Taking one's pulse...

  I have been working out at the Y.  They encourage you to take your pulse and try to work out within the target zone.  One of the instructors saw me take my pulse using the carotid artery and just about blew a gasket.  She said taking your pulse that way could be dangerous, then showed me a newspaper article about a man that dislodged some plaque from taking his pulse against the carotid artery and almost died.
  I have a great deal of difficulty feeling my pulse anywhere except on the neck.  Could counting beats using the neck pulse for 10 seconds truly be dangerous?  I have a hard time sometimes with tachycardia (110+ at rest, up to 170+ with moderate exercise) and sometimes runs of PVCs, which have been evaluated and are benign, although occasionally noticeable.  I have discovered that taking my pulse on my neck also slows the heartrate and helps to moderate the PVCs, which in turn makes me more comfortable.
  What is your verdict on pulse taking?

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

Dear Mommylee,
Firstly I would like to thank you for sharing your experience (your daughter's
experience that is with hyperthyroidism) with Barbara.
Here is my take on taking your pulse via the carotid artery.  As we age, the
chances of developing plaque in our carotid arteries increases; those who do not
smoke, do not have diabetes, and do not have elevated cholesterol are the least likely
to develop plaque in the carotid arteries.  
It takes a good amount of plaque and quite a bit of pressure (almost a massage like
motion) to dislodge plaque.  So although I can not without an ultrasound of your
carotid arteries (which defines the general amount if any plaque in the carotids)
guarantee that you will not dislodge clot, it is highly unlikely that simply taking
one's pulse using light pressure on the neck is of any concern.
And besides as you say, it seems to calm your PVCs which is a good thing I suppose.
The reason that your heart rate slows with taking your carotid pulse is likely that
it stimulates the vagal system ever so slightly such that the heart rate is slowed
(this is what vagal tone does to the heart.)  When patients are having an SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia)
we will often massage the carotid artery for 5secs in an effort to break the tachycardia via the vagal
stimulus.  
Your daily exercise is a very important to the health of your heart and body, so do yourself a favor and
do not fear something that has such benefits for you and is of little if no risk.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.