| The AcuBase Acupuncture CD is a very impressive
piece of acupuncture software and is suitable for both students and professionals.
AcuBase was written by a licensed California Acupuncturist who is also
a computer professional. The author was certainly mindful of the state's
demanding licensing standards and those studying for the boards there.
And the fact that this program is well organized and actually works well
on a computer is definitely not to be taken lightly.
Included in AcuBase are databases for individual
herbs, formulas and acupuncture points. The program is set up to print
cards of selected facts. Also one can scroll through the herbs showing
the herbs simply with the PinYin, Latin and Chinese characters. With a
push of the button one can view fairly high quality photographs of the
herbs. Also included in AcuBase is a section of questions and answers on
all the acupuncture aspects covered in the California State Board.
Each of the sections allows one to add to
the database. There are some minor disappointments. I would suggest that
the button graphics take up too much space on the screen. The points are
not given translations nor Chinese characters. Not all of the herbs are
photographed. This program will not take the place of your Bensky books.
There are no biomedical indications nor does it have the narrative flow
of those books. However I did enjoy flipping through the program at random
and reviewing many of the formulas. Being able to click to a photograph
of the herb certainly makes learning easier.
Whether the practicing acupuncturist/herbalist
will want to purchase a copy is matter of whether how much they enjoy sitting
in front of the computer. As a diversion from paper cards and books it
is quite a pleasant diversion. Computer savvy acupuncture schools would
definitely want to have this program.
I know of many students who have tried to
or dreamed of writing a computer program such as this. Before they invest
the time I would suggest they take a look at AcuBase.
AcuBase sells for $199.
Their web page listed below gives a nice overview
of the product which is available for IBM Windows95, Windows and Mac 7.1
and above.
Trigram Software
16 Taurus Avenue Oakland, California 94611
tel: 510 654-3268
e-mail:info@trigram.com
http://www.trigram.com |
