Traditional Chinese Medicine/Basic Pulse Axioms

The pulse is a precise instrument for transmitting signals about the organism of which it is a part.

Positive and negative signs
The pulse record can tell us our strengths. Intact proximal positions of the lower burner tell us that we are rooted and have ground to stand on. Intact middle positions of the middle burner tell us that we can restore and cleanse ourselves. Intact distal positions of the upper burner tell us that we can reach out to the world with awareness of our creative being, and to maintain mental and emotional stability.

An accurate pulse record is a precise and faithful catalog of a person's physiology and pathology at a given moment in life. It is the royal road to early diagnosis and prevention.

Gender
A very thin pulse in a man and a very wide pulse in a woman are inappropriate signs. Men tend toward heat from excess and women tend toward blood deficiency.

Vulnerability
Disharmony will first occur in the most deficient organ. For example, anger is commonly associated with the Liver, but if a person's Lungs are weaker than the Liver, the Lungs will be affected by anger first, and disharmony will then be found in the Lungs.