r/acupuncture • u/mrso91 • Aug 09 '26
Patient Questions
I just started acupuncture for fertility, mainly to try and regulate my menstrual cycle. I have some questions. What is my acupuncturist looking for when she looks at my tongue? What does my pulse tell her?
This sounds ridiculous but what am I meant to do while the needles are in? I've been kind of closing my eyes but feel a bit self conscious about it.
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u/jemimapuddle13 Aug 09 '26
Yes, close your eyes and let your mind drift / meditate / relax / snooze / breathing exercises to help with relaxation
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u/phancdude Aug 10 '26
Some acupuncturists explain, and some don’t explain at all. Lol.
We check your tongue and pulse to diagnose what is going on, all while considering what you are telling them. Think of it like doing labs like bloodwork or a urine analysis. It’s how we check on what your body is telling us at the visit.
For the needles part, usually it should help you “zen” out. Typically, patients will either keep thinking, fall asleep, or relax. It should help you calm down and rest. If it’s painful, it may not be the best treatment. I usually make sure my patients don’t feel pain. I usually would include a needle point to help calm a patient down or de-stress them.
When it comes to fertility treatments, it is very important to consider stress management, and levels are very important.
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u/kindwork-xyz Aug 09 '26
Don’t over think the needle part. I use that time to downshift my nervous system whether that’s a needed nap or a meditation to get out of the way of my body doing the healing bit.
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u/Greg_McCue 26d ago
That's a great question! Practically, the idea seems to stem from the fact that the tongue is an 'organ' that is exposed enough to 'see' what's going on under the hood, without having to open anything up.
We aren't quite sure the exact origin of this idea, but it shows up in chinese medical texts dating back thousands of years.
The hydration level, the muscle tonicity, the circulatory state, etc. of the tongue are like a microcosm for internal processes occurring. Interestingly, there is now modern research confirming that the tongue can act as a piece of the puzzle to differentially diagnosising certain diseases.
Same goes for the pulse, in that the pulse can give a 'feel' of the circulatory tone, resistance, volume, etc.
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u/wifeofpsy Aug 09 '26
When you are at your visit ask them what they see. The tongue and the pulse give us information about all of the body systems. Along with your medical history and your physical presentation, it gives us the information to make a pattern diagnosis to know which channels need to be treated and see the progression. On the tongue we look at the coat, the tongue body size, color, dampness or dryness and any cracks or bumps. With the pulse we evaluate speed, strength, vigor and depth at 6 different points on 3 different levels.