🌟 Exploring the Pulse: Western vs. Chinese Medicine
In the realm of healthcare, the pulse holds secrets in both Western and Chinese traditions, yet with distinct nuances!
In Western medicine, it's all about heart rate and blood pressure during your check-up…
But in Chinese medicine, technology like MRIs and X-rays weren’t around thousands of years ago - therefore pulse diagnosis is intricate and a true art form! unveiling insights into the body's organ systems, by pulse location and depth. It can take an acupuncturist some time to hone this ancient insightful skill.
From detecting internal inflammation to pinpointing deficiencies, Chinese pulse diagnosis dives deep, analyzing up to 28 pulse qualities!
The ultimate goal of tailored acupuncture treatments are to bring you (and your pulse) back to harmony. If you notice your acupuncturist keeps checking your pulse, they are working through some biofeedback cues from the pulse to make sure the acupuncture points used are shifting it in the right direction. Each finger laid on the radial pulse correlates to a different organ or different part of the body. In relation to each finger location the depth, speed, strength, width, rhythm and quality are all analyzed giving us clues as to how the organs, meridians, and spirit are all functioning. Fascinating right?
It is much much more detailed than this but…here are a few important pulse qualities and their possible indications:
Pulse Rate 🔍 :
Fast: Signals heat, inflammation, fever, and nervous tension.
Slow: Hints at coldness, sluggishness, and circulation issues.
Strength 💪 :
Strong: Points to excess, stress, anger, high blood pressure, and headaches.
Weak: Suggests deficiency, fatigue, and low blood pressure.
Width 📏:
Thin/Thready: Indicates blood or fluid deficiencies, poor nutrient absorption, insomnia, and fatigue.
Rolling/Slippery: Points towards digestion issues like food stagnation, phlegm build up, allergies and congestion.
I like this visual below from Emperor’s College. It shows the 3 locations we call cun, guan, chi on the radial artery then to the right it shows the depths.
With this diagnostic wisdom, tailored treatments are crafted - from acupuncture points to herbal remedies, we nurture balance within so you can feel your best! 🌱✨
