Tibetan Medicine
WHAT IS TRADITIONAL TIBETAN MEDICINE
TTM is an integral and natural medical system that understands the human being from a holistic viewpoint: body, mind, soul, energy and environment.
Healing is aimed at balancing the 3 basic principles: Luna or movement, Tripa or heat, and Baken or cold, since illness is considered the result of an imbalance in these forces.
The diagnosis is primarily based on reading the pulse through which the state of the internal organs in perceived.
During this process, the tongue, skin and urine are analyzed. The technique of diagnosis by pulse is very subtle and complete, requiring years of study and decades in becoming a specialist.
HISTORY
Traditional Tibetan Medicine or “Sowa Riapa” is the healing science of Tibet. It is rooted in Bon shamanism, which dates back 2,500 years. It developed from the Hindu Ayurveda, Greek, Persian (Unani) and Chinese medical systems from the 4th century. Its current form, which manifested beginning in the 12th century, is definitely associated with Buddhism.
Men-Tsee-Khang is the School of Medicine and Astrology and the main medical institution founded in 1916 by His Holiness the XIII Dalai Lama in Lhasa. His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama reestablished the institution in Dharamsala in 1961 after exile. Within the institution, Tibetan medicine doctors are trained in the line of Soria medicine. Tibetan doctors are also trained in Varanasi. The Buddha of Medicine or Menlha, is the archetype that promotes healing. He is a Deity, sapphire blue in color, with the promise to advance the health of all sentient beings. Although it is not strictly necessary, it is positive to repeat this Deity’s mantra while taking medicines. In this way it is impregnated with positive energy. The mantra of the Medicine Buddha is :
“Tadyata Om Bekantse Bekandze, Maha Bekandze, Randza Samugate Soham”.
Tibetan medicine is deeply influenced by Buddhist theory and practice, which emphasizes the interdependence of mind, body and spirit. It is a comprehensive health care system that has effectively served its people for centuries and is now a beneficial service for the rest of humanity.
Tibetan medicine addresses the disease and its cure in a global and natural way. It is strongly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Treatments are based on plants and minerals that are activated with specific rituals. It is a great complement to other treatments and can resolve chronic illnesses.
DIAGNOSTICS
The diagnosis is performed with the doctor’s right hand over the consultant’s left wrist. The index finger listens to the heart and small intestine (the fire element). The middle finger reads the spleen and stomach (earth). The ring finger reads the left kidney and the reproductive organs (water). With the left hand on the right wrist, the index finger reads the lung and the large intestine (metal). The middle finger reads the liver and gallbladder (wood). The ring finger reads the kidney and bladder (water).
TREATMENTS
The treatments principally consist of natural medicine, massage, acupuncture, as well as lifestyle and dietary changes. The Sowa Rigpa, based on the Middle Path of Buddhism, seeks to rebalance extreme imbalances amongst the three primary energies and the five elements by correcting the excesses in diet and bad habits in life.
MEDICINES
The medicines consist of 250 different formulae and are composed of minerals and traditional medicinal plants recognized in the Himalayas and in Tibet. To create these formulas, 2294 medicinal substances are used. During their processing, the compounds are blessed and energized according to certain Buddhist rituals. This medication has no side effects.
This is a safe and effective medical system that complements Western medicine. As a comprehensive health care system, Tibetan medicine has efficiently served its people for centuries and today can serve the whole of humanity. TTM is especially useful in chronic situations such as digestive disorders, asthma, arthritis, eczema and sinusitis, liver, kidney and circulatory problems, anxiety, problems with sleep, as well as disturbances in the heart and nervous system.
Tibetan medicine is closely related to Tibetan astrology. Although it is not commonly used in the West for diagnostic purposes, it is used for the collection of plants and preparation of medicines.
From the Buddhist perspective, illness is viewed from its place of origin, which is usually mental or emotional. From this perspective the feeling of individuality (or the I) and the three poisons of the ming (desire, hatred and ignorance) cause suffering and illness. The three principles relate to poisons in the following way:
Luna or movement is understood as desire and attachment: materialism affects us energetically, creating imbalance in blood circulation, the nervous system, our thoughts and digestion.
Tripa or heat, understood as aversion, hatred, aggression or discontent, is associated with liver absorption, sight and mental functions.
Beken or cold, is associated with ignorance and lack of comprehension. It affects digestion, bone structure, joints and mental stability.
An area of special attention for us has been in seeking support for the preservation and diffusion of Tibetan medicine. Their ancestral practices constitute a unique branch within the health sciences. We feel that its disappearance would be a loss for humanity. Owing to this, as well as hosting Tibetan medical consultations in our centers, we are exploring several different projects to support the preservation and flourishing of their medicine.
We are also traveling to remote places to film the process of sowing, harvesting and preparing the medicines, and how the Tibetan doctors prescribe them for the healing of the patient after issuing a diagnosis.
During a consultation, the pulse is taken, and a personal interview is used to evaluate the general state of the person, of each organ as well as possible symptoms.
Tibetan medicine is especially recommended for:
- Diseases of the nervous system and problems resulting from this such as lumbar, cervical pains, etc.
- Patients with multiple sclerosis, migraines, arthritis, joint pain and rheumatism.
- Highly recommended for Fibromyalgia.
- Symptoms of menopause.
- Chronic gastric problems, liver disease, anemia
- Allergies, rhinitis and similar conditions
- It is especially effective for imbalances in the “humor of wind” (anxiety and stress) as well as depressive disorders and illnesses associated with these states.
Tibetan medicine is deeply influenced by Buddhist theory and practice, which emphasizes the interdependence of mind, body and spirit. It is a comprehensive health care system that has effectively served its people for centuries and its time has now come to be of beneficial service to the rest of humanity.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The ancestral practices of Tibetan Medicine constitute a unique branch within the health sciences.
We feel that its disappearance would be a loss for humanity, so we host Tibetan Medicine consultations in our centers and are exploring other projects to support the preservation and flourishing of this science.
We are also traveling to remote places to film the process of sowing, harvesting and preparing the medicines, and how the Tibetan doctor prescribes them for the healing of the patient after issuing a diagnosis.