The Tight, Tense Pulse (Jin Mai)

Tight Pulse (?? Jin Mai, tense)

Key points: tense, taut, forceful, vibrating (unstable, movable)

Indications: Cold: cold causes constriction, vessel contracts, pulse becomes tight.

Food stagnation: cold in the middle burner obstructs movement of qi and food.

“Vibration” arrives as tautness of the vessel that responds with a vibration when palpated.

Explanation: I apologize for a lack of insight with a few of these pulses, having never directly felt them. I note that Bob Flaws also describes this pulse as somewhat rare. I have attempted to understand what “vibrating” means in the context of a pulse sensation. I theorize that the word “shivering” may help us recognize this pulse better than “vibrating” which totally makes sense given that the tight (tense) pulse indicates external cold. When positing this idea at live seminars, I often get some knowing nods of affirmation from some of the seminar participants. So, your guess is as good as mine on this one. I say look for a full, forceful, hard pulse that shivers. Or just ask the patient if they have the common cold. That works too. :)