• Pulse Diagnosis  •

Written by People’s Acupuncture of AVL practitioner Courtney Kelly

“Am I alive?” a witty new patient will inevitably ask, nodding down at where my fingers connect with pulse points on their wrist.

I assure them that they are indeed alive and then explain that when an Acupuncturist reads a pulse, we are feeling for qualities that may help us better understand our patients.

There are several different systems and techniques for taking the pulse in Chinese Medicine. Whatever the system, Acupuncturists are trained to read and evaluate different pulse qualities. What we observe in the pulses helps us assess our patients and form a treatment plan.

Of course pulses aren’t the only way that we assess our patients. Acupuncturists look at tongues, make observations, and listen to what you are experiencing. All of these things together help us create an individualized treatment plan for every patient.

Pulse diagnosis is one of those skills that practitioners practice at and improve on over time. When reading a pulse, an acupuncturist will typically feel, with 3 fingers, your radial pulse on your wrist (there are also other places pulses are taken, such as the carotid artery in the neck). Rather than simply feeling the radial artery for your pulse rate, your practitioner will feel six points, three on each wrist. Each of these points is associated with an organ such as your liver, heart, lungs etc. There are actually another 6 deeper radial pulses for a grand total of 12. Reading your pulses gives us an understanding of what is going on in your body from a Chinese medicine stand point.

Allergy symptoms acting up? Your acupuncturist can likely feel that on your Lung pulse. Have a big greasy breakfast before your appointment? Yep– we probably know that too, based on your stomach pulse.

Classical Chinese medical texts describe dozens of pulse qualities, using words such as slippery, wiry, deep, or superficial. These qualities provide important information that we might otherwise not know. For example, if a patient comes in feeling “off” but is not sure why, we might notice their lung pulse is pounding on the surface. We would then realize that they are actually at the beginning stages of a cold. From there, we would adjust our treatment plan and maybe prescribe an herbal formula to help them kick their cold before it settles in.

It is also important to note that pulse diagnosis is not unique to Chinese Medicine. Medical doctors routinely evaluate pulse qualities. This is especially true in emergency room settings, where a thready, bounding, or irregular pulse can signal shock, arrhythmia, or internal bleeding. While the explanatory models differ, both systems recognize the pulse as a real-time window into systemic functions.

There is no arguing that pulse diagnosis is an invaluably useful skill in a clinical setting.

• Admin & Acupuncturist Hiring  •

We are hiring for two positions currently. Please send this to folks you know that might be a good fit. We are looking for a part-time clinic administrator to be Aimee’s right-hand person, manage social media and payroll, and to keep the plants looking as happy and healthy as our current administrator does. To apply, please check out our Indeed ad.

The second position we are hiring for is for a part-time licensed Acupuncturist to take-over Saturdays so we can get back to our regularly scheduled 7 days a week program. We have a great team of Acupuncturists and we are excited to add another practitioner to our roster so that we can continue to meet the scheduling needs of our lovely community. Apply Here

• So Long, Farewell  •