A Guide to Chinese Medicine - Between Heaven and Earth

This book is... incomplete. I had hoped for a more thorough exploration of the Traditional Chinese Medicine systems I learned in Massage Therapy school, where we learned the basics of acupressure and some herbs. Thiis book is highly westernized and leaves out a great deal. To give you an idea it doesn't even include a map of the meridians, and makes no mention of some of them.

Dear Harriet:

Twenty years ago I was preparing to leave my home state of Wisconsin. Over a period of 6 months, while I pondered my next life-career move, I took three grand circuits of the western US by rail. I traveled in a leisurely loop through Seattle, San Diego, and Austin, then back to Madison. By the second trip I was deeply engrossed in “Between Heaven and Earth.” By the end of the third circuit, which involved touring and interviewing at oriental medicine schools on the coast, the book was filled with highlighting in many colors, dog-eared, tea-stained, and well-loved. All these years--and numerous bookshelves--later, it is still one of the most insightful and inspiring oriental medicine books I have read.

After practicing for a number of years, moving cross-country to tend to ailing parents, and ending up back where I started, a family friend was diagnosed with cancer. I came across the article you wrote with your father, Revisiting Accepted Wisdom in the Management of Breast Cancer. There was your voice, again.

I realize that both the book and the article were joint efforts, but I feel confident in sharing my experience: your writer's voice is strong, authentic, and draws from a deep well. You leave the reader with a clear sense of your calm, wise, and reassuring presence. Thank you for sharing your heart and wisdom with the world.

A note to those who would like to read more of Harriet’s work: go to the website “Chinese Medicine Works” where you can find a number of in-depth articles in the section: Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture/Library. Enjoy the journey!

I the content is confusing and just poorly organized. I ordered 2 used books from Thrift Books and they were in horrible condition. I was planning to share one with a friend and it is in such bad condition that I couldn't even think of letting her see it. The place these books will go is into the fire. The books were so brown on the edges and into the pages about 2 inches that they looked like they were in a wet basement for mega years.

This book is very useful in giving a good introduction and understanding of how Chinese Medicine works, and how to use it yourself as a lay person.

The acupuncture points chart on the pictures of the human body are excellent for doing your own acupressure on yourself which can bring pain relief if you have a flare up. I've used it, it's no substitute for going to a medical practitioner, but handy in a pinch for sure.

The section on food as medicine is really great. I've used it to prevent, shorten and get over colds. I use it as a guide to get a quick little personal chinese medical diagnosis of my cold-- caused by wind, or dampness etc. and then go and make little healing meals that are quite effective. Again, no substitute for real medical help for serious conditions, I'm referring to little colds. But quite helpful.

I also found the explanations of chinese medicine to be very useful to be an educated consumer of acupunture and chinese medicine.

I liked this book better than the Web that has no Weaver, but both are excellent books. They are similar and both very useful. I like this one better because of the detail involved, and the helpful down to earth explanations.

For example, I love the chart of the human body with the acupuncture/acupressure points. I put a bookmark there, and I use this section over and over in my life. I can get some relief from pain by using those points and putting magnets on them, magnets that I got from my acupuncturist, so his treatments last longer for me during the week, very helpful, as well as using that section in other ways on my own.

This useful book has a permanent home on my bookshelf, and gets looked at frequently for essential, helpful chinese medical information. A great reference book to have, lifelong.

As a former massage therapist with a keen interest in holistic health and wellness, I found "Between Heaven and Earth" to be a fantastic overview of Chinese medicine theory. I don't believe the authors expected any of the readers to come away ready to practice acupuncture, but their treatment of the subject was both relatively easy to follow and quite thorough for such a broad subject. It was plenty to swallow for anyone who is seeking to know more about this area of healing that is rapidly making its way in to the mainstream of accepted channels of health and healing.

I particularly enjoyed the description of the 5 elements and discovering my own dominant element. It sure fit like a glove. It reminds me of the kind of analysis used by ayruvedic practitioners pertaining to dominant dosha types, yet it is a completely different paradigm.

The latter part of the book has descriptions of the organ meridian channels, complete with diagrams and acupuncture points for self-care. There is a section devoted to Chinese herbs, with descriptions of their uses and some recipes. The recipes, however, looked to me to be only for those avid devotees who have the time and patience to implement them.

This is an interesting book. I don't suggest the average reader will be able to "do it themselves" after reading it, but it makes the big picture clearer to anyone already working with a practitioner of Chinese medicine. Most people should be able to find a few points that are immediately usable, and walk away with a better understanding overall.

For anyone looking for a basic, easy to understand introduction to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I can highly recommend this book. It focuses mainly of the five element theory of TCM, and it manages to explain a very complex concept in clear terms. It has nice self-test chapters to help the reader figure out their own predominant elements, and also offers good advice on simple herbal supplements and dietary advise based on the patterns.

However, it is very basic. If you are looking for more in-depth information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, or if you already have a basic understanding of the five elements, The Web that Has No Weaver is probably a better book to read, since it explains not only the five elements, but also the organ networks and their associated functions and spirits in much more depth.

I usually recommend Between Heaven and Earth to people who want to gain a basic understanding and introduction into the Chinese Taoist Philosophy that is the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I think it is a great introductory text, and will make subsequent, more complexly written books much easier to understand.

This book is for advanced students and practitioners. It is the synthesis of diagnosing and personality or element types as we know then in TCM. It is a very thorough book and it has quiet a bit of information that you need to know from practice in clinic to be able to grasp what the authors are trying to explain. This could be considered the psychology in each element and type.

As a staple for all students and masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I highly recommend this and I include it in the recommended reading section of my book, “Your Body Can Talk, 2nd Edition.” Your Body Can Talk: How to Use Simple Muscle Testing for Health and Well Being

I have known the author, Efrem Korngold, from the 60's. Efrem has always been involved in 'cutting edge' research and pragmatic applications regarding a wide spectrum of interests. Efrem's interest and commitment to health care comes out in his book, "Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine." As a result of reading his book, he and his wife have put the subject into terms that anyone can understand. Most important contribution however, is that the book gives the reader a "new" perspective on health care. By explaining the difference in models between Western medicine and Eastern medicine, Efrem and his wife are giving the reader invaluable information that they can now use in determining how they want to approach their own health care in the 21st century. Kudos to Efrem and his wife, Harriet Beinfield for a clear exposition of a topic that some might interpret as esoteric i.e. an alternative to western medicine.
Bart Ellis

As a student of Asian energy healing, I found this book to be the best single source of information about the Chinese 5 Elements and their value in understanding physical and emotional health.

The book treats the subject of Chinese medicine in enough detail and depth for the practitioner, yet is written in clear, non-technical language accessible to the general reader. Much of the writing is excellent and I found the treatment of the five personality types -- Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood and Water -- especially helpful.

The book includes detailed questionnaires that allow the reader to discover his or her own type, and to use that information to help manage stress and maintain better physical and emotional health.

For a beginning student of of TCM like myself, this book is invaluable. Its language is clear and accessible. If you have Ted Kaptchuk's "The Web That has no Weaver" on your shelf, this one should be right next to it. This would also be the text that I would chose to give to patients or potential patients (if you are a practitioner)if they want to read up on the TCM modality.

I've just recently started acupuncture and love the results. So I decided I wanted to learn more about acupuncture and how and why it works. This book is a wealth of information, however I feel like it is a bit too technical and involved for the common person.