The Qualities of Qi in Meridian diagnosis One of the earliest known methods of diagnosis in Chinese medicine was reading the flow of Qi through the meridians and organs. This was done be sensing the energy flow with the hands, fingers, and eyes. This is still a major technique, and can be accomplished by holding a meridian end point at a given subject's finger or toe, and passing the free hand over the path of the meridian and the corresponding organ. Any changes in the Qi flow indicate an imbalance in relation to the anatomic position where the change occurred, or in the organ.
Some practitioners hold the right finger or toe of a female and the left hand or toe of the male.
There are also practitioners who treat using methods similar to diagnosis with External Qi Gong. The following qualities of Qi can be felt by the hands only with a little practice. The following represents some of the information presented in an excellent class on Tui Na taught by Sifu Carl Totten at the Taoist Institute in North Hollywood, California. Many of these qualities of Qi listed below include the associated pathology to which they correspond. Many do not.