A Comprehensive Handbook for Traditional Chinese Medicine Facial Rejuvenation

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
• Published by: Nefeli Corp. March 3, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1599756668
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1599756660
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Reader Reviews
I found this book disappointing, for reasons I will explain below. The first thing I wanted to note, however, is that this book is not designed for the general public. Unless you have a background in Chinese medicine (particularly herbal and acupuncture interventions), this book will be confusing and quite possibly frustrating. As an acupuncturist, I found this book to be broad in scope but light on details. It certainly is not the "bible of excellence" as one reviewer noted, although I do not doubt that the author is well-versed in her field. As with many expert practitioners, it is often difficult for them to translate their knowledge in a way that less expert individuals can make sense of it. The author assumes that the reader has a great deal of knowledge in the areas of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, as well as a basic understanding of cosmetology. That is a big assumption. Nowadays, one would also need to be knowledgeable about quality assurance management in order to assess adulteration concerns for any herbal products coming from China. At our clinic, we only use Chinese herbal products made by US companies that have gone through our quality control audit, which is quite time consuming. While herbal products from China may be superior, I do not have the expertise or time to evaluate them. Pragmatically, I question some of the statments the author makes. For example, I do not think one should broadly suggest doing gua sha or cupping on the face, as the author suggests, unless the practitioner is well trained in those modalities. My concerns about bruising increases when gua sha and cupping are done together with facial acupuncture, as outlined in some protocols. Bruising on the face makes most patients unhappy, which is why I tend to use microcurrent for facial points. Not surprisingly, patients paying out-of-pocket for facial rejuvenation are particularly unforgiving. I also question whether it is possible to integrate facial rejuvenation into a general acupuncture practice, particularly if one is going to use the procedure the author outlines in Chapter 29. A practitioner in my area told me recently that she was ending the facial rejuvenation part of her practice because she can make more money doing general acupuncture in 45 minutes than she can spending 2 hours doing facial rejuvenation. She also mentioned that continually dealing with her patients' vanity and unrealistic expectations was wearying. To balance this, one of my patients who is an aesthetician and does facial rejuvenation at a local spa does very well and enjoys her work, but then she isn't expected to use exotic herbal masks, gua sha, cupping, acupuncture, facial massage, dietary interventions, and Qi Gong exercises with her clients - nor is she the owner of the spa. In summary, my assessment is that this book would be a great supplement to any coursework taken with Ms. (Dr?) Zhang, or perhaps as an adjunct to her DVD. I do not feel that the book can be used as a "comprehensive" stand-alone text, however, unless you are already experienced in TCM facial rejuvenation. For myself, coursework taken with Virgina Doran and Mary Elizabeth Wakefield were very helpful in this regard. Comment | | (Report this)