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 tells us about heart rate, and that listening to the speed and regularity of the heartbeats is used to help diagnose heart problems in Western medicine. The pulse, however, is used in Chinese Medicine to give us much 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 patient’s 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, each representing a different aspect of the patient’s overall health. 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 gain a better understanding of the pathology of Qi, Blood, and Yin, and of the body’s overall balance.
In Chinese medicine, any imbalance is seen as the cause of disease; the goal of the TCM practitioner is to discover the root of the imbalance by listening to the pulse, examining the tongue, observing the body, and conducting a thorough investigation of the patient’s medical history and presenting symptoms. Once all information has been collected, a diagnosis is reached, and a treatment plan can be created for the patient based on their specific needs. The pulse is an important part of the diagnostic process in TCM, and although it may seem mysterious, it can reveal a lot about your health, organs, energy levels, and the overall condition of your internal environment.
Featured image photo by Min An on Pexels