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Measurement of Health
In Chinese medicine, the primary means of determining health is by feeling an individual’s pulse. This methodology is used to diagnose illnesses and determine general wellbeing. Quantitative measurements such as body mass, blood pressure and cholesterol levels are generally unnecessary.
For example, a strong, slow and consistent pulse generally indicates good health. The individual is unlikely to become ill or have health problems in the near future. On the other hand, a very weak and erratic pulse may indicate bad health. The individual may be prone to illness, may already have existing health conditions and may have a short time left to live. Pulse diagnosis can also reveal other things about a person, such as whether they are pregnant and even the gender of the baby. It is often used to diagnose health issues which are not easily apparent and could lead to disease in the future. For example, a pulse that feels elongated or wiry like the string on a guitar on the middle position of the right hand indicates that individual's stomach has 'water' and they may be experiencing dizziness or vertigo as a result.
When reading a pulse, there are 4 main aspects noted:
The location - the position on the arm and after applying pressure into the skin at each position
The strength of the pulse - whether it is strong or weak
Its speed - rapid, normal or slow
Its character
Each location and depth on the wrist represents different parts of the body as shown in the diagram below.
What a healthy pulse looks like
Three fingers are placed in a line on the patient’s wrist as shown above. This is repeated for the patient's other hand.
For the finger closest to the hand, the pulse should be felt very easily on the top surface.
For the finger in the middle, it should take a slight pressure to feel the pulse
For the finger furthest away from the hand, the pulse should only be felt with pressure
A healthy individual’s pulse changes with the season to match with the five elements. An ominous sign of bad health is when an individual’s pulse is characteristic of the season opposite to the current one. For example, if the season is summer but their pulse is characteristic of winter, it generally indicates they are in peril.
Conclusion
Pulse diagnosis in Chinese medicine is the main method of checking an individual’s health and diagnosing underlying issues that may not be apparent. It uses and integrates with the overall Chinese medicine theory including yin and yang, qi, meridians and the five elements.