7 Things An Acupuncturist Knows About You After Just One Appointment

In case it’s been awhile since you last sat through an anatomy class, the thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your throat that helps regulate many of the body’s daily functions by steadily releasing hormones into the bloodstream. When something is out of whack, acupuncturists can see the clues in your physical features. For example, you’re likely to have a sallow complexion, puffy tongue, and low appetite if the thyroid is underactive. An overactive thyroid will display opposite symptoms, like redness in the face and tongue, an increase in appetite, and rapid pulse. Folckomer says that these patterns aren’t enough to make a formal diagnosis, but they’re a good bet something is going on and you should schedule a test with your doctor. (Help wrangle wonky hormones with these 21 hormone-balancing foods you should be eating.)

One of the key things acupuncturists always do is read the pulses. In traditional Chinese medicine there are six basic pulse positions—three on each wrist. You can feel them by placing the tips of your first three fingers on your opposite wrist below the thumb, with your first finger in the wrist crease. Each finger represents a different position. Folckomer says an acupuncturist may be able to actually feel that your body is trying to fight off a cold, even if you haven’t consciously realized it yourself. The tip-off is a fluttery, floating quality in the top position that disappears when you press harder.

Related: 30 Herbs That Fight Your Worst Cold And Flu Symptoms

Folckomer says that sometimes acupuncturists are the first to know when their clients become pregnant. “You can feel it in the pulse. It’s what we call ‘slippery,’” she says, which she describes as a forceful, rolling quality. “It’s an abrupt change from a typical pulse. I’m not going to be the one to tell my patients they’re pregnant, but I may ask them if they’re trying to conceive and just smile to myself.” (Pregnant? Check out these 8 bizarre things that are about to happen to your body.) 

Acupuncturists can learn a crazy number of surprising things about your health just by looking at your tongue (seriously, here's what my acupuncturist could tell just by looking at my tongue). In fact, your tongue can even tell them if you’re experiencing musculoskeletal pain somewhere else in the body. “If the sides are red, that’s an indication of neck and jaw tension. If your tongue deviates to one side, that’s also a sign you have pain on the opposite side of the body,” Folckomer says. So if your tongue leans to the right, there’s a good chance you’re experiencing strain in your neck or shoulder on the left side of your body.

Redness at the very tip of the tongue (an area associated with the heart) indicates you probably didn’t have any sweet dreams the night before. “When I see this, I would definitely ask about the patient’s sleep patterns,” Folckomer says. (Try this #1 yoga pose for better sleep.)

There are many signals of stomach troubles that acupuncturists pick up on, but one of them is, surprisingly, nail fungus. "It can be indicative of fluid metabolism or digestive imbalance due to not processing nutrients correctly. Chinese medicine refers to it as 'dampness,' Folckomer explains.

Related: 6 Natural Ways To Deal With Nail Fungus

According to Folckomer, there are many signs of imbalances in the blood the can lead acupuncturists to a subclinical diagnosis. For example, brittle hair and nails along with pallor in the face and tongue can indicate anemia (start eating these 7 foods that pack in more iron than red meat). Acupuncturists can pick up on these signs even before the disorder is diagnosable by a medical test.