- The manual of choice for thousands of practitioners
- Includes a comprehensive database of almost 500 foods and herbs
- User-friendly format with concise, clear explanations
- Focuses on familiar and available foods
- An ideal introduction to traditional Chinese food energetics
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We will be launching Helping Ourselves in ebook format at the beginning of June 2012. If you want to be notified when this facility is available please email us.
“Helping Ourselves” is a concise guide to nutrition according to the principles of Chinese medicine. This book will guide you effortlessly into an understanding of a remarkable system and give you the tools to begin working with food energetics in your own kitchen. As useful for the practitioner as it is for the student and lay person, this simple and much-loved manual has found its way into thousands of homes and clinics.
The book is divide into four sections. The first gives a concise overview of nutritional theory according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. It discusses the nature of digestion, gives some useful general guidelines for healthy eating and explains the concepts of flavour, thermal nature and direction of movement and how to use them in practice. The second section describes the main patterns of disharmony and how to eat appropriately for each condition. Each explanation is followed by an extensive list of useful foods all of which are familiar and easily available. The third section comprises a comprehensive database listing the energetic properties of foods as well as culinary and western medicinal herbs, beverages, essential oils and supplements. The last section focuses on diagnosis.
Carefully researched over many years, this book provides up to date and easily accessible information. It has become the reference manual of choice for thousands of practitioners throughout the world. At the same time it is often the starting point for anyone with an interest in traditional Chinese food energetics. Helping Ourselves forms part of a quartet with the Energetics of Food and Energetics of Herbs wallcharts, and Recipes for Self-Healing by the same author.
Acclaim for Helping Ourselves
The thing I most like about the presentation of this book is its simplicity. In the introduction the author says that the book is intended both as a learning resource for students and clients of traditional Chinese medicine and as a reference manual for practitioners. In my opinion it succeeds brilliantly in both instances: it explains Chinese energy concepts… in terms that most lay people would understand.”
Altair de Almeida, Traditional Acupuncture Society News
Helping Ourselves takes two important steps towards making Chinese food energetics accessible. Firstly, it is extremely easy to read and explains Chinese energy concepts such as the Spleen, Yin, Yang, Cold, Hot and Damp in terms most lay people would understand. Secondly, it classifies the foods into what they do energetically so you can easily look up which foods help to resolve Dampness and which foods are cooling. To my knowledge this has not been done in English before.”
Bill Palmer, Shiatsu Society News
I particularly like that by using this book we can advise patients to take positive action and enhance their treatment by adding certain foods to their diet, as well as excluding others. It is a useful book to have in practice and I use it regularly.”
Sally Blades, acupuncturist
Helping Ourselves is a relatively short introduction to the basic principles of Chinese dietary therapy… the foods discussed are easily available and the writing intelligent, clear and concise.”
Peter Deadman, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
I have the book “Helping Ourselves” since my college days when it was recommended by one of our best lecturers. Since then, it has been a constant reference manual for my clinics and I confess that I keep it in the back of my folder at all times for when a patient asks for food advice on the spot.”
Sandro Graca, acupuncturist, Ireland
I was chronically ill for a long time and through a Chinese Medicine Practitioner and your book about Chinese Food energetics, I am now well and able to step out into the world with joy and energy once more. It’s given me a whole new lease of life, or, indeed, my very life itself.”
Milly,UK
