By Emma Suttie, D.Ac

Anyone who has ever been to see a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), will be familiar with having their pulse taken in the unique TCM way. We all know that the pulse tell us about heart rate, and that listening to the heartbeats speed and regularity are used to help diagnose heart problems in the Western medical model. The pulse in Chinese Medicine however, is used to give us a lot more information about the patient.

There is no stethoscope. The pulse is generally taken with the patient seated, the practitioner placing 3 fingers on the patients wrist, feeling for the radial artery. Each wrist’s pulse is taken, and the position of each finger represents a specific organ. There are 6 organs represented, 3 on the right, and 3 on the left. There are 3 different depths at which the pulse is taken as well, each representing a different aspect of the overall health of the patient. The three wrist sections of the pulse are the front, middle and rear, respectively. The three levels are superficial (pressing lightly), middle (pressing a little deeper) and deep (pressing even deeper). The three levels at each of the three sections on the wrist are referred to as the “Nine Regions.”

LEFT WRIST

FRONT: HEART / SMALL INTESTINE

MIDDLE: LIVER / GALL BLADDER

REAR: KIDNEY / BLADDER

RIGHT WRIST

FRONT: LUNGS / LARGE INTESTINE

MIDDLE: SPLEEN / STOMACH

REAR: GATE OF VITALITY FIRE

These three levels of the pulse give an immediate idea of the level of Qi in the body and, therefore, the kind of pathological condition that might be present. In particular, the superficial level reflects the state of Qi (energy), the middle level reflects the state of Blood and the deep level reflects the state of Yin (the water aspect of the body). Thus, by examining the strength and quality of the pulse at these three levels, we get a better idea of the pathology of Qi, Blood and Yin, and of the relative state of balance in the body as a whole.

Any imbalance in Chinese medicine is seen to be the cause of disease, therefore the goal of the TCM practitioner is to discover the root of the imbalance by listening to the pulse, looking at the tongue, observing the body, and doing a thorough investigation of the patients medical history and presenting symptoms. Once all of the information has been collected, a diagnosis is reached and a treatment plan can be created for the patient according to their specific needs. The pulse is an important part of the diagnostic process in TCM, and although it may seem mysterious, there is a lot it can reveal about your health, your organs, energy level, and the overall condition of your internal environment.