Along with looking, asking and listening, touch is one of the four pillars of diagnostics in TCM. Tongue analysis (looking) and pulse type (touch) are perhaps the two most common diagnostic tools in TCM.
When conducting a pulse analysis, the TCM practitioner will palpate the wrist to find the pulse. The practitioner places three fingers over 3 points on the thumb-side of both the left and right wrist, just below the carpal tunnel. These 3 points correspond to TCM meridians. On the left wrist, the 3 points mirror the Heart, Liver and Kidney; the right wrist assesses the general state of the Lung, Spleen and Kidney.
Pulse diagnosis, one of the jewels of traditional Chinese medicine, is a profoundly subtle instrument for the early diagnosis and prevention of disease. Yet far too often, in the haste of modern education and practice, it has become a neglected art.
Multiple-choice questions on interpretation, supported with case histories, draws everything together to show how this information can be formulated into a rational diagnosis.
