then, logically, cortisol must have some influence on nephron function? But this isn't addressed specifically in the text. All we're told (p148) is that cortisol "would hold on to fluid (Yin) in case the body needed it". Nothing specific about cortisol and nephron function. All in all, the discussion of Kidney Yin could have been a whole lot clearer.

++ p151: On a related note, Keown introduces the term "Kidney Water" referring to "Kidney Water controlling Heart Fire, Heart Fire invigorating Kidney Yin". This is the only time in the entire book that the term is used. And it isn't defined. Admittedly, earlier in the book (pp38,142,149) Keown explains that, in Chinese Medicine, Kidney relates to Water, but to me this isn't sufficient to know specifically what's meant by "Kidney Water". I can only guess that he's using the term as a synonym for Kidney Yin, but as, by p151, he hasn't defined that term either, we're not much further forward. And from a stylistic point of view, if you're going to use the term "Kidney Water" in the above passage, at least use it twice so there's a consistent contrast between fire and water!

++ pp121-3, 237, 239: Keown tells us (p121) that the human torso consists of "six great cavities" and that these "are used as Acupuncture channels" - the channels in question being TaiYang, YangMing, ShaoYang, Shao Yin, Tai Yin and JueYin. On p122, we're told that ShaoYin runs through the retroperitoneal cavity and TaiYin runs through the anterior pararenal space. However, we're not told the name of the cavity through which the third Yin channel, JueYin, runs. Somewhat frustratingly, we have to deduce from the text on p123 that it runs through the "peritoneal" cavity. This link between Eastern acupuncture channels and Western anatomy cavities is interesting stuff and so I was keen to learn about the "great cavities" through which the three Yang channels run.

The answer, such as it is, lies on p237 where we read that "the Yang organs are hollow. Hollow organs are also channels and so the Yang organ and channel are the same thing". Thus - harking back to p121 - is Keown suggesting that, for example, the great cavity through which the bladder channel - one of the two channels forming TaiYang - runs is the bladder? But this would make no sense because, from a Western anatomical perspective, cavities and organs are different entities. Alternatively, the bladder channel may actually run through a recognized anatomical cavity that Keown fails to mention. (After all, the bladder sits within the pelvic cavity.) Either way, Keown's remark on p121 about "six great cavities" is - frustratingly - not clearly explained as the book proceeds.

It would have been so much simpler to clearly list in one place the six channels and their corresponding cavities!

Finally, to say that "the Yang organ and channel are the same thing" is clearly a nonsense. For example, whilst the bladder organ sits in the pelvic cavity, the bladder channel "starts at the eye, runs behind the head and then...down the back...before it goes down the leg" (p239).

THE UGLY
The illustrations in the book are drawn by Keown himself. They are generally not the most elegant of sketches and some are very sparsely labelled making them difficult to grasp. And, when there is labelling, the text is, on occasion, very small which makes reading difficult. The illustration on p120 is actually rather well drawn and represents the "six great cavities". But as the sketch has no western anatomical labels, and as the issue of the six cavities is so unclear in the text, it's difficult to get much from the illustration. So something of a wasted opportunity.
________________

Had the text been polished and the diagrams professionally drawn, this would have been an unequivocally excellent book. That the publisher released the book in its current form is, in my view, rather disappointing. But I accept that mine is probably a minority view and acknowledge that a number of reviewers have found the book eminently readable. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
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Gert Bo Thorgersen
5.0 out of 5 stars Here we get the Chinese Medicine explained and see why acupuncture actually exist and functions.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 20 September 2016
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In this book we learn about the Chinese medicine, body biology, and get the explanation to why acupuncture exists, and that it now has been used during at least 5,000 years; while still many doctors, locked up by Western educations, won’t accept its existence.

It’s especially the Yin and Yang channels, connections, which is used by the Chinese Medicine and among other explaining how acupuncture works, but which not yet is “known”, or accepted, by the Western Medicine, as we have not yet for acupuncture found messenger canals parallel to for example blood vessels, or the nerve system, such which we can hold in the hand.

Since I was child I have read much World history, and here in the book it was very interesting, in the chapter 16, “What are Acupuncture Points”, to read about how it was discovered that the Ice Mummy, Otzi, who had died 5,200 ago, and then after he in 1991 was discovered in the snow in the Otzal Alps, in Austria, it turned out that actually he had acupuncturist marks on his body. And by this it then was realized that acupuncture actually had be known in Europa for thousands of years, until it then probably was destroyed by the Spanish inquisition. Besides we also read that acupuncture also was known by the ancient Mayans in South America, even though they had no connection China.

