Sun, 26 Oct 2008
Tibetan Medicine
A Tibetan doctor give an introductory talk today to our meditation group. Here are my notes from his talk. I hope you find them interesting.
My name is Thubten Tsering. I graduated from the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharmsala in 1987. I went to work at a clinic in Nepal and gained experience there. Then I went to Europe and got experience in treating Western people. This is my third time teaching in Baltimore. The first was at a conference of different medical systems. The second was at the Towson Dharma House. And now I am here.
Tibetan medicine is based on Buddhist philosophy. The fundamental text is the Four Medical Tantras. It explains how the internal energies function and affect our mind and body. It explains how to consult with patients, make medicines, and expel evil spirits. There are three principle energies (nyepa sum) in the body. If you understand them, no matter what system of healing you practice will benefit. The system of Tibetan medicine started when a Tibetan king invited practitioners of all the systems of traditional medicine to take what was best in each. So it combines teachings from Chinese and Indian medicine. There is a five year course to teach it at the Tibetan Medical Institute. One month of each year we go into the Himalayas to learn to identify medicinal herbs. Medicines are also made from gems and metals.
The three principal energies need to be in balance in order to maintain health. The first energy is rlung, or inner air. The second is rkhris pa, bile, or fire energy. The third is baken, or phlegm, the cold energy. These elements are affected by the corresponding outer elements. Tibetan medicine developed its own system of anatomy based on its understanding of these elements.
The wind energy is light, rough, clear, cold, subtle, and moving. It is responsible for the activity of respiration, the expulsion of urine and feces, menstruation, spitting, burping, speech, gives clarity to the sense organs, and sustains the life energy.
The bile energy is oily, sharp, hot, light, purgative, and fluid. It is responsible for hunger, thirst, digestion, and assimilation. It promotes bodily heat, gives color to the body and provides courage and determination.
The phlegm energy is oily, cool, heavy, blunt, smooth, firm, and sticky. It is responsible for firmness of body and stability of mind, induces sleep, generates tolerance and lubricates the body.
The seven bodily constituents are nutrition, blood, flesh, tissues, bones, bone marrow, and regenerative fluid. When food is ingested, it is transformed into each of these constituents in turn by separating out the waste products products of urine, feces, and perspiration.
When wind is unbalanced, the person will sigh, have a flighty mind, dizziness, and ringing in the ear. There will be insomnia, yawning, pains in the joints and back, and abdominal gurgling. When bile is unbalanced, there will be bitter eructations, headaches, surface fever, and digestive pain. When phlegm is unbalanced, there will be loss of appetite, the stomach will be full even without eating, vomiting, frequent belching, loss of taste, chills, and discomfort after eating.
Phlegm provides the basic foundation. Most phlegm disorders are digestive. Disorders of the brain or nervous systems are mostly wind disorders. Bile affects the heart or center of the body.
Before consultation the person is advised to avoid strong coffee or tea, other stimulating medicines, and strenuous exercise. These stimulate the wind energy and distorts the reading of the pulse. The person is asked to bring an early morning urine sample in a clear bottle. The doctor observes the person's urine, tongue, teeth, skin, eyes, and weight. The doctor checks the pulse and asks questions about diet, behavior, the cause of recent illness and other symptoms. The pulse is taken one inch below the wrist. Pulses are taken to assess the health of each of the organs.
Treatment can include changes of diet, lifestyle, and habits. When these are not sufficient, herbal medicines are prescribed. Or external therapies such as massage, cupping, moxibustion, needles, and bloodletting. Some illness is caused by evil spirits and past karma and must be treated by spiritual practices such as meditation, reciting mantras, and breathing exercises.
Persons with phlegm disorders often are heavy and don't exercise, I tell them to do prostrations. Persons with bile disorders, shouldn't do them because they will get headaches. Persons with wind disorders shouldn't overdo it, because it will disturb their wind further.
The long term cause of all disease is ignorance. The short term cause is negative emotions. Exciting conditions are the season, spirits, diet, and behavior. Health comes from a balanced body and mind. Developing positive emotions such as loving kindness, compassion, and forgiveness reduce negative emotions. So health ultimately depends on removing these negative emotional patterns. There is a yoga of smiling. What is lacking is happiness.
