wk2 - pulses - 5 shape & 5 superficial Flashcards
5 pulses defined by shape
- long
- short
- large
- small
- wiry
long pulse – description
- extends beyond the cun/guan/chi positions
- don’t know anything about its depth or rate or anything else
long pulse – pathology
- if tall person: could be non-pathological
- if pathology: probably excess
short pulse – description
- shorter in length than the cun/guan/chi positions
- sole defining characteristic is that it does NOT fill the 3 pulse positions
short pulse – pathology
- if short person: could be normal
- if pathology: probably deficiency
large pulse – description
- really wide diameter (from medial to lateral wrist)
- defined as being 2x size of normal
large pulse – pathology
- primarily assoc. with excess pathologies
- if person is large: not much to worry about (but at certain point, being large maybe of concern)
small pulse – description
- narrow diameter
- defined as being 1/2 the size of normal
small pulse – pathology
- primarily assoc. with deficiencies
wiry / string-like pulse – description
- long length
- tight / taught / straight (lacks contour + and is string-like)
- stiff
- hard + forceful (you won’t find a weak wiry pulse)
- “comes up to all 3 fingers at the same time” (bc it’s not contoured)
wiry / string-like pulse – pathology
- non-pathological in Spring season
- LV/GB pathologies
- pain
5 pulses defined by superficial depth
- floating
- scallion
- soggy / soft
- drumskin / leather
- scattered
floating pulse – description
- felt with light touch directly below skin’s surface
- primary presence is superficial (the more I press, the less presence or intensity)
- maybe either forceful or forceless (depending upon whether excess or deficient condition)
floating pulse – pathology
- exterior pathogen
- Yin vacuity
- forceful pulse reflects excess: wind-cold excess or wind-heat excess
- forceless pulse reflects deficiency: wind-cold deficiency or Yin deficiency
scallion pulse – description
- hollow, like green part of scallion
- large pulse (wide diameter, fills up whole space)
- forceless (not a lot of substance)
- felt primarily at superficial level with light touch; with more pressure it’s empty (then before reaching middle level you can feel it slightly)
- defining characteristic of scallion pulse is vacuousness with pressure (this is how to distinguish it from floating pulse, which is NOT empty with pressure)
- “has a top and bottom and sides”
scallion pulse – pathology
- blood vacuity (on more extreme side; not just menstrual blood vacuity)
- blood loss (trauma, hemorrhage)
- essence vacuity (either born this way or have used it up at end of life)
- heat disease that damages fluids (e.g. heat dries or steams fluid, leading to Yin vacuity)
soggy / soft pulse – description
- found at superficial level, directly below surface with light touch; with pressure, it becomes indistinct (not empty)
- has almost nothing below superficial level (you may need to vary pressure to distinguish this pulse)
- small pulse
- forceless
- feels soft + mushy (like a wet sponge)
soggy / soft pulse – pathology
- Qi + Blood vacuity (primarily)
- Damp (bc damp mutes everything)
drumskin / leather pulse – description
- found at superficial level, directly below surface with light touch; even with pressure, there is still some substance; but empty underneath
- this pulse has a false presentation: seemingly hard surface with no bottom
- tight, hard surface (Yang surface, like the top of a drum)
- no bottom
- straight, taut, no contour
- large pulse
- urgency (has an urgent quality to it)
drumskin / leather pulse – pathology
- collapse (Qi Collapse)
- might see it as last radiance of the setting sun (at end of one’s life)
- KD Yang vacuity (severe condition where it’s an anomalous presentation: the last of Yang appears at the surface as heat signs, so you may think it’s Yin vacuity but it’s really severe Yang vacuity)
scattered pulse – description
- found at superficial level, directly below surface with light touch; with pressure, it disappears + scatters (like a dandelion’s seedlings scatter)
- large
- forceless
- disordered rhythm (it’s not in the irregular rhythm category, but has an irregular quality to it)
- lacks root
- feels like there’s barely a vessel (can’t tolerate any pressure)
- (when drawing this pulse, don’t give it any sides bc there’s not enough substance to give it sides)
scattered pulse – pathology
- Qi + Blood DEBILITY (not just Vacuity, but Vacuity++)
- Heart Yang Vacuity
(less impt: late-stage heat diseases – e.g. heat toxins like Ebola virus)
