The few hours devoted to didactic study of pulse when I was in school
were laughable. So I heeded Robert Johns' sage advice to study with
Dr. Leon Hammer. I've been doing that for 8 years, and I feel
competent to teach the system. More importantly, Dr. Hammer feels
that I am competent to teach it. And I find the continued study to be
one of the most collegial atmospheres I get to enjoy. To whit, I am
also a student of the pulse and will remain so.

I also teach a standard course at a TCM school. It is a fact that
one has to teach the 28 qualities. I use some of the pedagogy of
Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD), or what some refer to as
the Shen-Hammer method, in order to give students a more tactile
grounding in pulse diagnosis (i.e. emphasizing three depths, finger
placement, and placing qualities in categories like volume, width,
amplitude, force, shape). With that experiential understanding one
can simply feel a lot of pulses, ask astute questions, verify
hypotheses and learn on more on one's own. It is certianly better to
study with someone skilled in pulse diagnosis. There's no magic
bullet: it takes many years to master, but the rewards are tangible.

I love teaching acupuncturists who have been in practice and have some
experience. They often say: "Oh, I've felt that quality for years,
and never knew what to call it. Thanks."



Brandt Stickley

--- In PulseDiagnosis@yahoogroups.com, shadjody@... wrote:
>
> Hi
> I teach at Bastyr University in Seattle. I teach a 2 credit (22 hrs)
> advanced tongue and pulse diagnosis class as an elective. 3/8 of
the class is TCM
> pulses, 1/4 is Japanese Sho system (Japanese Meriden Therapy), 1/8
is 8 Extra
> Vessel (based on Will's class/ article form Acupuncture today) and
1/8 is a
> 3 hr . slide show on tongue diagnosis and of course exams.. About
a half of
> each class is spent in lab setting where myself and a TA go around
and check
> technique. I have taken Will's class but don't feel competent to
teach Dr.
> Hammer's system.
> About 10 years ago I tried teaching the 1st year class where
students learn
> tongue and pulse. I found all they could do is memorize and learn
a few
> simple pulses. Even a complex discussion of tongues(obviously
much simpler than
> pulses) was beyond them at that level. Tongue and pulse needs to be
> revisited after students are in clinic and actually working with
patients,
> Shad Reinstein LAc MAc
>
>
>
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