The traditional medicines of Middle Asia are rich and varied – from the Ayurveda and Siddha medicines of India, to the Unani and Sufi healing practices of the Middle East. Dr. Marc S. Micozzi unfolds the compelling idea that vital energy, expressed as «prana» in the Indian practice of Ayurveda, is the unifying concept that underpins and connects all of these traditions. Describing the origins, health strategies, diagnostic approaches, and modern-day uses of each tradition, he also draws parallels to, and finds correlations with, mainstream Western concepts – and demonstrates how all these therapies fit within the context of their own cultures and ours. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to practitioners of all Middle Eastern and Asian medical traditions, complementary and alternative health practitioners, and anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern and Asian approaches to health and well-being.
Historically, the influence of Chinese medical traditions, thought to be revealed from divine sources, extended East to Korea and Japan and as far South as Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago. As the distinct medical traditions of these regions encountered the ancient medicine of mainland China, they absorbed and transformed them based on their own indigenous healing practices, and herbal and plant resources. Providing a panoramic overview of the medical traditions of China, the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian Archipelago, the Philippines, Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia), Korea, and Japan, Dr. Marc Micozzi offers compelling new insights into the influence of the essentially Chinese expression of vital energy (qi) in these traditions, as well as the pull of other cultural traditions, such as those of India and Islam. Dr. Micozzi discusses evidence for the efficacy of these healing practices and their many influences in the West, and explores how a Western reader might consider seeking a practitioner, as well as effective treatments, from one of these traditions. This groundbreaking book will be of interest to practitioners of Chinese and Asian medical traditions, and complementary and alternative health, as well as anyone with an interest in Chinese and Asian approaches to health and wellbeing.