Feeling the Pulses
One of the things I have always liked about acupuncture and Oriental medicine is the intricacies of arriving at a diagnosis. The art of the medicine has to meet the science in a way that is consistent, logical and straightforward. One of the first places this happens is when I feel my patients pulses. If you have never had your pulses examined by an acupuncturist lets start by saying it is different.
I am always amazed at the reactions I get when I feel a patients pulses and then ask a question based on the information I have gathered. "Do you have trouble falling asleep?" "Do you find yourself short of breath?" "Do you have pain in your low back or knee's?" "How is your digestive system functioning?" These questions are relatively easy to come to from even a rudimentary ability to diagnose pulses according to the Chinese medical paradigm. I have heard of practitioner's that are able to feel abnormalities that indicate brain tumors, or gynecological tumors. I do not have that ability, yet; but I am working on developing it. I have felt abnormalities that led me to refer the patient to a cardiologist, and the cardiologist then confirmed my suspicions, mitral valve prolapse.
Another interesting reaction is from allopathic medical practitioners when I discuss the changes in the qualities of a pulse from one position to the next. The pulses are felt, primarily, on the radial artery just above the wrist. I think what gets hard for the allopaths to accept is when I say there is a substantial difference between the pulses when the pulses being felt are only a finger's width apart. I have been told "There cannot be any difference between them, they are on the same artery and only a quarter to a half an inch apart." So what I did was give thim a quick explanation of how to feel the pulses according to TCM and let him feel the difference themselves as I explained what the pulses were reflecting.
I think the first area to explain is that whenever an acupuncturist refers to an organ system it is important to remember he or she is not referring to only the Western Bio-medical organ, but more specifically the “energetics” of that organ system as understood by TCM. So if I refer to the Heart, I mean more than, and not just, the heart as seen by Western science and medicine.
Each arm will have three pulse positions, and each position will have three 'levels' to the pulse. The right arm reflects the pulses (from wrist towards elbow, each one finger width apart) of the Lungs/Large Intestine, Spleen/Stomach, and Kidney/ Urinary Bladder. The left side reflects the pulses of the Heart/ Small Intestine, Pericardium/ San Jiao (we'll explore that organ system complex some other day) and Kidney/Urinary Bladder. I do understand the confusion when one feels a pulse that is closer to the heart, yet it is weaker than the next distal pulse. Part of that might be explained by the anatomical position of the radial artery. In this area the artery is changing depths from a position deeper in the musculature of the arm to one just under the surface of the skin. However part of feeling the pulses is pushing deep enough to occlude, or cut off, the pulse. So no matter how deep it is the practitioner finds that depth and feels the pulse at that level, so this anatomical explanation does not explain the difference in pulses felt by the practitioner and patient after I taught him how to feel the pulses. The only thing I can think of to explain this difference is the science of pulse diagnosis according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
As I said earlier it becomes very interesting to me to feel a patients pulses and then ask questions based on those pulses. When I was attending Southwest Acupuncture College, in one of my clinic’s the primary form of information gathering was pulse diagnosis. The instructor kept emphasizing the importance of feeling the pulses and letting that be the guiding factor in arriving at a diagnosis. The questions asked had to be directed by the information gathered from the pulses, only.
I now see pulse diagnosis as the point where the science of TCM meets the art of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I know that I have a lot to learn and contemplate in the scientific art of pulse diagnosis, but it is always exciting and an honor to examine someone's pulses.
That is all for this week.
With Love & Respect
Michael
I am always amazed at the reactions I get when I feel a patients pulses and then ask a question based on the information I have gathered. "Do you have trouble falling asleep?" "Do you find yourself short of breath?" "Do you have pain in your low back or knee's?" "How is your digestive system functioning?" These questions are relatively easy to come to from even a rudimentary ability to diagnose pulses according to the Chinese medical paradigm. I have heard of practitioner's that are able to feel abnormalities that indicate brain tumors, or gynecological tumors. I do not have that ability, yet; but I am working on developing it. I have felt abnormalities that led me to refer the patient to a cardiologist, and the cardiologist then confirmed my suspicions, mitral valve prolapse.
Another interesting reaction is from allopathic medical practitioners when I discuss the changes in the qualities of a pulse from one position to the next. The pulses are felt, primarily, on the radial artery just above the wrist. I think what gets hard for the allopaths to accept is when I say there is a substantial difference between the pulses when the pulses being felt are only a finger's width apart. I have been told "There cannot be any difference between them, they are on the same artery and only a quarter to a half an inch apart." So what I did was give thim a quick explanation of how to feel the pulses according to TCM and let him feel the difference themselves as I explained what the pulses were reflecting.
I think the first area to explain is that whenever an acupuncturist refers to an organ system it is important to remember he or she is not referring to only the Western Bio-medical organ, but more specifically the “energetics” of that organ system as understood by TCM. So if I refer to the Heart, I mean more than, and not just, the heart as seen by Western science and medicine.
Each arm will have three pulse positions, and each position will have three 'levels' to the pulse. The right arm reflects the pulses (from wrist towards elbow, each one finger width apart) of the Lungs/Large Intestine, Spleen/Stomach, and Kidney/ Urinary Bladder. The left side reflects the pulses of the Heart/ Small Intestine, Pericardium/ San Jiao (we'll explore that organ system complex some other day) and Kidney/Urinary Bladder. I do understand the confusion when one feels a pulse that is closer to the heart, yet it is weaker than the next distal pulse. Part of that might be explained by the anatomical position of the radial artery. In this area the artery is changing depths from a position deeper in the musculature of the arm to one just under the surface of the skin. However part of feeling the pulses is pushing deep enough to occlude, or cut off, the pulse. So no matter how deep it is the practitioner finds that depth and feels the pulse at that level, so this anatomical explanation does not explain the difference in pulses felt by the practitioner and patient after I taught him how to feel the pulses. The only thing I can think of to explain this difference is the science of pulse diagnosis according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
As I said earlier it becomes very interesting to me to feel a patients pulses and then ask questions based on those pulses. When I was attending Southwest Acupuncture College, in one of my clinic’s the primary form of information gathering was pulse diagnosis. The instructor kept emphasizing the importance of feeling the pulses and letting that be the guiding factor in arriving at a diagnosis. The questions asked had to be directed by the information gathered from the pulses, only.
I now see pulse diagnosis as the point where the science of TCM meets the art of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I know that I have a lot to learn and contemplate in the scientific art of pulse diagnosis, but it is always exciting and an honor to examine someone's pulses.
That is all for this week.
With Love & Respect
Michael
posted by Michael Clifford, L. Ac. | 7:51 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the reply Taeko. There are ways to develop the sensitivity for the pulses, but mostly it comes down to a lot of practice and experience. I have been feeling pulses for 8 years and consider myself to be a beginner. Then again I have studied the martial arts for 24 years and still consider myself to be a senior beginner. Go figure.
Find a local acupuncturist and speak to him or her about what he or she feels in your pulses and see if they will teach you how to feel the pulses.
Of course if you were here in Tucson I would offer to show you what I see/feel/find.
Thanks again and good luck in your teaching. You must be brave to be a teacher...
I think Japanese acupuncture is very good, however there is a distinction to be aware of. In Japan some are trained ONLY in moxibustion, which is powerful medicine, but not as powerful as needle work. Ask around to find an ACUPUNCTURIST as compared to a Moxa master. Thanks and good luck. e-mail me if you have more specific questions.
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