Although much has been written about the 12 regular channels and their place in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, little has been written since the days of the Huang Di Nei Jing about the secondary systems of channels and collaterals. Such omissions have left a great void in the knowledge, application, and research in the subject of channels and collaterals. Even since the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China, and the establishment of its system of TCM colleges, more than 95% of modern acupuncture textbooks have concentrated solely on the 12 regular channels.Professor Wang Qi-cai has written this excellent book to fill this void. An expert in the use of channels and collaterals in the treatment of all kinds of diseases, he has thirty-five years of teaching and clinical experience. He currently teaches and supervises postgraduate students at Nanjing College of TCM in the International Educational College.The book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter covers the origin and formation of the theory of channels and collaterals, the history and development of the theory, and the classification of the system of channels and collaterals. Chapters 2 through 8 cover the eight extraordinary vessels, twelve divergent channels and their collaterals, the twelve muscular regions, twelve cutaneous regions, Gen-Origin and Jie-Termination, Biao-Branch and Ben-Root, Qi pathways and Four Seas. The book covers important acupoints for each section and includes references from ancient texts as well as from modern books and journals. Each chapter ends with case studies and commentaries by Professor Wang in which he explains the theory behind each treatment and why it was successful.
