The Spark in the Machine

How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine

Dr Daniel Keown

Why can salamanders grow new legs, and young children grow new finger tips, but adult humans can't regenerate? What is the electricity that flows through the human body? Is it the same thing that the Chinese call Qi? If so, what does Chinese medicine know, that western medicine ignores?

Dan Keown's highly accessible, witty, and original book shows how western medicine validates the theories of Chinese medicine, and how Chinese medicine explains the mysteries of the body that western medicine largely ignores. He explains the generative force of embryology, how the hearts of two people in love (or in scientific terms `quantum entanglement') truly beat as one, how a cheating heart is also an ill heart (which is why men are twice as likely to die of a sudden heart attack with their mistress than with their wife), how neural crest cells determine our lifespan, and why Proust's madeleines evoked the memories they did.

The book shows how the theories of western and Chinese medicine support each other, and how the integrated theory enlarges our understanding of how bodies work on every level. Full of good stories and surprising details, Dan Keown's book is essential reading for anyone who has ever wanted to know how the body really works.

Contents

Prologue. Part 1. 1. In the Beginning… 2. The One Cell Universe. 3. 'A Name but no Form…' 4. The Triple Helix. 5. The Spark of Life. 6. What is Qi? 7. Cloning Sheep with Qi. 8. How Qi Folds the Body. 9. Organ Qi. 10. Origini. 11. Tricky Dicky and Little Pricks. 12. Human Fractals. 11. The Leonardoes and the Perfect Man. 12. Evolution at Warp Speed. 13. When Sonic Hedgehog Turns Nasty. 14. What Are Acupuncture Points? 15. Currents of Qi. Part 2. Ming Men: The Embryology of Chinese Medicine. Introduction. 1. 2. 3. 4. Yangmion: Beauty and Brains. 5. The Yolk of our Body. 6. Blood – the Middle Layer. 7. Embryological Surfers. 8. Yin. 9. The Six Yin Organs. 7. The Emperor. 8. Arm Shao Yin Channel. 9. Emergency Case Report. 10. The Stubborn One. 11. The Ad-kidney? Gland 12. The Kidney Makes the Marrow. 13. The Kidney Controls the Bones. 14. Fire at the Gate of Vitality. 15. The Kidney Controls Water. 16. Kidney is the Seat of Fear in our Bodies. 17. The Kidney Jing Fills the Brain. 18. The Kidney Controls the Sex Drive. 19. Leg Shao-Yin. 20. The Inspiring Organ. 21. The Odd Organ. 22. The General. 23. The Emperor's Bodyguard. 24. Yang. 25. The Surfing Channel. 26. The Invisible Channel. 27. The Gut Channel. 28. The Gut Channel… again. 29. The Lymph Channel. 30. God's Channel. Epilogue. Appendix 1. How Cancer Moves. Appendix 2. Yin and Yang.

Reviews

'I started reading this book and thought “wow!” – I couldn't put it down! Daniel Keown is both a Western medical doctor and an acupuncturist. Using his engaging writing style he makes sense of how the latest scientific understanding of systems theory unites with the holism of our oldest medical tradition. Everyone from the general public to Western and Eastern medical practitioners, in fact anyone who is curious about the remarkable way the human body functions and develops, should read this book.'
— Angela Hicks, Joint Principal of the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading, UK, and author of The Principles of Chinese Medicine

'It is surprising how little research has been done over the years to examine the relationship of acupuncture to Western medicine. Now at last we have Dr Keown's thoughtful and stimulating book to help fill this gap. Dr Keown talks from personal experience of working on both sides of this medical divide. His book is an invaluable contribution to helping practitioners of both disciplines understand how far they speak a common medical language, though they may express themselves in somewhat different terms.'
—     Nora Franglen, Founder of the School of Five Element Acupuncture (SOFEA) and author of The Handbook of Five Element Practice, Keepers of the Soul, Patterns of Practice and The Simple Guide to Five Element Acupuncture

'Unusually for a doctor, Daniel Keown has a deep knowledge of the theories and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. His obvious love and profound understanding of anatomy and physiology means that he is almost uniquely qualified to explain how acupuncture 'works' according to the paradigm of modern science. This is an important book and essential reading for anyone interested in bridging the gap in understanding between Chinese medicine and conventional medical science.'
—     Peter Mole, Dean of the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading, UK and author of Acupuncture for Body, Mind and Spirit

'The eloquent and poetic language of the classics of Chinese medicine has always seemed incommensurable with modern Western scientific medicine. No longer. Dr Keown provides clear and compelling evidence that both systems are describing the same processes in the human body. Some kind of synthesis is now in prospect, and the implications are enormous.'
—     John Hamwee, acupuncturist and author of Acupuncture for New Practitioners

Author information

Dr Daniel Keown has worked as a registered doctor since graduating with a medical degree from Manchester University in 1998. In 2008, he completed a degree in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture from Kingston University. Daniel is a member of the British Acupuncture Council and has studied alongside the renowned Dr Wang Ju-Yi at the Institute of Channel Diagnosis in Beiing. He lives and practises in Tunbridge Wells, UK.