Evaluation of Pulses

    There are twenty-eight pulse qualities that are essential to Traditional Chinese Medicine’s process of evaluation and diagnosis. Learning to read pulses requires years of study and practice and is not something that can be done at home on yourself. However, your Chinese medicine practitioner will talk to you about your pulse diagnosis, and you will want to have a passing familiarity with the terminology that’s used. The most common descriptions are: floating, slippery, choppy, wiry, tight, slow, rapid, thin, big, empty and full. (For a more detailed explanation of pulse diagnosis, see The Web That Has No Weaver, by Ted Kaptchuk.)
    Pulses are evaluated on a superficial, middle and deep level. The normal pulse resides at the middle level and is usually about four or five beats for each complete inhalation and exhalation of breath.
    Disharmonies of the pulses indicate: the condition of Qi, Xue and Fluids; Organ System imbalance(s); the location of the imbalance(s); and the nature (Heat or Cold) of the disease, along with many other qualities.
    For example, a wiry pulse may indicate that the Liver System has Stagnant Qi. However, there are no absolute meanings to pulses. They contribute to a diagnosis only when viewed in context with other diagnostic techniques.

Evaluation of Sensitivity to Touch

    Palpation of acupuncture points and channels can trigger, increase, or reduce pain and indicate disharmony in the associated channels and Organ Systems.

If you have a pain you can’t pinpoint, that indicates Stagnant Qi. Stagnant Qi is also indicated by a pain that moves around.
If the pain is fixed, it may indicate Stagnant Xue.
Pain that feels better with pressure is due to Deficiency.
Pain that feels worse with pressure is due to Excess.
Pain that feels better with warmth is associated with Cold.

    Palpation of the body does not have to be confined to the twelve channels’, fifteen collaterals’or eight extraordinary channels’acupuncture points. Ear acupuncture points are also powerful tools for diagnosis and provide refined clues to the sources of disharmony. They are also useful for self-massage. Reflexology, while not a traditional Chinese method of diagnosis and treatment, is another useful tool at this stage of diagnosis.