Tibetan Medicine and Healing
The Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans
by Craig Hamilton-Parker
(Signed first editions available from this site)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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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The Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans Signed first editions are available from this website. Please click the link below to read about the book and order by secure online payment |
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