Description
Role of Pulse Assessment in Clinical Ayurveda
By Dr. Martina Ziska
The information in this article was presented in part af the International Conference on India's Contributions & Influences in the World at the Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, MA, July 2002.
I. Introduction
Nadi Vijnanam, or the specialized knowledge of pulse as the expression of the individual consciousness, is one of the techniques Ayurveda uses to determine the status of the physical and mental body. Ayurveda uses darshana or observation, prashna - patient questioning, and sparshana or tactile perception, a form of which is pulse assessment, to determine specific imbalances in a patient's body. This article proposes that pulse diagnosis represents perhaps the most important diagnostic tool in Ayurveda. This suggestion is based not only on the author's personal experience, but also on objective data that is the subject of this article. Using case studies as points of reference, the author is hoping to inspire Ayurvedic practitioners to use pulse diagnosis in their clinical work on to enhance their already existing interest in pulse assessment.
