Tibetan medicine is a centuries-old hallowed traditional medical system. This is a fairly complex approach to diagnosis and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, natural medicines and physical therapies to treat illnesses. Since Tibet is a border country, Tibetan medicine is a synthesis of the Indian (Ayurveda), Persian (Unani), Chinese, Greek and Tibetan medical systems. Tibetan medicine is practiced in a wide belt of the world including countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, Siberia, China and Mongolia, in addition to Tibet. More recently, Tibetan medicine has also started seeping into the West, invading parts of Europe and America.
Since Tibet is the land of monasteries, monks and meditation, it is inevitable that Tibetan medicine is a fusion of the scientific with the religious. It embraces the traditional Buddhist belief that illness of the body is caused by the poisons in the mind, namely ignorance, aggression and materialism.
Tibetan medicine is an art, science and philosophy that encompasses a holistic approach to health care. It is an art because its diagnostic methods are based on creativity, subtlety, insight and compassion of the medical practitioner. It is a science because it has a systematic and logical framework that is based on the study of the body and its relationship with the environment. It is a philosophy because it embraces the Buddhist principles of altruism, ethics and karma.
According to the underlying Buddhist philosophy that shapes Tibetan medicine, all suffering has a reason. According to the Buddha, impermanence is the only permanent feature of life. Everything in this world is in a state of flux. This is a reality and a necessity of life. This state of constant change brings with it suffering and it is this suffering that is inflicted on man from time to time. Thus suffering is not accidental. One can avoid suffering only through proper guidance and the rigorous following of one?s Karma.
According to Tibetan Medicine, everything in the universe is made of 5 elements ? Earth, water, fire, air and space. And each of these elements has a specific influence on man. Tibetan medicine also believes that there are 3 principle energies or humors in the body. These principle energies are responsible for the mental, physical and spiritual activities of the body. In a healthy body, all the elements are in proper equilibrium. Where there is non-equilibrium, a state of disorder or ill-health arises.
Diagnosis in Tibetan medicine is fairly straightforward. Doctors depend on observation, interrogation and touch. Visual observation includes checking the color of the skin, texture and color of the nails, blood, sputum and faeces. The patient?s tongue and urine also gives important clues. The next step is pulse analysis where the physician places three middle fingers on the patient?s radial arteries. Medical interrogation leads the practitioner to important clues regarding the causative factors, site of the illness and symptoms that the patient is experiencing.
Tibetan medicine places a lot of importance on dietary and lifestyle factors. The immediate reason for most disorders is improper diet or lifestyle. Therefore the first step of the treatment is to change the lifestyle and diet of the patient. Only if this fails, medication is used.
Bloodletting, Moxibustion, golden-needle therapy and Tibetan acupuncture are some of the therapeutic measures taken. Medicinal baths and natural spring baths are also important parts of therapy.
