Non-invasive holistic health measurements using pulse diagnosis: II. Exploring TCM clinical holistic diagnosis using an ingestion test

IntroductionClinical holistic diagnosis (CHD) in Chinese medicine (CM) has tried to evaluate most of the whole body functions non-invasively but subjectively via pulse diagnosis (PD). There was no useful tool to validate this model quantitatively until visible pulse feeling by three-dimensional pulse mapping (3DPM) was proposed.MethodsAn ingestion test was designed to explore the relation between digestive activity and the corresponding spatial locations of pulses in CHD. 3DPMs were recorded 5 min before ingestion and 30, 60, and 90 min after a light meal. The signals were acquired at three palpation positions with five incremental pulse-taking pressures for both hands of 19 subjects. An index, α, calculated from 3DPMs was used to check the variation of pulse patterns in response to the ingestion stimulation. The paired t-test was used to evaluate the significance between the α before and after ingestion for the experimental group in comparison to the control group.ResultsPulses with significant differences after ingestion occurred at the middle depth of the right Guan (at the radial artery) at 30 and 60 min, at the middle depth of the left Guan at 60 and 90 min, and at the middle to deep depths of the right Guan at 90 min.ConclusionThese three position-depths which demonstrated significant differences mapped to the stomach/intestines, liver/gallbladder, and pancreas, respectively in CHD. This is consistent with the process of digestive activity in physiology. This preliminary study partially testified the relationship between organs and palpation positions in CHD by 3DPM.