Product Description

Two of the foremost American educators and healers in the Chinese medical profession demystify Chinese medicine's centuries-odl approach to health. Combining Eastern traditions with Western sensibilities in a unique blend that is relevant today, BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH opens the door to a vast storehouse of knowledge that bridges the gap between mind and body, theory and practice, professional and self-care, East and West.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6660 in Books
• Published on: 1992-06-30
• Released on: 1992-06-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For anyone seriously interested in learning about Chinese medicine, Beinfield and Korngold provide a comprehensive, though technical, look at it. The book is divided into three parts: theory; the psychology of Chinese medicine and therapy; and such treatment methods as acupuncture, herbs and diet. Licensed acupunturists, Beinfield and Korngold stress that the models of Eastern and Western medicine are significantly different. Consequently, so are methods, emphases and outcomes. Chinese medicine, they claim, readjusts the body's balance and enhances self-healing--while Western medicine, in contrast, stresses suppressing and eliminating pathological phenomena, and crisis-intervention. The authors don't discount the need, in some instances, for Western medicine. In fact, they bring this issue up poignantly with an event close to home: their son was born with a heart deformity that required specialized surgery. To help maintain his health, his parents incorporated herbal remedies in his diet. A particularly interesting concept is "culinary alchemy" or kitchen medicine, based on the Chinese tenet "Who we are determines what is most beneficial for us to eat." The authors provide an extensive, cross-referenced compendium of herb names, as well as information on using Chinese patent medicines and formulas for general health problems.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Chinese medicine uses a variety of diagnostic techniques, such as observation, pulse-taking, and questioning, to determine a patient's type and optimal therapy. Here, two Western practitioners describe for Western lay readers philosophy, diagnostic techniques, and possible treatments. They also show how an understanding of the five Chinese elements--wood, fire, earth, metal, and water--enables one to begin to understand one's own patterns of physical and emotional health. Beinfeld and Korngold have done a handy job of explaining this esoteric and frequently misunderstood modality. For New Age health collections in public libraries.
- Judith Eannarino, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
This groundbreaking book by two Western health practitioners who are experts in Chinese medicine was the first really accessible guide to Chinese medicine that enable Western laypeople to understand the philosophy behind the practice, and learn how to use Chinese medical techniques in their own lives. Comprehensive but readable for both beginners and people experiences in complementary healing methods, this book has become a modern classic in self-healing and is also used widely as course text.
Leslie Meredith
Executive Editor & Divisional Vice President
Ballantine Wellspring

Customer Reviews

between heaven and earth; a guide to chinese medicine
I found this book a very easy read for anyone wanting more knowledge on the foundation of tcm. I would recommend this book for any lay person, or people interested in studying chinese medicine.great!

A Terrific Overview of Chinese Medicine
As a former massage therapist with a keen interest in holistic health and wellness, I found "Between Heaven and Earth" to be a fantastic overview of Chinese medicine theory. I don't believe the authors expected any of the readers to come away ready to practice acupuncture, but their treatment of the subject was both relatively easy to follow and quite thorough for such a broad subject. It was plenty to swallow for anyone who is seeking to know more about this area of healing that is rapidly making its way in to the mainstream of accepted channels of health and healing.

I particularly enjoyed the description of the 5 elements and discovering my own dominant element. It sure fit like a glove. It reminds me of the kind of analysis used by ayruvedic practitioners pertaining to dominant dosha types, yet it is a completely different paradigm.

The latter part of the book has descriptions of the organ meridian channels, complete with diagrams and acupuncture points for self-care. There is a section devoted to Chinese herbs, with descriptions of their uses and some recipes. The recipes, however, looked to me to be only for those avid devotees who have the time and patience to implement them.

This is an interesting book. I don't suggest the average reader will be able to "do it themselves" after reading it, but it makes the big picture clearer to anyone already working with a practitioner of Chinese medicine. Most people should be able to find a few points that are immediately usable, and walk away with a better understanding overall.

Moonstone Star White is the author of the spiritual growth title High Way from Hell: Using Emotion to Fan the Fire of Enlightment.

Written Review
I have known the author, Efrem Korngold, from the 60's. Efrem has always been involved in 'cutting edge' research and pragmatic applications regarding a wide spectrum of interests. Efrem's interest and commitment to health care comes out in his book, "Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine." As a result of reading his book, he and his wife have put the subject into terms that anyone can understand. Most important contribution however, is that the book gives the reader a "new" perspective on health care. By explaining the difference in models between Western medicine and Eastern medicine, Efrem and his wife are giving the reader invaluable information that they can now use in determining how they want to approach their own health care in the 21st century. Kudos to Efrem and his wife, Harriet Beinfield for a clear exposition of a topic that some might interpret as esoteric i.e. an alternative to western medicine.
Bart Ellis