Pulse - Part 3
Checking Your Pulse

General Rules/Guidelines to Check the Pulse

It is important that the pulse is checked correctly otherwise the answer might be misleading. Make sure that the fingers are placed correctly at the correct location. Following guidelines can be helpful:

• Pulse should be checked at the wrist with all the four fingers by placing in a way that the index finger is towards the base of the hand. Some practitioners use only three fingers depending upon their own technique.
• The hand being checked should be in normal relaxed position and not tense, held out straight or stretched by force.
• Palm of the hand being checked should face upwards.
• Hands should be kept stationary while checking.
• Pulse of both hands should be checked.
• Initially the fingers should be placed gently. Undue pressure should not be exerted unless it is necessary to find the pulse.
• It should preferably be checked in the morning before eating or drinking anything.
• If it becomes unavoidable to check at a time other than morning, it should not be checked immediately after eating or drinking unless there is no choice.
• Do not check if you are feeling emotionally disturbed. Wait till you calm down.
• Should not be checked when you have been walking and feeling somewhat out of breath. Rest for a while till you feel and breathe as you generally do.

Some abnormalities of the pulse

• Too rapid (Tachycardia)
• Too slow (Bradycardia). Watch out for the action of your heart.
• Deep or very deep, not easily found. It times it cannot be found at all, particularly in obese persons.
• Weak, almost imperceptible.
• Intermittent. A beat or two missing after some beats. It is a serious irregularity.
• Irregular (non rhythmic). Some beats strong and some weak.
• Too strong, felt everywhere. It does not necessarily indicate lot of body strength.
• Thin (wiry) pulse.
• Too soft, compressible.
• Strong and found under first one or two fingers only.

In case you find one or more of these abnormalities, you should consider consulting your doctor as soon as possible. It may not necessarily indicate a trouble with the heart, it could be something else.

Attention

Along with other details, following symptoms also need the attention of your doctor:

• Shortness of breath on little physical exertion or going upstairs.
• Any heaviness, pain or pricking feeling in heart area.
• Any pain in left arm and jaw with or without swelling of veins of the neck.
• Palpitation after taking food containing fats.
• Any heaviness in heart area specially on lying on left side.
• Limbs go to sleep easily.
• Legs swell when hanging down.
• Feeling of weakness without any apparent reason.
• Swelling or cramps in calves.
• Persistent low blood pressure and subnormal body temperature.

Homeopathy does not deny the concept and checking of pulse. If it is found weak,  intermittent, irregular, rapid or too slow, it does indicate abnormalities. In case of heart patients, it is always beneficial to check the pulse thoroughly and attentively. It gives a lot of help in reaching a diagnosis and selecting a medicine for homeopathic treatment.

For online patients,

It is not possible to physically check the pulse online but still basic information can be obtained through a special set of questions so that this important tool is as much used for diagnosis as possible. The practitioner would need to understand the pulse and know what questions to ask. If it is done, it is an added advantage but if not, don't worry too much about it. Leave it to the practitioner to decide what to do.

What is Pulse?
Significance of Pulse