The Wonders Of Chinese Pulse Diagnosis
The Wonders Of Chinese Pulse Diagnosis
As I sat there for the first time to get acupuncture for a chronic knee condition, my acupuncturist told me to lay my hands down on the table, palms up, so he could feel my pulses. I suspected that he was simply trying to get the rate, but after five minutes, it became clear to me that there was a lot more that he was looking for.
After several more minutes, my acupuncturist told me in broken English that I had weak kidneys and that is why I felt spaced out and tired a lot of the time. He also told me that my kidneys were responsible for my knee pain, the occasional soreness I felt in my low back, and the low pitched ear ringing that seemed to come out of nowhere. On top of this, he also said that the vague feeling of fear that I get from time to time is due to weak kidney function as well. I looked at him quizzically and asked, ‘ you got all of that from feeling my pulses??’
He simply nodded his head. What struck me as somewhat mind boggling was how accurate he was about each of these symptoms, even though I had only told him about the pain in my knees. Unfortunately, my knees did not respond to the several sessions of acupuncture, but that interaction about my pulses filled me with a trust in Chinese medicine and curiosity about its application that eventually led me to a career as an acupuncturist with a focus on this ancient art.
There are numerous traditions of pulse diagnosis throughout the many strands of Asian medicine. The most popular form that is utilized by Western acupuncturists incorporates twenty-six distinct pulse qualities, each one reflecting specific organ imbalances that may be contributing to the patient’s substandard health. There are also three basic positions along the radial artery on both wrists that the acupuncturist palpates, each one mirroring the function of a major organ in the body. The following diagram reveals each of these organs and their locations.
Left Hand Right Hand (I would recommend inserting a diagram here of the hand/wrist and each of these positions specifically mapped out for the reader)
1st: Heart 1st: Lung
2nd: Liver 2nd: Spleen
3rd: Left Kidney (yin) 3rd: Right Kidney
The acupuncturist will feel for specific qualities at each of these positions to determine the relative health of each organ and how the organs are functioning in relation with one another. The pulse can yield qualities in each of these positions that can be indicative of spiritual, emotional or physical issues; deciphering this information is largely based on the skill of the acupuncturist. Now that we have covered the basics, let’s look at a few of the most compelling features of this diagnostic method.
Stability and Shock
When I first feel the patient’s pulses, the most important dynamic that I examine is the overall stability of the heart. Stability is determined by the consistency in rate, rhythm, and intensity found on the pulse. If the pulse is changing in rate or if it conveys any irregularity in its rhythm of beats or the qualities felt, then stabilizing the pulse becomes a top treatment priority. When the pulse is unstable, then the heart is unstable. This is almost always due to a state of shock that has overtaken the patient’s capacity to experience optimum health and balance. We normally think of shock as a kind of blunt trauma or overt danger that has jeopardized our basic survival. On a more subtle level, however, shock can be seen as any defining moment in life that throws us off balance and undermines our ability to be present in our lives. Situations such as divorce, job loss, verbal abuse, addictions, and stress can all cause this form of shock. When the heart loses its momentary consistency and rhythm, our faculties of awareness and insight likewise become compromised. The heart shen, the spirit or awareness that emanates from the heart, becomes obscured. As this happens, we lose contact with our intuitive faculties, which makes life feel untrustworthy and full of struggle.
The five element acupuncture model states that we can only resolve chronic health concerns when the underlying state of shock is properly addressed. This is why so many of us get stuck in the frustrating cycle of feeling initial improvement in our symptoms, only to experience a regression a short while later that lands us right back where we started or worse. Without this deep foundation of a balanced heart shen, the patient simply does not have their own spirit to use as an ally in the healing process. Interestingly, when patients heal from shock and their pulses become stable, one of the most common statements that I hear in my practice is, ‘I feel like I have my Self back.’ This response to treatment always leads me to an optimistic view of the patient’s situation because they now have an inner resource of awareness and