Validation of the nadi pulse instrument (pulse assessment equipment)

Nadi Pariksha is one among the asta-sthana (eight-fold) examination. Nadi Pariksha is a diagnostic skill, based on the tactile sensitivity of the physicians. elicited by radial artery pulsations. This is an ancient traditional Ayurvedic technique known to Indian physicians since the Vedic era. This is a diagnostic way to assess health status of an individual in terms of dosha levels, to know the untold symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis of disease. The references of the term naadi is found in Charak Samhita.  Bhela samhita, Harita samhita, Susruta samhita, Yogashastra and Sidhashastra Sharangadhara Samhita, Yogratnakar, Basavarajiyam texts.  This art and knowledge of pulse diagnosis was accepted and practiced in various medical therapies of the world, like in Greek, Chinese, Turkish, Arab, Homeopathy, Allopathic from many years. This diagnostic method has got its significant role in assessment of the physiological and pathological conditions.

Naadi pariksha was developed and practiced as a family tradition by naadi vaidyas. This assessment depends on good tactile sensitivity of physician’s fingers. To maintain the secrecy of knowledge, the procedure and the skill remained with the family members of the particular tradition. As this pariksha (examination) is subjective there is difficulty in teaching and learning of this skill. This has led to loss of its wide practise in diagnosis of disease. This knowledge of naadi pariksha is sparsely found and scattered in some of the ayurveda texts.

Naadi pariksha requires dedicated concentration, good tactile sensitivity in a physician. Its difficulty in teaching and learning has led to loss of practise in diagnosis of disease. There are various instruments designed for the examination of pulse, but these instruments’ have some lacuna like lack of data capturing methods, some instruments do not follow the classical Ayurveda method, some other instruments study the heartrate variability. This study, efforts to validate an objective diagnostic tool named as Nadipulse.