In the end of some of the chapters, under the headline “Emergency case report”, we read about how Daniel, when working in hospital emergency department, in some cases then used acupuncture or massage with great success. How problems then immediately were solved, as for example in one case with pane in the body, and solved by acupuncture, and in another case asthma solved by mild massage. But even though never any failures or problems by using acupuncture, later he no longer was allowed in using acupuncture, and then instead turned over in using acupressure. I would have liked in the book reading about more cases solved by the use of Chinese Medicine.

On me acupuncture one time has been used, and also here with great success. It was way back 20 years ago, then living in Denmark, when then one morning I woke up and nearly could not stand on my left foot because of pain in the left knee. This problem without doubt caused by an ice skating accident, 33 years earlier, (1963), on the left knee, and then had resulted in weeks in a hospital, but since then only seldom, in cold weather, a bit of discomfort in the knee. But now with this awful fain in the knee I succeeded in getting to my doctor, one of the few persons in Denmark, who had been educated in acupuncture (in Paris), and half an hour later nearly all of the pains had gone, but I visited her 1 time more, and since then not yet any pain again.

Starting on the side 274 we get the Appendix 3, ‘Referred’ or ‘Radiating’ Pain, covering 4 sides. To me very interesting writings about how the brains registrations the pains, and the different pains in different persons, and the many different types of pains. Interesting to me as I have been searching and reading much about pain because now during 9 years my brain constantly is telling me about a not existing pain in my right hand. Where actually the right hand is without failure, except totally without sensing, because the brain never has reregistered that the nerve is all right all the way down to the hand since the nerve was reconnected on the top of the shoulder.

It is funny in the book to see the Fibonacci number, the golden ration, and the Mandelbrot’s fractal equation being used in connection to the buildings in the body, the cells, the DNA, and so on, and it fits good together, and as a mathematically fanatic I like it. Besides, in the book we are getting many helpful drawings.

I owe a couple of books about Chinese Medicine treatments as acupuncture, acupressure, massages (they talk about 6 kinds), and so on, but this is my first book detailed in the explanation of the Chinese Medicine. A brilliant book.
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Lauren
5.0 out of 5 stars Love Dan's Work
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 20 December 2017
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This book has enabled me to grasp an understanding of the principles of Chinese Medicine. I listened to Dan on 3 podcasts before buying this book:
1. Liberated Body Podcast - ep 46: The Spark in the Machine with Dan Keown
2. Everyday Acupuncture Podcast - Spark in the Machine - EAP039 - Dan Keown
3. Natural Health Radio - Deborah Talks to Dr. Dan Keown (Acupuncturist & Author)

These will give you a good idea of what you will learn while reading the book.
To be honest, I actually ordered the book after listening to the first one because he defined Qi as "the energetic blueprint from which matter is made manifest." From that point on I realized that his way of explaining things would really help me to grasp some fundamentals. If you went through anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, etc. in your training as a student of Western medicine and are currently trying to grasp TCM, this book does a great job of tying those loose ends together. I was told that my Western education would make learning TCM more challenging, and before this book I was really struggling, but now I am SO grateful to have this book and my previous training!

