Books vs. Courses: What's the Difference?

A common question we hear is whether to get the books or the courses. The short answer: they're complementary, not competing options.

What Books Provide

The books (Volumes One, Two, and Three) are your permanent reference library. 

Every volume gives you:

• Comprehensive written information you can study at your own pace
• Content you can highlight, tab, and mark up
• A resource you'll keep in your treatment room for years

Volume One: The Definitive Clinical Guide — Provides point location and needling techniques, with drawings and photos, point combinations, and extensive commentary.

Volume Two: The How and Why — This is the missing piece for many practitioners. It covers the advanced theory, needling techniques, and the bleeding/cupping/moxibustion methods that dramatically improve outcomes.

Volume Three: The Clinician's Best Friend — If you want comprehensive protocols organized by condition, this 1,000+ page reference gives you multiple treatment options for virtually any case.

Books are ideal for deep study, quick reference during treatments, and building your intellectual understanding of the system.

What Video Courses Provide

The video courses bring the material to life. They give you:

• Visual demonstrations of point location and needling technique
• Susan's teaching presence, stories, and clinical wisdom
• Real-time Q&A addressing common challenges
• The experience of learning directly from a master practitioner
• CEUs for NCCAOM and California Acupuncture Board

Courses are ideal for seeing techniques in action, absorbing Susan's approach, and earning continuing education credits.

How They Work Together

Consider the Foundation Learning Pathway as an example:

• Volume One gives you 565 pages of precise point descriptions, indications, and combinations — your permanent reference
• Beginning Series courses give you 33.5 hours of video instruction showing you exactly how to locate and needle each point

You read about the point in the book, then watch Susan demonstrate it on video. You study the indications, then hear her clinical stories about using that point. The book tells you what; the course shows you how.

Most practitioners find they use both regularly — the books for quick reference during treatments, the courses for deeper learning and review.