The two-thousand-year-old discipline of traditional Chinese medicine has much to offer Western readers who have an interest in the healing arts. The authors, both professors at Shanghai Medical University, explain the fundamental concepts of Chinese medicine, how and why it works, and its various therapeutic methods. This comprehensive survey includes all the essentials- a brief history, the concepts of yin and yang and the five elements, the internal organs, the relationship between human beings and nature, the causes of disease, common diagnostic methods, and the principles of the treatment, including traditional herbs, acupuncture and moxibustion, tui-na massage therapy, and qigong breath therapy.