If you are in the market for a book that dives into the details, a textbook, then The Foundations of Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocia is a great companion to this book. It is just like the physiology, anatomy, etc. textbooks you are used to. The text and illustrations are simple, effective and most importantly understandable! These 2 books are wonderful... especially if you have a background in Western medicine and are trying to teach yourself about the principles of TCM.
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loftapartment
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 4 January 2015
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I am a licensed acupuncturist and this is, without question, the BEST acupuncture book I've ever read. When we look at acupuncture from the perspective of fascia and embryology we can connect acupuncture to allopathic (Western) medicine with compelling logic and scientific elegance. This book is simply brilliant. Moreover, the writing is accessible to anyone with a genuine interest in the material. The more you know about anatomy and physiology, the more you'll get out of it, but anyone can get the general drift of the basic ideas. I suspect the second half of the book may be more for the acupuncturists because you need some familiarity with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to fully appreciate all the various mysteries that are being addressed here. For example, TCM claims that the spleen is a crucial organ when people manage pretty well after a splenectomy. Similarly TCM says the stomach is "the origin of fluids" when it just isn't. If you have studied TCM and felt perplexed by all of its seemingly quaint ideas, this book is a must-read. You will come away with new-found respect for the wisdom of TCM and you will approach your patients with greater confidence. The biggest mystery remaining now is how TCM managed to get so much so right at the level of cellular communication pathways and the homeostatic regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters. The language of TCM may be shrouded in a simplistic vocabulary ("the body abhors wind"), but the sophistication of the underlying ideas becomes more and more apparent as medical science discovers more about stem cells and the importance of fascia and all the remarkable ways the body manages to maintain its balance. Kudos to Daniel Keown. I am giving copies of this book to every health care practitioner I know.
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evan mahoney
5.0 out of 5 stars So that you can be made better aware and in control
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 4 August 2017
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Another Acupuncturist in praise of "The Spark". Dr. Daniel Keown with convincing logic and artistry has established the principles of Acupuncture and Oriental Medical Theory firmly on the ground of western science. **** His unfolding embryology is itself a fractal in mankind's unfolding consciousness. The coupling of Acupuncture Points, Qi, and Growth Control Centers is brilliant as is the linking of components of Oriental Medicine. The language and understanding of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine should become ordinarily spoken and second nature to all people. It is an organ centric consciousness based entirely on the subjective. **** "The Spark in the Machine" and "Saam Medical Meditation" enable a greater self understanding and conscious awareness of Qi and the autonomic physiologic process. With practice and awareness of these components of health you can change your health, grow upon the unlimited potential of whatever your fractal may be. This is the new spirituality. **** Henceforth, No Religion Can Exist Without It's Account of Qi **** Qi is at the heart of experience, memory, and intuition. Bring it forth into your consciousness through meditation and the meditative exercises. Become aware of Qi. study Taichi and Qi Gong, you can guide Qi and consciously direct Qi through simple expanded understanding of self. Thank you Dr. Dan Keown for "The Spark in the Machine" you have greatly expanded my consciousness. Of self and the fractal universe. Bravo!!!!
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Patricia47
5.0 out of 5 stars Now do you see Doctor?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 June 2014
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Daniel Keown approaches the thorny subject of aligning western medical science with the ancient teachings of acupuncture with skill and humour. A deftly written explanation understandable by all who care to read it. I would say it's essential reading for all who work in the field of human care - a fantastic opportunity for those who dare to question the validity of some western medical treatments that do as much if not more harm than good.

It's a book I couldn't put down, and a book that I will read several times. It's a manifesto for the efficacy of taking the holistic approach - hoorah Daniel Keown and thank-you. At last - next time a GP or consultant says to me - well of course there's no proof - I will simply refer them to this wonderful book written by one of their own and invite them to open their mind a little more and come out of the trance of their training.

It's above all a lesson in the principal of looking at what happens in people (both in health and in sickness) in a wider context than a test tube in a laboratory - or worse as another species altogether or even as a "condition" in isolation from their normal environment in a hospital bed. There is a bigger picture to be seen which directly impacts upon the patient, their treatment, recovery and on going good health.

A plea and a rational scientific explanation as to why all of us need to to open our eyes, ears and senses to what is in front of us when persons come to us with a symptom or group of symptoms.
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Ash
5.0 out of 5 stars Expert opinion from a world leader
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 28 February 2019
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Not content to reject an alternative narrative that does not equate to my limited world-view, and having come across acupuncture and the mysterious notion of qi undertaking my first degree in molecular biology, for the ensuing decades I had been in a state of cognitive dissonance;- being unable to reconcile these seemingly different accounts of the life sciences.

Whether from a western perpsective or new age, most of what I have read in the ensuing periods read was vague (conjecture or wishy-washy respectively).

Finally here is someone that actually knows what they are talking about! These books are written by a rigorous scientific mind, and are very information dense. This is the first synthesis of Western and Eastern medical traditions that seems to have come from genuine insight and understanding.

The author also is up-to-date with and has an understanding of the cutting edge of quantum & systems biology/information theory, from which his theory draws and is consistent (as Chinese medicine appears to be most closely related to these disiplines).

The Spark in the Machine is best for a theoretical overview, Whilst The Uncharted Body is more of a textbook focusing on the practical details. Both excellent.
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Brigitte
5.0 out of 5 stars Most important book EVER written about Acupuncture
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 11 July 2022
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I've been an Acupuncturist for 20 years
I believe this is the most important book EVER written about Acupuncture.
It is brilliant, insightful, helpful, intelligent.
I really appreciate how Daniel Keown builds a bridge between East and West, Science and the Dao.
Good Job. Very helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great challenge to my understanding
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 14 September 2018
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I had the pleasure of working with Dr Keown (or Dan as he was known) while passing through an Emergency Department as part of my years as a junior doctor. He didn't seem to quite fit the mold in the same way that Acupuncture doesn't sit easily with many of those trained in Medicine in the UK. There was something fascinating about Dan's approach though and I am glad he has managed to articulate so much of his learning and understanding in a book.

As a GP i am constantly learning more about people and the human body and Ill admit to having seen patients get real benefit from acupuncture without every understanding it. Trying to do so was uncomfortable as it threatened by model for understanding the human body in a western medical sense. This book has been great in helping me understand Qi and acupuncture in the context of the medicine that I have learned about. With Billions practicing both Eastern and Western medicine there is unlikely to be one right way and one wrong way. I really love how this book has helped me join the dots and begin to understand how it may all fit together.

While it has answered lots of questions it has definitely left me with even more questions!

Thanks Dan
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Stephen Sedita
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any oriental medicine practitioner, arguably for any western practitioner as well.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 4 October 2016
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Quick background- I spent five years training in a PhD program in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences before leaving to pursue my career in oriental medicine. I've been a practicing acupuncturist for five years now. I thus have a pretty solid background in both western science and Chinese medicine and would be in an arguably reasonable position to evaluate the merits or lack thereof of this work.

With that said, this is the best proposal I've come across for explaining not just how but why acupuncture works in the context of western anatomy and physiology. While I wouldn't consider this work as proof of anything per se, I would consider it as an excellent framework from which further research could be implemented. A good amount of the work explores the relationship with a variety of theoretical foundations of oriental medicine with embryological development. In some cases some of the relationships are so clear and furthermore so functionally related that random coincidence of overlap between these two systems of medicine is exceedingly unlikely.

If I ran an acupuncture school, I would make this required reading. If I ran a [western] medical school, I would still make this required reading.
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Jess
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 August 2015
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I come at this book from being a Yin Yoga teacher, with a passing interest in Chinese Medicine, and as the recipient of acupuncture treatment. I wanted something to help me learn more about the Chinese Medicine way of thinking, and this book didn't disappoint.

It was against the background, my Yin Yoga training, and exploring acupuncture treatment that this book came to the top of the my reading list.

The author is a doctor of both Western and Chinese medicine, and his very informal, sometimes irreverent style, is peppered with how he introduced elements of acupuncture and acupressure to the emergency room in British A&E clinics where he worked.

The mainstay of the book is an explanation of the Chinese medical system approach to health and how it can be aligned with Western approaches – the authors stance being very much that the two are complimentary and explain and illuminate each other. Modern science doesn’t contradict the wisdom of old.

There is much interesting content and thought in this book, and it’s difficult to pick one part out. I think it’s a book I will return to in a few years to refresh my understanding and read more.
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mjulia
5.0 out of 5 stars Great journey in knowledge acquisition-and a very good read to boot.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 25 September 2016
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Many ooh's and ahh's emanating from me as I went through this book as the associations and explanations were clearly explained by Dr Keown. I fantasized for years about a book that would connect western medicine and acupuncture in a sensible, comprehensive way and this is it. He explains complex topics in a wonderfully logical and understandable way, specifically embryological unfolding and its intimate association with our fascia and how acupuncture meridians and points are connected to these systems and work in the mesmerizing miracle that is the human body, mind and spirit. I am a western medical provider as well as an acupuncturist and this has been such an eye opener for helping me tie together both disciplines. I can now very easily explain connections to western providers and patients in ways they understand, and am delighted to see how open they are to complementary treatments for themselves. I am sure to find many more pearls as I re read this. A staple for my library. Thank you Dr. K.
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Sand Dune
5.0 out of 5 stars West meets East meets West
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 14 February 2015
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This book makes sense of chinese medicine for the western mind and explains its knowledge in terms of western medicine. It explains its link to embriology, and gives us an open-minded view of the strengths and failures of western medicine. It is written with clarity and can be understood by the lay reader. It is an enjoyable read. I learned much and would have liked to learn yet more from this excellent author.

The drawings cannot be viewed properly in the kindle version. They are hand-drawings which could be improved for kindle, it would only require tracing the lines darker and writing the captions larger. The author himself could go back and do this. As it is, we cannot see the drawings because the lines are too lightly drawn and we need a magnifying glass to read the captions. Amazon could/should be more careful with kindle editions. I often find these problems with charts or drawings in kindle editions which could be easily resolved with a minimum of attention. For my own use, the kindle edition was sufficient even with its problems as the drawings were not necessary to understand the concepts.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry and Magic of Acupuncture
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 2 January 2021
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I read this book when I was in acupuncture school. It is beautifully written, connecting acupuncture channel theory to the embryological development and western medicine and to see how it all beautifully connects adds to the mystery and magic of life. I also recommend another book by the same author Uncharted Body. It is more clinical and detailed and if you are an acupuncturist or a doctor will help you understand human body in a new integrative, holistic perspective.
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Fizzio
5.0 out of 5 stars Western Medicine & Acupuncture
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 4 May 2021
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A understandable explanation how TCM acupuncture knowledge blends with our present Western Medical Knowledge.
A must read if you are trying to gain a greater knowledge in Acupuncture.
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Rob I MacDonald
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, not great, but definitely good.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 8 June 2017
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The best part of this book is exposing people to many of the genius concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. Western medicine still has not caught up to the idea that there are mechanisms within the human body that are better explained by Eastern methodology. The worst part of this book (for me) was the author's casual, unprofessional, anecdotal dialogue. There is amazing information in this book, which felt like it was diluted by the author's frequent random anecdotal stories about his own life as a Western ER physician. Objectivity and anecdotal evidence are not natural bedfellows IMHO. I would recommend this to people who want a survey into some of the powerful concepts of acupuncture.
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Gordon Peck
5.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Treasurehouse
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 June 2014
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It is a sad fact that there has been too little common ground between conventional medicine and acupuncture over recent years. The "acupuncture" practised by medics is all too often based on a very mechanistic view aimed mainly at alleviating pain. This approach ignores the enormous scope of proper acupuncture because it cannot easily be explained in western terms. On the other hand many acupuncturists are content to keep to their traditional theories because they work, and do not feel the need to view the subject from a western point of view..
This book will go a long way to healing the rift Dan gives a wealth of up-to-the-minute facts in an extremely readable style. He has a way of making it both accurate and fascinating, and even as a seasoned practitioner I constantly find gems of useful information.
I'll be quoting to my patients from it, buying copies to loan them, and keeping it handy for everyday browsing.. Highly recommended!
19 people found this helpful
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Polk8dot
4.0 out of 5 stars Why so many pop-culture references??
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 14 February 2019
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Do I want to read about 'Star Wars' and how the way my body works relates to this or that in this saga? NO. Do I want the author to share his political leanings by making snide comments against the former British PM Margaret Thatcher? NO. Do I care to hear his juvenile jokes in a book that is supposed to explain so many important and serious subjects? NO. Other than that, I liked it a lot. Very informative and well written.
2 people found this helpful
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Cotswold
4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative, interesting and a good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 29 September 2014
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Very readable. It is clear he is a convert and there are times when the reader needs to step back and challenge the dogma because just because all pigs have curly tails doe not mean everything with a curly tail is a pig. However, I am enjoying reading it and it is creating some provocative thoughts about a treatment that has been used in China for thousands if years. The more I look at Western medicine the more I wonder if we should think more about the whole person and a little less about the bit that appears broken. Acupuncture tries to do that. I would recommend anybody intrigued by acupuncture or who is undergoing acupuncture treatment to read this book.
7 people found this helpful
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Lionel Deler
4.0 out of 5 stars Les nombreuses sources d'analogie entre la MTC et la Médecine Académique
Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on 29 August 2021
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Livre très intéressant, mais en anglais, ce qui n'est pas toujours facile à comprendre pleinement.
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Dan Constantin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book , great acupuncturist and doctor !
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 16 November 2016
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This book is the most scientific writing about acupuncture. The book explains acupuncture in medical terms and it uses human embriology information which confirm and explain the ancient acupuncture principles. Dr Daniel Keown has the best understanding of acupuncture from point of view of modern medicine. The book has a very important bibliography and proofs a very good medical and acupuncture knowledge for author. In my opinion , this book isn't finished because many others acupuncture principles have remained without a modern medical explanation by Dr Keown .I saw dr Keown in April 2016 in Anaheim at American Academy of Medical Acupuncture Symposium, where he has sustained a wonderful paper in acupuncture and embriology. Congratulations and I am waiting next book !
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Weaving Together of Concepts
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 17 December 2014
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Highly intelligent and highly readable for the layman. Really a great missing link in explaining acupuncture from a western medical perspective. Puts many concepts into prospective for the student or practitioner as well. As a student of Chinese medicine, I have a hard time explaining Chinese Medicine in modern, approachable terms to people who ask me (ex: The concept of Qi is hard from most people. So when you translate "Qi" as "energy" it just comes across as woowoo instead of a whole intelligent system of medicine, whereas if you try to explain it as intelligent metabolism people are often going to "get it" but also open to it ). This is the book I want to buy for my family and friends to explain acupuncture to them... or the book I want to slap skeptics with.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The language is easily accessible and although described as a text book (I ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 7 December 2015
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I must admit I very rarely take the time to write a review but in this case, well! I have found myself struggling to make sense of Acupuncture and why it should work in the way that it does. This book has enable me to do just that; it has given me the two veg to the meat. I can now visualise the universe that is the body. The language is easily accessible and although described as a text book (I wish that they were all like this), I feel that anyone would be able to understand and appreciate the knowledge contained within its pages. I would highly recommend this book to those who are curious, engaged with, treating and supporting health of the human body.
3 people found this helpful
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Amy Sedgwick
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved this
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 21 December 2016
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Loved that the author is both an EP and acupuncturist. Loved how he melded the concepts of the movement of Qi with embryology and the enormous role fascia plays in the body. I am a big fan of Tom Myers and love how this author takes what we are discovering about fascia from a western perspective and joins it with eastern medical philosophy . I am an allopathic trained emergency doc and this book inspired me to move forward with my own study of acupuncture and how I can better understand and help my patients combing eastern and western approaches. I will definitely read this again soon. Phenomenal.
10 people found this helpful
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Swette
3.0 out of 5 stars This book would be a good read for many young and old acupuncturists in the ...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 29 October 2016
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This book would be a good read for many young and old acupuncturists in the west who are looking to bridge the gap between biomedical physiology and Traditional Chinese physiology. Though I and many Chinese doctors would disagree with Dan on a number of his ideas which he presents in this book, many others are quite good and helpful in understanding the human organism and the functions relevant to life.

