Modern Chinese Medicine Food Cures is an interesting and engaging look at nutrition as preventative healthcare by acupuncturist Dr. Melissa Carr. Due out 21st Jan 2025 from Jessica Kingsley Publishers on their Singing Dragon imprint, it's 336 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
Traditional Chinese medicine, referred to as TCM throughout the book, has a history stretching back thousands of years. The author has an acupuncture practice, and nutrition and food-as-medicine are a natural outgrowth of that protocol. The book is quite steeped in eastern philosophy which might be at odds with practice-based western medical philosophy. For readers who are perhaps frustrated by chronic problems (IBS, autoimmune difficulties (including gout and arthritis), allergies, skin issues, and a host of other somatic illnesses) it's certainly worth a look.
The author doesn't confine herself only to readers who already have issues, but also expends a fair bit of effort on preventative maintenance and health-building dietary habits, with an emphasis on eating well, charting potential improvement areas, and even the physical aspects of ingesting food (eating more slowly and mindfully, etc).
This is for readers who are open to the ideas espoused by traditional eastern medicine and philosophy. The author and publisher have also included useful appendices such as a food diary chart, bibliography, tutorials on TCM herbs and simple guides on how to source and use them, and a cross referenced index.
Five stars, with the understanding that it's *not* a western medical guide and there's a fair bit of Eastern Philosophy (elemental humours, warm/cold, yin-yang, Qi, organ stagnation, etc). For readers with an open mind. The author's observations on nutrition (carbs, micronutrients, diets, food allergies, etc) are all spot on, and without any controversy.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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