Celestial Lancets

This is a study of two of the most ancient therapeutic techniques of Chinese medicine: acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture is the implantation of very thin needles into subcutaneous connective tissue and muscle at a great number of different points on the body's surface; moxibustion is the burning of Artemisia tinder (moxa) either directly on the skin or just above it. For 2500 years the Chinese have used both techniques to relieve pain and to heal a wide variety of illnesses and malfunctions. Doctors Lu and Needham give a full historical account of acupuncture and moxibustion in the theoretical structure of Chinese medicine, and combine this with a rationale of the two techniques in the light of modern scientific knowledge.