Pulse Flashcards
Pulse positions
How to take pulse?
- Find styloid process with middle finger (this is guan position)
- Put index finger on cun position
- Put ring finger on chi position
- Must feel each level for at least 5 beats per level
Superficial Pulse
External Disease
Deep pulse
Internal disease
Middle pulse
Spleen/ Stomach disease
Normal pulse
72 bpm
(4-5 bpb)
Moderate pulse
60-70 bpm
(4 bpb)
Slow pulse
<60 bpm
(<4 bpb)
Rapid pulse
90-120 bpm
(5-6 bpb)
Racing pulse
> 140 bpm
(7-8 bpb)
Floating pulse
- External wind (+tight=cold, +rapid=Heat)
- Yin xu with yang floating
- Fall or autumn
Types of floating pulse
- deficient
- drum skin
- Feeble/Minute
- Full/ Flooding
- Hollow
- Scattered
- soggy/soft
Floating at different positions
Cun= Upper jiao, heaache, wind heat obstructing causing dizziness
Guan= Middle jiao, spleen qi xu or liver qi stag
Chi= Excess yang causing difficulty passing stool and urine
Strong under slight pressure, loses strength when pressure is increased
Floating pulse
Floating with slow strong beats but becomes soft when pressure is applied
Deficient floating
Qi, blood and yang xu
Floating and wiry, almost rapid with no substance in center
Drum skin pulse
Kidney essence or yin xu
blood and jing loss from yang xu, miscarriage, excess sperm loss
Floating, extremely thin and soft but still felt with pressure
Feeble
severe qi and blood xu
yang xu
emergency
collapse
Floating, rough and big with beats that rise strongly but fade out as well
Full or flooding
Fire
Full Heat
empty heat
Healthy in summertime
Floating, big and soft under slight pressure, but without substance at the center under heavier pressure
Hollow
hemorrhage (loss of blood or body fluids, allows yang qi to float to surface)
Floating, large, indistinct without strength or root. Palpable and irregular when slight pressure is applied, but vanishes when pressure is increased.
Scattered
Severe qi/blood Xu
Severe Kid Qi xu
Yuan QI xu
serious
Floating, very thin, and without strength. Disappears when pressure is increased. Only felt at the superficial level.
Soggy
Spleen qi xu unable to control damp
yin xu
blood xu
jing xu
Can only feel under strong pressure to the level of the tendons and bones
Deep
Deep at different levels
Cun= upper jiao, water retention, phlegm obstructing chest/diaphragm.
Guan= Middle jiao, excess stagnant pain inducing cold
Chi= Lower jiao, damaged yuan yang qi (vaginal discharge, incontinence of urine, diarrhea, KD xu lumbago)
Types of deep pulse
- Excess
- firm
- hidden
- Thready
- Weak
Deep, often felt all three levels, big, long, wiry, strong beats.
Excess
Severe accumulation of heat
Very deep, almost hidden, strong, long, wiry, and impatient.
Firm
Liver qi stasis
Pain
Interior cold
Very deep, cannot be felt until deep pressure is applied to the level of the bone, and even then the beats seem to come from below.
Hidden
Internal acumulation of cold
Cold pathogens blocking yang Qi
Severe painLOC/Coma
Thready (thin/fine)
Thready (thin/fine)
Xu (Qi, blood, yin, yang)
Damp blocking vessels
Deep, very soft and thin under deep pressure and not felt at the superficial level.
Weak
Jing Xu
Yin xu
yang Qi xu
Blood Xu
Can be normal in elderly
90 bpm
Rapid
heat or fire
Deficiency yang floating upwards due to yin xu
Rapid pulse at different levels
Cun= Upper jiao, Heart fire blazing or dry heat in lung
Guan= Middle jiao, liver fire or stomach fire
Chi= Fire blazing from lower jiao
Types of rapid pulse
- Moving
- Racing
- Skipping
- Slippery
- Tight
Rapid, tight, slippery, and short with strong beats.
Moving
Shock
Fright
Pain
yin/yang conflict
Very Rapid, over 120
Racing
Excess yang causing yin xu.
Impending exhaustion of yuan qi from excess yang.
Rapid but loses a beat at irregular intervals
Skipping
Severe heat
Fire causing Qi stasis
Exces blood, food stag, phlegm
Qi and blood stasis from heat drying yin fluids
Round and smooth and flows evenly
Slippery
Phlegm
Damp
Food retention
Pregnancy
Excess heat
Children
Rises and falls without strength and vibrates to the left and right.
Tight
Cold (exterior and interior)
Pain (contracting due to cold)
Under 60 bpm
Slow
Cold
Qi/Blood Xu causing cold
Extreme Heat causing obstruction of blood
Athletic
Slow pulse on different levels
Cun= cold in Upper jiao
Guan= cold in Middle jiao
Chi= cold in Lower jiao, heavy painful loins and thighs, incontinence or urine or scrotal hernia.
Types of slow pulse
- Choppy
- Intermittent
- Knotted
- Moderate
Slow pulse on different levels
Cun= cold in Upper jiao
Guan= cold in Middle jiao
Chi= cold in Lower jiao, heavy painful loins and thighs, incontinence or urine or scrotal hernia.
Slow, thin minute, difficult, stagnant, and short with uneven flow beating 3-4 times with irregular rhythm.
Choppy
Blood xu
Blood stasis
Xu of blood or body fluids and essence
Phlegm or food stasis
Loses a beat and then pauses a little longer before starting again, at regular intervals
Intermittent
heart organ problems
zang Qi weakness
Excess emotions
Leisurely, but loses a beat at irregular intervals
Knotted
blockage (Qi, blood, phlegm, cold)
Qi and blood xu
Leisurely, but loses a beat at irregular intervals
Knotted
blockage (Qi, blood, phlegm, cold)
Qi and blood xu
60 bpm, if imbalanced pulse feels thick and viscous with slack.
Moderate
Spleen Xu
Damp
Not enough blood to fill vessels
Healthy
Large, fills up fingertip, forceful. Can be floating or deep.
Large
Disease developing due to domination of pathogenic factors
Deficiency syndrome (yang floating, large will feel weak)
Extends past the cun and chi positions
Long
Excess heat
Excess liver yang
Toxic heat
Pathogenic heat
Robust health
Fails to fill both the Cun and the Chi positions.
Short
Qi xu
Qi stasis
Blood Xu (will also be floating)
Taut, long and strong (and down to get the friction on, jk), whether under pressure or not,a nd passes straight under the fingers without vibrating to the right or left or giving any wave like sensations.
Wiry
LR/GB disharmony
pain
phlegm
spring
seniors
stasis
Umbrella term for forceful pulses, excessive, wiry, tight, slippery, long, large,firm
Forceful
Excess syndromes
Excess heat
EPI heat disease
Umbrella term forceless pulses, thready, xu, hollow, scattered, soggy, intermittent
Forceless
Xu
Hyperactivity of yang du to yin xu
