"In contemporary Ayurvedic hospitals, however, such technologies (x rays, cardiograph, sonograms,..) are marked by a further ambivalence. For even as these instruments produce simultaneously awesome and fatual representations of organs and lesions, they persistently fail to illuminate dosa, ama, prakrti, and agni. To illuminate these dimensions of illness practitioners must turn away from the technological images back to the living bodies. Practitioners in modern Ayurvedic hospitals, therefore, are often seen vacillating between, arguing over, or alternately privileging the signs of a living body and the signs of an anatomical body."( Langford, "The fluent bodies", p. 159)
In this excerpt, Langford draws a comparison between the contemporary Ayurvedic hospitals that use modern medical technologies that read only the signs of an anatomical body (organs and lesions) and the traditional Ayurvedic techniques that read the signs of a living body, such as, dosa( forces in the body responsible for illness), prakirti (predominent dosa). In traditional Ayurvedic medicine the "pulse diagnosis" is used in conjunction with "Darshana" (pure observation and inspection), and "Prashna" (questioning). It is all three of these that must be employed to reach a complete diagnosis of an illness.
In this excerpt, Langford draws a comparison between the contemporary Ayurvedic hospitals that use modern medical technologies that read only the signs of an anatomical body (organs and lesions) and the traditional Ayurvedic techniques that read the signs of a living body, such as, dosa( forces in the body responsible for illness), prakirti (predominent dosa). In traditional Ayurvedic medicine the "pulse diagnosis" is used in conjunction with "Darshana" (pure observation and inspection), and "Prashna" (questioning). It is all three of these that must be employed to reach a complete diagnosis of an illness.
"Pulse diagnosis", or nadi pariksan, is the main technique that gives a distinction between institutional Ayu
rveda and "folk" practice. According to Langford, "A practitioner's ability to diagnose a patient's illness simply by feeling his or her pulse is often taken as the quintessential sign of " traditional" Ayurveda. ( p. 191) For traditional practitioners, pulse diagnosis is not a magic. It is a procedure that requires concentration and a long period of practice, for them it's not an easy education. Langford argues that " The mystique surrounding pulse diagnosis is enhanced by the fact that it is not, and presumably cannot be, taught in Ayurvedic colleges." (p. 192) "The powerful mystique of this diagnosis is pervasive among rural and metropolitan Indians and foreigners alike." (p. 191)
rveda and "folk" practice. According to Langford, "A practitioner's ability to diagnose a patient's illness simply by feeling his or her pulse is often taken as the quintessential sign of " traditional" Ayurveda. ( p. 191) For traditional practitioners, pulse diagnosis is not a magic. It is a procedure that requires concentration and a long period of practice, for them it's not an easy education. Langford argues that " The mystique surrounding pulse diagnosis is enhanced by the fact that it is not, and presumably cannot be, taught in Ayurvedic colleges." (p. 192) "The powerful mystique of this diagnosis is pervasive among rural and metropolitan Indians and foreigners alike." (p. 191) This video clip YouTube - Ayurveda - Art of Being Part 1 shows a traditional Ayurvedic practitioner performing the "pulse diagnosis" technique. He describes the pulse as the mirror of the whole
body. Every substance in the universe, including the human body, consists of an aggregate of five basic elements – solids, liquids, gases, energy and space. All living organisms are composed of the same basic elements that organized into three basic biological humors(Dosa) as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Gases and space combine to form Vata, energy and liquid turn into Pitta. Liquids and solids combine to form Kapha. The harmonious working of these three biological forces or intelligences is health, and their conflict is disease. The benefits of pulse reading , in conjunction with inspection(eyes, skin, and nails colors) and questioning, are detection of imbalances at an early stage, identifying the cause of imbalance, and restoring balance through proper herbal supplements, diet, daily and seasonal routine, yogic postures, breathing exercises, and meditation technique . This is what 
Langford calls it reading " the signs of a living body." http://www.byregion.net/articles-healers/Healthy_Stress.html
In modern Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional style of pulse diagnosis is replaced by a number of other tests. Tests by stethoscope and blood pressure cuff are routinely performed as pulse diagnostic techniques. The stethoscope reveals pulse rate and irregularities in the structure and function of the heart, which must be evaluated further. The non-invasive sonograms as well as the more invasive testing (e.g., insertion of monitors into the body) allow modern physicians to examine the interior of the arteries and the heart. The information from these tests is generally understood to reflect only the conditions of the heart and major vessels (the cardiovascular system); it is not thought of as a means of examining other aspects of health. Unlike the traditional concept, the pulse information obtained by examining the vessels is not thought to provide useful information about, for example, the liver, kidney, lung, or spleen conditions. These tests read only " the signs of an anatomical body". www.itmonline.org/arts/pulse.htm
body. Every substance in the universe, including the human body, consists of an aggregate of five basic elements – solids, liquids, gases, energy and space. All living organisms are composed of the same basic elements that organized into three basic biological humors(Dosa) as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Gases and space combine to form Vata, energy and liquid turn into Pitta. Liquids and solids combine to form Kapha. The harmonious working of these three biological forces or intelligences is health, and their conflict is disease. The benefits of pulse reading , in conjunction with inspection(eyes, skin, and nails colors) and questioning, are detection of imbalances at an early stage, identifying the cause of imbalance, and restoring balance through proper herbal supplements, diet, daily and seasonal routine, yogic postures, breathing exercises, and meditation technique . This is what 
Langford calls it reading " the signs of a living body." http://www.byregion.net/articles-healers/Healthy_Stress.htmlIn modern Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional style of pulse diagnosis is replaced by a number of other tests. Tests by stethoscope and blood pressure cuff are routinely performed as pulse diagnostic techniques. The stethoscope reveals pulse rate and irregularities in the structure and function of the heart, which must be evaluated further. The non-invasive sonograms as well as the more invasive testing (e.g., insertion of monitors into the body) allow modern physicians to examine the interior of the arteries and the heart. The information from these tests is generally understood to reflect only the conditions of the heart and major vessels (the cardiovascular system); it is not thought of as a means of examining other aspects of health. Unlike the traditional concept, the pulse information obtained by examining the vessels is not thought to provide useful information about, for example, the liver, kidney, lung, or spleen conditions. These tests read only " the signs of an anatomical body". www.itmonline.org/arts/pulse.htm
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