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WHY TAKE A PULSE READING?
Pulse taking is a most important aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In fact, Chinese patients would consider a TCM diagnosis incomplete without it. Pulse taking is indeed an art in itself; the practitioner requires great experience and a gift of sensitivity due to the myriad of sensations and subtleties that must be interpreted when taking an individual pulse.
In TCM it is recommended that a pulse should be taken at the Cun Kou - the radial artery of the wrist and the Nei Jing even recommends that the early morning pulse is best i.e. when the body is at its calmest.
When I am observing your pulse you should try to be as relaxed as possible. The surroundings of the clinic should compliment this requirement.
Your hand is placed comfortably on a cushion with the palm facing upward and your lower arm should be level with your Heart. I sit opposite you and use my right hand to take pulse from your left wrist and vice versa. My fingers fall on 3 positions, known as the Cun, Guan and Chi.
Finger force is at first light. At this stage information is being gathered on the health of your Qi and Yang organs. Then the pressure is increased to a moderate level. This is required to ascertain the strength of your Blood. Finally heavy pressure is applied to gather information about the health of the Yin organs.
The procedure is then repeated taking pulse from your remaining wrist.
Light Pressure – The Health of the Yang Organs
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Left Hand
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Right Hand
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Cun
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Small Intestine
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Colon
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Guan
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Gall Bladder
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Stomach
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Chi
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Bladder
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Triple Heater
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Heavy Pressure – The Health of the Yin Organs
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Left Hand
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Right Hand
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Cun
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Heart
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Lung
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Guan
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Liver and Gall Bladder
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Spleen
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Chi
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Kidney Yin
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Kidney Yang (Life Gate Fire)
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A normal pulse is neither superficial nor deep - it is felt mainly at the middle level, neither quick nor slow, and it beats in moderate frequency, i.e., 4-5 beats per breath, approx. 60-90 beats per minute (bpm), with a regular rhythm that is even and forceful. This pulse can be located at the three divisions.
A child's pulse (>90bpm) is faster than that of an adult, a females pulse is faster but less strong than that of a males and an athletes slower than the norm. Body weight, medication and season may also affect the frequency and level of the pulse.
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