Pulse Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine |
The importance of the pulses in diagnosis
When taking the pulses, an acupuncturist is feeling for the pulse qualities, not just the pulse rate. There are three positions on each wrist, each with two depths, so in fact an acupuncturist is feeling 12 pulses!
The qualities have many descriptions, the most common ones being "wiry", "slippery", "thin", "deficient", "full" and "choppy". By feeling the pulse qualities, an acupuncturist can tell a lot about your state of health.
When you have acupuncture, the pulse qualities should change, so that by the end of a treatment, the pulses feel smoother and more harmonious, and the qualities that were there to start with have gone or are less noticeable. The acupuncturist will take the pulses several times during a treatment to monitor the changes.
Last Modified 7/16/07 5:04 PM