Pulse diagnosis (for those new to TCM)

[Guest guest]

This is a very basic post for those new to TCM.

 

When a TCM healer takes your pulse, s/he is checking for a minimun of

12

different things. Those of you who have had a TCM pulse diagnosis may

have

noticed that the healer used 3 fingers instead of two, the fingers

were

carefully spaced, and the pulses in both wrists were checked instead

of only

one. You also may have noticed that the pressure of the fingers

varied as

the healer checked you.

 

The different positions can reveal things about specific Organs - the

Kidneys, the Liver, the Spleen, the Lungs, etc. So can the quality of

the

pulse. For example a Slippery pulse - one that " feels smooth,

rounded,

slippery to the touch, as if it were oily " and " slides under the

fingers "

can indicate " Phlegm, Dampness, retention of food or pregnancy " .

(Giovanni

Maciocia, The Foundations of , p. 168.)

 

Needless to say, it takes a lot of time, training, and practice to be

able

to do a TCM pulse diagnosis. But, some pulses are easier to recognize

than

others are, and even beginners can learn to recognize them in a hurry.

 

For example, a slower than normal pulse often points to a Cold

condition.

(The exception is very well-conditioned atheletes have slower than

normal

pulses.) A pulse that is faster than normal often indicates Heat.

(Remember that Cold slows things down, and Heat speeds things up.)

 

Two other pulses that are easy to learn to recognize are the Floating

pulse

and the Deep pulse. A Floating pulse is one which can be felt with

very

light pressure ( " just resting the fingers on the artery " , Maciocia,

p.

167.) A Deep pulse is one that can only be felt with heavy pressure.

It " is

felt near the bone " . (p. 167)

 

In general, a Floating pulse indicates an Exterior condition.

The " Evil "

(Cold, Wind, Damp, Dryness, or Heat)is attacking the Exterior of the

body

(the head, neck, arms, legs, muscles, meridians, and bones). The

exceptions

are some Interior conditions like anemia and cancer (p. 167).

Also, " If the

pulse is Floating at the superficial level but Empty at the deep

level, it

indicates deficiency of Yin. " (p. 167)

 

A Deep pulse points to an Interior condition (affects the trunk of

the body

and the Organs). (In general, Exterior conditions are not as serious

as

Interior conditions and are easier to correct.)

 

Harder to learn to recognize are the Empty and the Full pulses. " Teh

Empty

pulse feels rather big but soft. 'Empty' may suggest that nothing can

be

felt, but this is not so: this pulse is actually rather big but it

feels

empty on a slightly stronger pressure and is soft. " (p. 168)

 

The Deep " pulse feels full, rather hard and rather long. " (p. 168)

 

An Empty pulse points to a Deficiency condition. (A Deficiency

condition is one which is caused by there not being enough of

something the body needs.) A Full pulse points to an

Excess condition. (An Excess condition is one in which problems are

caused by there being too much of something.) For example, a pulse

which is both Empty and Slow points

to Deficiency Cold, aka Yang Deficiency. (There is not enough Yang to

warm

the body properly.) A pulse which is Full and Slow points to Excess

Cold. Cold from the environment has invaded the body, or the person

has eaten too many cold, raw, and/or cooling foods.

 

A pulse which is Rapid and Empty points to Yin Deficiency, aka

Deficiency

Heat. (There is not enough Yin to cool the body.) A Rapid and Full

pulse

points to Excess Heat. (The Heat is coming from eating too many hot

and

spicy foods or the environment.)

 

An Empty pulse which is neither Rapid nor Slow points to Qi

Deficiency.

 

These are a few of the pulses which TCM healers are trained to

recognize.

 

If you see a TCM healer, from the time you walk in, the healer is

noticing

various things about you. Is your walk rapid (possible Heat) or slow

(possible Cold), forceful (possible Excess)or weak (possible

Deficiency)?

The same for your voice and speech. What is your complexion like?

Reddish

tones (possible Heat), pale (possible Cold (if shiny) or Blood

Deficiency

(if dull pale). Greenish tones, possible Liver imbalance. Dark, black

tones, possible Kidney imbalance. Etc.

 

When the healer does a tongue diagnosis, s/he is checking/ confirming

various things. Tongue too red, Heat. Pale tongue, Cold or Blood

Deficiency. Thin tongue coating, normal or Deficiency. Thick tongue

coating, Excess condition. Purple tongue tissue, Blood Stasis. Fat

tongue,

especially if it has teeth marks, Dampness problems. Dampness

problems

usually have a Root of Spleen Qi Deficiency. The tongue coating can

reveal a

lot in particular about the Stomach.

The absence of a tongue coating (or one without root) in the center

of the

tongue indicates Stomach Yin Deficiency.

 

One of the functions of Spleen Qi is to transport and transform

water. If

the Spleen and Spleen Qi are weak, this function doesn't get

performed like

it should, and Dampness accumulates. When Dampness hangs around too

long, it

congels into Phlegm. Dampness can team up with any of the Pernicious

Evils

(Dampness, Cold, Heat, Dryness, and Wind) to produce Phlegm. The

treatment

of the Phlegm will vary according to the cause of the Phlegm. The

general

treatment principles are to strenghten the Spleen, resolve Dampness,

resolve

the Phlegm, and treat the co-factor(s) that helped to produce the

Phlegm.

For example, in the case of Cold Phlegm one also has to treat the

Cold. In

fact, that's the best way to resolve Cold Phlegm, and simply

attacking the

Cold Phlegm with Phlegm-relieving herbs is doomed to failure.

 

All this information can seem overwhelming at first, but the longer

you stay

with TCM, the more you learn.

[Guest guest]

victoria_dragon victoria_dragon

 

thank you so very much. I learned a lot.

 

 

 

 

New Photos - easier uploading and sharing