Comprehensive Foundations of Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis
Comprehensive Foundations of Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis
This three-day, hands-on class will introduce students to the foundational concepts of the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis system - the "Hallmark of Chinese Medicine Diagnosis". In this class you will learn pulse diagnostic techniques, deepen your palpation skills, and learn to accurately interpret pulse qualities to craft a treatment strategy that forms the basis of long-term treatment planning for your patients. Topics include: Pulse systems comparisons; History of the Shen-Hammer tradition; Large Segments and Stability of the Pulse; Common Qualities; Depth Calibration; and the 28 Individual Primary and Complementary Positions. This class is suitable for for new and continuing students of pulse diagnosis.
**Approved for 21 CEU credits / NCBAHM PDA credits
Class Syllabus
Day One: 9 am - 5 pm
History of Pulse Diagnosis
Systems Comparison: : Understanding the Strengthens and Weaknesses of Varying Traditions
Historical Texts: Nan Jing vs. Neijing Su Wen
Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis
Why Pulse?
The “Normal” Pulse
Comprehensive Pulse Intake
Finger Positioning and Methodology: The Five Finger Movements
Large Segments: “The Whole Pulse”
Assessing Stability
Rate, Rhythm, and Amplitude
Palpatory Exercises
Depth
The Three Depths
Above the Qi Depth
Path to Jing Xu via Qi Deficiency
Wide Blood Qualities
Palpatory Exercise: Calibration of the Three Depths
Finding the Waveform
Three Questions to Ask when Diagnosing the Wave Form
Differentiating between Floating Qualities vs Robust Waveforms
Palpatory Exercises
Left and Right Side Imbalances
Day Two: 9 am - 5 pm
The Five Quality Categories
Qualifying Terminology
Volume
Robust Volume
Reduced Volume
Reduced Volume Qualities also classified by Shape
Reduced Volume Qualities also classified by Depth
Nine Stages of Qi Deficiency (Mild to Moderate to Advanced to Severe)
Width
Reduced Width
Path to Jing Xu via Qi Stagnation and Yin Xu
Palpatory Exercises
Shape
Fluid
Non-Fluid
´Step–by–Step Pulse Intake: Large Segments
Rate, Rhythm, Uniform Qualities of the Whole Pulse
Waveform
Depths
Left vs. Right
Day Three: 9 am - 5 pm
Individual Principal and Complementary Positions
The 6 Principal Positions, 22 Complementary Positions
Common Qualities of the Individual Positions by Quality Category
Volume: Inflated and Flat
Depth: Empty, Hollow
Pulse Diagnosis Demonstration: Complete Pulse Intake
Palpating the Individual Positions
Left Side
Left Distal Position (Heart)
Pericardium, Mitral Valve, Large Vessel
Left Neuropsychological
Left Special Lung Position
Heart Enlarged / Top of the Diaphragm
Left Middle Position (Liver)
Liver Distal Engorged / Bottom of the Diaphragm
Evaluating the Diaphragm Complementary Position
Common Qualities of the Left Distal Position
Liver Ulnar Engorged / Left Side Solar Plexus
Gall Bladder
Left Proximal Position (Kidney, Kidney Yin)
Large Intestine
Left Pelvic Lower Body
Palpatory Exercise
Right Side
Right Distal Position (Lungs)
Right Neuropsychological
Right Special Lung Position
Pleura / Top of the Diaphragm
Right Middle Position (Spleen – Stomach)
Esophagus / Bottom of the Diaphragm
Complementary Spleen / Right Side Solar Plexus
Stomach Pyloric Extention
Right Proximal Position (Kidney Yang / Bladder)
Small Intestine / Duodenum
Right Pelvic Lower Body
Palpatory Exercises
Review of Comprehensive Pulse Intake, Interpretations, and Case Study
Fee Schedule
$800 CAD / $750 CAD early bird discount if payment is made by February 28, 2027
$750 CAD / $700 early bird discount for OCTCM Alumni / TCMO members
Return Students Pricing: Contact toronto@octcm.com
Prices are subject to 13% HST. HST is not included in the prices listed above.
*Cancellations on or before two week prior to the course start date will result in a $50 + HST cancellation fee. Student cancellations made less than two weeks prior will not receive a refund.
Insturctor Bio
Dr. Tracy Soltesz, D.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. (NCBAHM), C.ZB., has a Bachelor degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in political science, legal policy and advanced journalism. She obtained her Master of Acupuncture from the Tai Sophia Institute, now called Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), and obtained her license to practice acupuncture in early 2006, where she continues to treat patients while running a multi-practitioner clinic in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2016, she was a part of the first graduating class of the Doctor of Acupuncture program at MUIH. She holds a Diplomate of Acupuncture from the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCCAOM).
She has traveled throughout the world to study the ways in which our cultural, generational, and gender conditioning inform our health care decisions, training with renowned scholars of Asian Medicine including Lonny Jarrett, Ross Rosen, and Dr. Leon Hammer, MD. Tracy has over twenty years of post-graduate apprenticeship in the Clinical Integration of Chinese Medicine. She is one of only a dozen practitioners worldwide certified by Dr. Hammer before his passing as a senior teacher and lineage holder of the Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis system.
Tracy has served the profession through volunteer work since 2008, including serving as President of the Maryland Acupuncture Society (MAS) and Chair of the Council of State (Acupuncture) Associations (CSA), a coalition of American state-based acupuncture associations now known as the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) – a national federation of acupuncturists. She served for ten years as adjunct faculty at MUIH and was the Clinical Pearls editor for the Journal of the American Society of Acupuncturists. Currently, she teaches Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis classes across the US and Canada while serving as the Vice Chair of the Dr. Leon Hammer Legacy Foundation, a foundation created by Dr. Hammer to preserve, promote, and protect his lifework and teachings.
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