Perhaps
one of the greatest legacy that Tibet has left mankind
and which the west is only just beginning to discover
is its medicine which has been practised for over 2,500
years. It is still taught by the Tibetans in exile and
has even been accepted by the Chinese invaders. Although
it hovered near extinction for forty years since the
destruction of the main medical school opposite the
Poala Palace it is now thriving even under the Chinese
occupation. There is now a newly enlarged 1,000-bed
hospital in Lhasa which practices only Tibetan medicine
and a factory that produces medicine in the traditional
way with prayers and the use of astrology.
The headquarters
of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute are
now based in Dharamsala in Northern India. Here many
new Tibetan doctors are being trained and the ancient
medicines are again being manufactured. Today there
are over 30 branches in India and Nepal and many new
practitioners in Europe and America. For hundreds of
years it has been known about in Russia and extensive
experiments were carried out in the Buryat Scientific
Centre of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy
of Sciences. Many of the Tibetan plants can be substituted,
they discovered, by Mongolian varieties. Fortunately,
because of the vigorous efforts of its doctors, a large
portion of Tibetan medicine is being preserved.
LEARNING FROM TIBETAN MEDICINE
There is
a tremendous amount that western medicine can learn
from Tibetan pharmacology that utilised the rare plants
and herbs found only in Tibet. Dieticians too can learn
a great deal from the simple remedies that say for example
that pomegranates can cure indigestion to the carefully
constructed diets designed to cure specific illnesses.
We may take time to assimilate curative practices such
as blood letting, astrology, moxibustion, cupping, mineral
baths or cold showers but should respect the tradition
that these beliefs came from For example, the Four Pharmacopoeias
is an epoch-making text written 1,100 years ago and
anticipates many of the findings of modern medicine.
It even understood the way a human embryo grows within
the womb and distinguishes "the fish stage"
(corresponding to the aquatic creature), "the tortoise
stage" (corresponding to the reptile), and "the
pig stage" (corresponding to the mammal). Also,
whilst it may not offer modern western medicine much
in areas of infectious diseases or surgery, it is in
chronic afflictions, psychosomatic and psychological
imbalance that its application appears to offer the
greatest possibilities.
Tibetan medicine
is one of the five major sciences, and is called gSoba
Rig-pa, the science of healing. It is much more than
herbalism although it uses various herbs and trees,
rocks, resins, soils, saps and precious metals. (There
are more than 1,000 medicinal herbs, 144 minerals and
150 types of raw materials of animal origin in the normal
Tibetan medicine cabinet) These are used to make seven
kinds of precious pill known as Rinchen rilpo which
are given after the physician has made his lengthy diagnosis.
Tibetan medicine is good for all kinds of illness but
is claimed to be particularly successful in its treatment
of chronic diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, ulcers,
chronic digestive problems, asthma, hepatitis, eczema,
liver problems, sinus problems, anxiety and troubles
with the nervous system.
THE APROACH OF TIBETAN MEDICINE
Tibetan
medicine takes a completely different approach to diagnosis
and cure to western medicine. The Tibetan physician
looks upon the human organism as one unit and uses his
healing techniques to re-establish balance throughout
the whole organism. The initial examination of the patient
is a long procedure. First the doctor and patient drink
tea together and talk about themselves. In particular
the doctor wants to know about the patient's occupation,
emotional problems and his dreams only after this will
he begin the physical examination. This too may seem
strange to westerners. The doctor will begin smelling
the patient's skin and observing its colour. He may
need to feel parts of the body and then take the patient's
pulse. Tibetan doctors distinguish about 300 kinds of
pulse from which they can ascertain the state of all
the internal organs. From it they can also make judgements
about current and future diseases and about longevity.
The doctor will use both hands to examine the pulse.
The left wrist of the male patient is read first and
the reverse for the female.
URINE DIAGNOSIS
The next
step is to examine the patients urine that would have
been taken first thing in the morning prior to the appointment
Again smell is important and the doctor will also note
the way the bubbles form when it is whisked with a chopstick.
If it is still and white the person has a cold nature
and the circulation will be slow. For this the doctor
may prescribe warm potency herbs. Big bubbles in the
urine indicate food poisoning.
DIET DIAGNOSIS
Diet is also
extremely important part of Tibetan remedies and contradict
some of our western notions. For example fat is only
a problem for people whose digestive fires are not stoked.
To avoid heart attacks cooked meats with warming spices
are recommended. Sweets are also considered good and
will help with coughs and problems with the eyes. Also
simple common sense with eating is important. It is
particularly stressed that it is important to eat in
the evening before 8 p.m. so food can be digested by
10 p.m.
SPIRITUAL DIAGNOSIS
Tibetan medicine
also takes spiritual considerations into account and
believes that every person is subordinate to cosmic
laws. In particular medical astrology is used when making
a diagnosis which is claimed to also predict possible
diseases in the future. The cosmic conditions influence
the amount of healing energy called tsi or prana that
a person is absorbing. This comes to him from his environment
the air he breaths and from food. It then passes along
the body's energy lines called the meridians and circulates
throughout the body giving life and energy. A dramatic
loss of tsi is considered as one of the major causes
of disease. In addition they believe that mental and
emotional states, such as desire and anger, can have
a damaging effect on health. A Tibetan doctor is just
as likely to prescribe meditation and eating at the
correct time as much as a pill or herbal remedy.
THE SPIRITUAL CAUSES OF ILLNESS
The Tibetans
believe that there are long term and short term causes
of disease and that the ultimate cause of all is ignorance
of reality. Clinging to personal self gives rise to
three mental poisons that pollute the body: desires,
hatred and stupidity. Together these are the cause of
the long term causes of illness. Short term causes of
illness are known as the three humours: rLung (wind
energy), mKhris-pa (bile energy) and Bad-kan (phlegm).
These are produced by the three mental poisons. Desires
give rise to wind, hatred to bile and stupidity to phlegm.
The Tibetan doctor decides what humours are out of balance
before he offers a treatment. I will now give you a
very brief explanation of the three humours with some
traditional common sense remedies that don't involve
drugs or surgery. For a complete diagnosis and treatment
you would of course need to visit a qualified Tibetan
doctor.
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Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans
