Books on Acupuncture That Won't Put You to Sleep

I've recently had a bunch of patients ask for some good books on the subject of Traditional Chinese Medicine, so I decided I'd write a piece about my three all-time favorites. I've chosen these three books based on simple criteria - good, digestible content and relevance to a Western audience. Because let's be honest - we don't finish crappy books, and we don't live in China (i.e. we don't wake up at 6am to make a 6:30am community qi gong class in the public square, and lotus root and century eggs aren't something that we run into at the grocery store).So, here they are! Check them out, and if you're interested, read my post about how I came across these books, and how they helped me realize that my childhood love  for gnome-medicine was meaningful all along.(Note: I've avoided linking to Amazon, and instead, linked two of the three titles to my favorite bookstore in the world, Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon. Check out Longfellow Books if you want to go local - they sometimes carry these titles.)1. The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk: It's a straight-shooting 101 of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Includes information on the organ systems, meridians, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as the theories/philosophies that helped shape the medicine itself. It delivers big doses of concentrated information, but not too concentrated for the layperson. In other words - if you read this, you'll stop wondering what the h*ll your acupuncturist is talking about and you'll be all like: "Yeah, dude. Totally. Running piglet qi is what I thought, too!"2. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold: A conversational writing style and personal anecdotes help make the information more digestible. Included are some self-assessment questionnaires that are fun to take, as well as a little mind-boggling (i.e. you WILL recognize yourself). Also has short introduction to Chinese herbal therapy which is helpful for those interested in plant medicine. A little less heady than The Web That Has No Weaver.3. Recipes for Self-Healing by Daverick Leggett: You think it's a cookbook and then you realize it's THE BEST BOOK EVER AND A COOKBOOK! A simple book that helped me in complex ways, allowing me to cultivate a deeper understanding of this medicine, since Leggett is speaking to and about the "culture"  that I experience day in a day out. Precise, yet creative writing. Awesome explanations of basic theory that you won't forget. And then there's the recipes... tasty, tasty, tasty. Leave it up to an Englishman to write my favorite book.4. Lastly, it's not a book, but it is chock-full of well-researched articles about acupuncture, herbs, and the history of Chinese medicine. Check it out.  If you're more of a watcher than a reader, check out Andrew Nugent-Head's fascinating (and free) lectures.So there you have it. Let me know if you read one of these books so we can dork out when you come in for a treatment! And check out how these books changed my life in How Tongue Surgery and A Forest Gnome Helped Me Become and Acupuncturist