Tibetan Medicine is the oldest integrative medicine system in the world having been successfully used for over 1000 years. The system was started in the eight century by King Tritson Detsen when he ordered the first international conference on medicine in the history ever. The meeting of Greek, Indian, Nepalese, Persian and Chinese minds lasted for fifty years. Even the Chinese, who invaded Tibet in the 1950's have actively tried to preserve the medical system whilst destroying monasteries and temples.

Like the traditional Indian and Chinese medical systems, Tibetan Medicine views health as a question of balance. Circumstances such as diet, lifestyle, seasonal and mental conditions can disturb this natural balance which gives rise to different kinds of disorders. A Tibetan Doctor employs his open senses to examine the individual's general balance of health. Treatment involves dietary and behavioural advice and medications derived from natural sources such as herbs, minerals, and organic products. As this system is imbued throughout with Buddhism it is perhaps the greatest medical healing system in the world with its capacity to address not just the body but also the mind and spirit.

According to The Buddha all sickness begins from a false assumption that an independent autonomous self exists and by not having an understanding of emptiness, devoid of self or shunyata. This belief in a self is called marigpa. This wrong view ultimately produces 84, 000 afflictive emotions. All diseases according to this system arise from the three mind poisons arising from this ignorance, desire (wishes, passions, and attachments), anger (irritation, rage and hatred) and stupidity (closed mindedness or apathy). Basically wrong thinking and beliefs make you sick.

These three mind poisons are regulated by three energies in the body called Lung (wind), Tripa (bile) and Bekan (phlegm). If a person has too much of any of the mind poisons, diseases from an imbalance in the energies occurs. Tibetan Medicine is based on maintaining these energies to be in harmony with one another. Every one has one of these constitutions more predominant that the other and sometimes a mixture of two of them. The Lung type person is very mentally active, all psychosomatic diseases are Lung, these people generally have a cold constitution, physically they are slim build, problems with sleep affects them, they can be very talkative. When they are out of balance their digestion is first hit often with a feeling of no appetite which causes sleeping problems. They are cured by anything that earths them makes them heavier and warms.

Tripa types tend to be more rounded often hungry and thirsty with a healthy appetite. They sweat easily and have strong body odours. Their week points are liver gall bladder and small intestine. They are quick on the uptake and very convincing with anger and jealousy surfacing. Generally the suffer from hot diseases.

Bekan is very strong build with and cool body and thick skin. They can endure hunger and thirst and love their sleep. In fact sleep is the answer to all their ills. Their digestion is sluggish which creates their susceptibility to mucus diseases. They tend to be shy.

Tibetan Medicine has a unique and highly secret system of making jewel pills made with crystals and other precious stones that are reputed to cure a whole myriad of diseases. During the aftermath of the Chernoybal nuclear disaster Dr Chosdrek a director of the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharmasala sent hundreds of these pills to Doctors treating adults and children who were affected by irradiation.

As an integrated system of health that is one millennium old, Tibetan Medicine can offer allopathic medicine a different perspective on health. However, like other scientific systems, it must be understood on its own terms and we may need to wait for western science to evolve in order to understand the positive results that Tibetan Doctors get especially in areas such as psychiatry.

In Tibetan Medicine there are four medical tantras called the Gyud Zhi in Tibetan. These texts are very sacred and contain all the methods of the science of healing. In particular they specify a digestive process that takes 6 days absorbing the nutrients to create a vital essence. StarGate Nutrition products have been formulated and are now presented to be used to enhance this internal endevour by the body according to these tantras.

Copyright Ralph Quinlan Forde 2008

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