Patients are always asking me what I am doing when I’m feeling the pulses. Acupuncture pulse taking is very different from Western pulse taking and assesses much more than just the beats per minute. There are 12 total pulses felt in acupuncture pulse diagnose with the goal of assessing the energy flow through the 12 organs and 12 Meridians or energy lines.
In acupuncture pulse taking there are six pulses on the right wrist and six pulses on the left wrist felt by using three fingers (the index, middle and ring finger) of the practitioners right and left hands.
There are three superficial pulses felt on each side and three deep pulses. When I am placing my three fingers lightly on the patient’s skin I am acquiring the information from the three superficial pulses. When I press deeper, I am acquiring the information from the six deep pulses. The three superficial pulses on the right include: the large intestine, stomach and triple burner. (The large intestine is the closest to the wrist and the triple burner is the third finger position proximal or closest to the elbow from the wrist and the stomach pulse being in the middle). When I press deeper in the first position on the right wrist, I am diagnosing the lungs, in the middle deep position is the spleen and in the deep third position below the triple burner is the pericardium energy.
The three superficial pulses on the left include: the small intestine, gallbladder and the bladder. (The small intestine is the closest to the wrist and the bladder is closest to the elbow with the gallbladder in the middle). When I press deeper in the first position I pick up the heart, in the middle deep position is the liver and in the deep third position below the bladder is the kidney.
As mentioned above, the 12 pulse taking diagnosis is a way to assess the quality, quantity and nuances of the energy flow within the 12 organs and 12 meridian lines. Along with what the patient reports to me in their questionnaire, the information acquired from the tongue diagnosis, abdominal palpation, and from what I am feeling when I palpate the body, the “pulse information” is a vital piece that directs me on how to actually treat the body and where to actually apply the acupuncture. In fact, the pulse is often considered by practitioners to be the main diagnostic method that the treatment is based upon.
(Several easy to understand examples are: if I’m feeling the large intestine pulse and it’s rapid and even bounding under my fingertip this typically means that there is inflammation in the large intestine most likely manifesting as constipation due to the heat drying the intestinal fluids. A second, example is when I’m pressing deep in the third left position which is the kidney pulse. I will often feel no pulse at all or a very faint pulse at a deep level. This indicates an underlying kidney which includes adrenal insufficiency. These patients often have low back pain that is dull and achy, fatigue, they suffer from cold hands or feet, anxiety, often have frequent urination and frequent night urination).
As you can see, each pulse gives many clues as to what might be going on with the individual organs and or meridians that is the underlying root of the patient’s complaints and symptoms.
If you are receiving acupuncture and they do not look at your tongue or take your 12 pulses they are missing several key components as to how to specifically address your condition and treat your overall body.
In Love & Light,
Byron
Byron Barth; L.A., MSTOM, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Zen Shiatsu Master and
Founder of Peace of Zen Acupuncture.
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