| Acupuncture Diagnosis How does an acupuncturist know what’s going on? There are many ways. We look. We look at the patient. We notice the colors around the sides of the eyes and under them. We notice the color of the skin. We notice the way a person walks and moves. We notice the expression on the face or lack thereof. We look at the tongue. We listen. We ask many, many, questions about the person’s health and their health history. We listen to the responses, looking for patterns and themes. We listen to what seems important to the patient. We listen to what they focus on when they talk with us. We hear. We hear the sound of their voices. We listen for the tone of their voice to tell us about their internal organs. Do they laugh easily? Does their voice sound like a groan? We smell. The way a body smells tells an acupuncturist something about what is going on with the patient. It is one reason that artificial fragrances are not allowed in an acupuncturist’s office. We touch. We palpate tender areas and we feel the pulses. Within the diagnostic scope, the tongue and pulses are two of the most important in traditional acupuncture. The tongue tells a lot about what is going on inside. The acupuncturist notices the coating. Is there a coat? What color? How thick? Is it dry or is it sort of greasy? The color of the tongue itself is important. Is it purple or pink or pale? Is it moist or dry? Does it have teeth marks along the edges? Is the tip the same color or is it different? Where is it pale or orange or pink or red or purple? Does it quiver or veer to one side? All this information is important in diagnosis. The pulses can be even more important. The acupuncturist feels the pulse in six different places and at two levels. They are feeling for the quality of the pulse in each place, not just the speed. Each area corresponds to one of the organ systems and what is going on with the pulse in that area will tell an acupuncturist more about that system. This is an art and takes many years to become very, very good at. |
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