Reflecting training and experience in both Eastern and Western medicine, this reference uses a scientific perspective to shed light on the teaching and practices of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In addition to examining the TCM approach to wellness and disease, the resource compares TCM to conventional Western approaches and shows the optimal way to integrate the two disciplines. A user-friendly survey includes a look into the meaning of liver fire, hot qi, and wet heat; offers advice on common complaints, among them how to avoid having bronchitis every winter, how to become asthma-free, and finding relief from back pain without drugs; provides answers to infertility that won't break the bank; and addresses appropriate food choices for the individual.


Patricia Tsang, MD, received her MD from the University of California-San Francisco and studied traditional Chinese medicine at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has lectured widely to health care professionals and to the public on the subject of traditional Chinese medicine. She lives in San Francisco.