The Complete Stems & Branches

This exciting and comprehensive book gives a clear, detailed and accessible presentation of the stems and branches theory of acupuncture. The majority of the principles behind Stems and Branches underlie the whole of acupuncture, regardless of the system being used. Fundamental principles are outlined in a clear manner and each chapter covers philosophical theory in depth and uses practical examples and exercises throughout, allowing any practitioner to integrate this form of acupuncture into practice as they progress throughout the book. Easy to follow and easy to use, the book will guide practitioners in the use of a patients Stem and Branches birth chart to allow them to combine this information with their own therapeutic approach to formulate tailor-made treatments for each client.
Features:
- First fully comprehensive book to explore all of the concepts involved in Stems and Branches and to deal with its wider application.
- Clearly illustrated throughout to clarify concepts and present information in an accessible way
- Applies theory to clinical practice through the use of practical examples and exercises
- Fundamental principles outlined in a clear manner
- Easy to follow and easy to use
- Includes Glossary, Recommended Reading List, year charts and energy calculator disk

stems, branches, 24 solar periods, 28 lunar mansions Preface Acknowledgements.

PART ONE Time, space and the Dao Chapter 1: Non-time Four seas Eight extraordinary meridians Chapter 2: Sequential time Reproductive life Ageing habits Forbidden years Death Exercises Chapter 3: Cyclical time Day and night The four seasons The five elements Moon cycles Case study Recap Exercises Chapter 4: The calendar Farmers Calendar Xia (Hsia) calendar Lunar/solar calendar Ever increasing cycles Chapter 5: Heaven, Earth and humankind (tian, di, ren) Humans between a rock and a high place The centre The birth of humankind Humankinds creativity The middle region The triple heater Clear Heaven and muddy Earth Nine pulses of the three regions Treatments using the principles of Heaven, Earth and humankind Treatment of mental and emotional disorders Chapter 6: Wu xing five elements The sheng cycle The ke cycle Exercises.

PART TWO Heavenly stems and earthly branches tian gan di zhi Chapter 7: Divisions Divisions of the body Internal/external pairings of divisions Host divisions Guest division Treatment strategies Case study Exercises Chapter 8: Great movements Wood Fire Earth Metal Water Treatment Exercise Chapter 9: Stem organs Command points Balanced qi Unbalanced qi Stem treatments Divergent meridians Prognosis Chapter 10: Branches (di zhi) Chinese clock Branch inner energy Branch meridian sequence the sheng cycle Anomalies Branch treatments Chapter 11: Putting it all together The Stems and Branches Year Chart Personal chart Four pillars Case studies Herbs General rules Exercises Chapter 12: Open-hourly method of point selection Methods based in branches na zi fa Methods using stems na jia fa Intergeneration of points Using the eight extra meridians.

PART THREE The inner core of acupuncture Chapter 13: The Chinese sky Huang Di The shape of the universe Divisions of the heavens Three enclosures Five palaces The 28 lunar mansions Four palaces of the cardinal directions Relationships with the stems and branches Planets Chapter 14: Psychological profiles Spirit Emotions Element types Stems and the psyche Branches and the psyche Character and the six divisions Typing according to yin and yang Clinical applications Chapter 15: Numerology The Hetu/Yellow River map The Luoshu magic square Forbidden points Needle technique Chapter 16 Symbols Early Heaven arrangement of trigrams Fu Xi Later Heaven arrangement of trigrams King Wen Trigrams and the body Eight extra meridians and trigrams Appendices Appendix 1: Charts Appendix 2: Astronomy Appendix 3: Star maps Glossary Bibliography Index