If you have ever come to see me for Acupuncture or Herbal consults, you have had your pulses taken. I’ve put three fingers on your wrist and “listened”. I may have asked you questions or took notes based on my findings. Here I want to explain more about what I am doing.
Pulse taking is a 5000 year old technique used to observe human imbalances and overall health – past, present, future (where a person is headed). Knowing where a person is headed, allows me to offer lifestyle and dietary advice, herbal suggestions and Acupuncture points that will begin to create more balance.
Pulses also reveal the state of health of each organ system – energetically & physicallly.
In Chinese Medicine, health includes your energy reserves, your ability to extract & create energy from your food and drink, the emotions and ability to move through them smoothly (in CM emotions are a cause of disease), the state of fluids in the body and the balance among these.
The technique: 3 fingers are placed on the wrist at specific locations – cun, guan, chi. Both wrists have all three locations. By placing my fingers on these 3 positions, and moving my fingers up & down or side by side, I can feel qi flowing to & from all the major organs ( Heart, Lungs, Liver, Spleen & Stomach, Kidney, Small intestine, Large Intestine, Gallbladder ).
I am feeling for:
- Rate – how many beats per minute.
- Rhythm & Stability – is the rhythm regular, regularly irregular, or chaotically irregular
- Amplitude & Depth – how loud or strong is it
- Shape – thin or thicker
- Length – long or short
Pulse diagnosis reveals health imbalances
- Heart shock: have you experienced this? Findings: fast rate & erratic rhythm
- Energy levels: What are your energy levels? – Is the pulse easily felt or do you have to go deep. The deeper the pulse, the more qi deficient/tired you are
- Are you about to be sick? Are fighting off the invasion of a pathogenic factor? – The pulses may be floating and is felt close to the skin
- Are you blood deficient – the pulse too thin
- Are you yin deficient – Is the pulse wiry – pointing to the progression of blood deficiency (often in women over 40)
- Is your digestion weak or strong – The strength of the R side of pulses – R side of pulse weak or strong
- Do you have the ability to store the goodness you get from your food, drink & good lifestyle – L side pulse weak or strong. Should be stronger than R
- Do you have any energetic blocks between the organ systems?
I hope this sheds some light on this ancient and intricate practice. I have only offered a small glimpse here. Feel free to ask questions at your next appointment. Book here.
