A Critical Review on Pulse Measuring Devices W.S.R. to A̅yurveda Na̅di Parikṣa̅ as a Non-invasive Diagnostic Method

Abstract

Na̅di Parikṣa̅ is a non-invasive key diagnostic and prognostic method found in Aṣṭastha̅na Parikṣa̅ in A̅yurveda, which can be correlated with the palpation component of general patient examination in modern medicine. This review aims at studying the developmental and applicational mechanisms and sample testing methods used in pulse measuring devices in selected studies. This study was done by referring to previous research articles related to developing pulse measuring devices from modern and A̅yurveda perspectives on ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, PubMed®, Google Scholar, etc. Articles published in peer-reviewed English journals in the past seven years were inclusively selected with specific keywords. After reviewing the articles according to the aforementioned criteria, we obtained the main five pieces of research which were done separately to develop a pulse measuring device with an advancement of previously done experimental research works. Out of those five, two were done in Sri Lanka while the others were in India. From the total, two were designed as doctor wearable devices, and others as patient wearable devices. Sample sizes (n) used to get the results of these researches were different from each other. All focused on selecting a sensor, pre-processing utilizing suitable filters, amplifiers, software, and computational methods. It can be concluded that new technological advancements are needed to develop standard devices at the research-based experimental level and to implement them for distinguishing the health status (Deha Prakriti) and the disease status (Vikriti) of an individual from these devices.