ACUPUNCTURE FOR STROKE REHABILITATION Three Decades of Information from China Hoy Ping Yee Chan Blue Poppy Press, softback, 176 pages, $29.95

Specialised books that focus on the treatment of one particular disorder are of immense benefit to practitioners since they can explore the condition

in much greater depth than is found in more thinly spread clinical textbooks. Anyone who has worked in a Chinese hospital knows how extensively stroke is treated and how focused the treatment is on achieving the maximum possible rehabilitation. In Western countries, however, patients are unlikely to benefit from acupuncture since hospitals are largely ignorant of how much it has to offer. One of the first steps to changing this situation is for practitioners to be as well informed as possible about stroke and strategies for its treatment, and to approach hospitals armed with a good knowledge of stroke research, most of it Chinese. This book is an essential text for anyone treating stroke and its sequelae and will maximise the chances of its adoption into the medical system.

Chapter One explains stroke from the viewpoints of both Western and Chinese medicine. Chapter Two briefly overviews standard acupuncture treatment of stroke (classical techniques, first aid treatments and treatment of sequelae). Chapter Three gives an account of five different approaches to stroke treatment from recognised exerts, for example Wang Le-ting's 13 treatment methods, Jiao Shun-fa's scalp needling method, Peng Jin-Shen's periocular needling method. Chapter Four briefly discusses clinical trials, while Chapter Five at greater length analyses clinical trials exemplifying the use of twenty special techniques such as one point treatment, tongue acupuncture, the use of paravertebral points etc. Chapter Six offers treatments for 23 post-stroke symptoms, from depression, through dysfunction of the thumb, wrist, ankle, upper extremities, aphasia, ataxia etc. to persistent laughing after stroke. Chapter Seven covers abstracts of clinical trials and experiments showing the effects of acupuncture on Western medical markers in humans and animals. Chapter Eight comprehensively covers prevention of stroke, both self-help and through treatment and importantly discusses warning signs of impending stroke. Finally, appendices include the Chinese national standard for diagnosis of stroke and outcomes of its treatment, the author's experiences with the treatment of neurological conditions by acupuncture, and how to talk to patients and their families about stroke.

This book is available from The Journal of Chinese Medicine bookshop www.jcm.co.uk/01608-659110).