With that said it is important to know that Dan is a young practitioner himself whose training has mainly taken place in the west. He does not speak Chinese and is offering his interpretation of Chinese materials as a newcomer. His excitement for how medicine works is a breath of fresh air, though his own unchecked ego, combative personality, and generally non-compassionate attitude is a detriment to the field. Read the book but be weary of the author.
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Ms. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book On The Relation Of Conventional Medicine To The Science of Acupuncture
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 22 February 2018
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Very informative and well-researched book! For anyone interested in how acupuncture relates to conventional medicine, this book is a great read. It is also written in a conversational tone, so it is not too dry. I found this book to be a great complement to other books on the topic of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it explains the science of acupuncture as opposed to the spiritual or elemental aspects of it. For practitioners of conventional medicine, it also offers tips and tools to actually use this information to help patients.
4 people found this helpful
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Dietsche
4.0 out of 5 stars The Spark in the Machine
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on 4 December 2017
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Das Buch macht den Versuch westliche Ansichten mit östlichen Ansichten zum menschlichen Körper zu verbinden.
Dieser Ansatz weist in die Zukunft, da trennende Schablonen aufgeweicht werden. Unterschiedliche Bezeichnungen
sind nicht so gegensätzlich wie man denkt.
Speziell wird die Lebensenergie und die Leitbahnen im Körper behandelt. Jedoch fehlt meinem Empfinden nach
eine stärkere Konkretisierung speziell auf die Akupunkturpunkte bezogen. So hätte man einen praktischeren Nutzen
zur Anwendung am eigenen Körper.
Empfehlenswert ist das Buch, da in diesem Gebiet die Auswahl nicht üppig ist.
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geha gonthier
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 12 August 2018
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Easy and fascinating read, weaving Traditional Chinese Medicine, Embryology and Western Medicine together. This is by no means an easy task, as the two systems approach the body from such different perspectives. I feel the author did a great job. As an acupuncturist I really appreciated the connections he pointed out, as a reader I loved his sense of humor.
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Jian
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the perfect bridge between TCM theory and western medical evidence based ...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 14 November 2014
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This book is the perfect bridge between TCM theory and western medical evidence based practices and knowledge. Explaining yin and yang to some requires explanation of sperm and egg and this book does both.

