Fingers on the Pulse

If you have ever gone to see a practitioner of Chinese Medicine you most likely had your pulse taken. Taking a patient’s pulse is certainly not unique to Chinese Medicine. It is fairly universal in all medicine that the pulse can provide very important information. Most of us are very familiar with taking the speed of the pulse and what that may tell us. Many traditions in Chinese Medicine however have taken a much deeper dive into pulse diagnosis. Long before the many lab tests that now exist, practitioners had to rely on their senses, what they saw, smelt and felt. As you can imagine if that is the core of your diagnostic process you develop a more refined awareness to the tiny details. Pulse taking was something in Chinese Medicine that became very specific and, in some traditions, very developed. Just like a guitarist fingers become a tune to small details so did the pulse taking traditions of Chinese Medicine. Luckily this skill has not been lost. It has been passed down in many traditions and is still used today.

For myself as a practitioner, learning pulse diagnosis was something somewhat mysterious. My introduction to it in school was very general, learning a few details that are used by most practitioners of Chinese Medicine but the real subtleties seemed vague and difficult to decipher. That is until I did a 13-day course that included a 7 day in person intensive this summer. With the amazing guidance of the instructor the pulse came alive. It’s hard at first to imagine what detailed information one could gather from it, however if you consider the pulse is tangible expression of the movement of blood and fluids through our entire system it can tell a lot. It reveals the strength and velocity of the circulation, the tension on the artery and volume of fluids that fill the artery. When we get sick, get stressed, get overtaxed, it all will show in our pulse as our body changes to respond to what is going on. It can point to where the body maybe overheating, where it’s cold and most importantly reveals to the practitioner what would help right the ship.

I look forward to deepening my practice using this new skill and as I begin this journey I stand in wonder of this beautiful Medicine that has stood the test of time.