Well written, easy to follow, and logical in chapter layout it presents very relevant things for those in an integrated healthcare setting whether they are patients or healthcare providers. The use of metaphors, examples, and bioscience terms helps with understanding and can bridge the gap between east and west. In my opinion this book should be part of any medical curriculum, east or west, if only to aid in the understanding of the changing thought processes in medicine and be a fascinating exploration into how our bodies work.
3 people found this helpful
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Jodi
4.0 out of 5 stars Totally sparked.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 13 September 2019
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I am 91 pages into the content and I’m totally intrigued. My way of considering the intersection between east and west mindset is rapidly expanding. However, the few hand drawn illustrations are cropped short or upside down. If this is intentional, I apologize. If not, I wanted to advertise for improvement.
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Mark Time
5.0 out of 5 stars accessible and entertaining exposé that is a delight to read and a revelation - he brings both ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 February 2016
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This is essential reading - it should be a required text for all students and practitioners of western medicine. Dr Keown is to be congratulated for providing us with a fascinating, concise, lucid, accessible and entertaining exposé that is a delight to read and a revelation - he brings both approaches together and explains it all. It is the book that I have been looking for, without realising it, for years. No praise is too high. I was reading it in the waiting room of my western doctor's surgery and laughing aloud - I recommended it to my doctor who was fascinated and took note (as did subsequently my acupuncturist). Brilliant.
2 people found this helpful
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zxyguy
4.0 out of 5 stars A great and insightful book. Highly recommended!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 4 January 2015
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Very good book. I am surprised an M.D. hadn't done this earlier. Insightful correlations between Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It includes a wonderful explanation of embyological development and how it relates to TCM and its concepts. I easily recommend this to any acupuncturist or herbalist no matter how long they have been in practice. I know of no other book that has covered the concordance of modern medicine and TCM with such clarity. The only thing I could say that could have been better were the illustrations which were hand drawn quickly.
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David Lee, PhD in Oriental Medicine
5.0 out of 5 stars Using biological medicine, he successfully interprets Eastern medicine.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 3 April 2015
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Functional medicine practitioners will love this book. Connecting serotonin to an Asian spleen is where East meets West. The serotonin absorption into the brain due to a physical spleen organ dysfunction leading to an obsessive compulsive behavior is a spleen qi deficiency in Asian medicine and Lesser Yins. He weaved both disparate views (Eastern and Western medicine) relevant to each other. Warming digestives such as bai zhu, bai shao, ginger, ginseng, and sha ren may be selected for their effect based on certain serotonin pathways, such as 5-HT1 to 5-HT7 receptors.

He makes the reading easy by using our common conversational English language as his vehicle of the book, making Asian medical terminologies common household, lay words.
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Steven Bourque
5.0 out of 5 stars this is the best book I've come across that explains TCM theory and ...
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 9 August 2014
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As a full-time student of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, this is the best book I've come across that explains TCM theory and Western medical knowledge as complementary systems of thought. This kind of fusion should be at the heart of any approach to teaching Western concepts in Chinese medicine institutions. Though I could have done without some of the goofy jokes, the conception of Chinese theories and terms in light of recent developments in Western medicine, especially embryology, is not only a banquet for thought, it is inspirational for practice. I only wish it were longer!
3 people found this helpful
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coniumuk
5.0 out of 5 stars Daniel combines an encyclopaedic knowledge with what is important to know and understand
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 27 November 2015
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I found this book difficult to put down. Daniel manages to explain complex matters in a readily understandable way. Anyone with an interest in life at all should read this book. Although it is nominally a text book, and the information in it is huge, it doesn't read like one. The text flows,the subject matter is presented in an orderly way and it makes the reader excited and eager to know more.I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a great deal. My understanding of the development of the human and the wisdom of the ancient Chinese has advanced considerably.I highly recommend this book to acupuncturists of any level.
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