Methods of the Tibetan Medicine

Treatment and diagnostics methods

Diagnostics
The doctor examines the patient: observes its appearance, behaviour manner, finds out details about the state of health during the survey. The doctor can be interested in all aspects of life of the patient: food preferences of the patient, what kind of weather he endures worse what psychological background is prevailing and so forth. The unique method of diagnostics is pulse diagnostics: all basic organs are projected at three points on arteries of wrists. Probing pulse and analyzing character of a pulsation the doctor receives the information on a condition of organs and the basic systems of an organism. Except pulse diagnostics the doctor can receive the information from survey of a morning portion of urine: the slightest details in a deposit, foam, colour of urine can tell much about inner condition of the patient. Often it is useful to make researches by the European methods: ultrasonic, MRТ, laboratory analyses.
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Treatment methods
​Include correction of a diet, a way of life, a medicine and procedure.

​1. Dietology.
The dietology, as well other sections of the Tibetan medicine is based on the theory of 5 elements. Disease — is balance frustration of elements in a body. It is possible to regulate it, prescribing products with different properties. Properties of a product are defined by what elements are prevailed in it. If disease is connected with “fire” lack — “warm” products are useful if it is a lot of “fire” — than cold. Without knowing properties of products, patients often do not suspect that the use of such familiar and habitual products actually worsens their condition. For example, frequent error of people with excess weight is their preference in a diet of raw vegetables is an error. Excess weight is more often connected with weakening of digestive heat, and raw vegetables and fruits weaken it even more. In spite of the fact that they refer to the low-calorie products, some patients even continue to gain weight, not to mention that fact that in strategic prospect it will even more weaken digestive fire that will strengthen a disbalance.
The dietology of the Tibetan medicine is good because the foodstuff is recommended to the person depending on a concrete situation. That is, the universal diet does not exist. People have different constitutions, and are in different situations, therefore it is impossible to find something obviously useful to all and always. In can be such period in life when it is necessary to emphasize cool qualities but when the condition changes, it is necessary to use products with other qualities.
The doctor of the Tibetan medicine seldom recommends something very special, more often is recommended to exclude products which are definitely harmful from the diet, and to take more those products which promote recovery.

2. A way of life
We are influenced not only what we eat but also how we move, how much we sleep, whether our work is connected with constant conversations or not; is our intimate life active or not and so on. Our activity influences balance of organism and can be a part of disease. The doctor of the Tibetan medicine reveals possible negative factors of a way of life during survey and recommends to eliminate them, or if it is impossible, to compensate. For example: person’s occupation is connected with constant speech activity (teachers, singers) often wind disorder arises that can be expressed in insomnia, disorder of concentration, etc. The doctor’s recommendations can eliminate risk of disease and help to recover. Such patients are recommended to put sesame oil on crown of the head before going to bed, have a good dinner before performance, to use aromas type “Agar-35”. It is interesting example of the patient whose disease has been caused almost exclusively by his way of life. (See “Cases from practice. 3”).

3. Medicines
It is the basic tool of the doctor of the Tibetan medicine. Medicines of the Tibetan medicine are multicomponent mixes basically from vegetative raw materials: herbs, seeds, fruits, wood, flowers. Minerals and fauna components can be included: horns, bones, bile, etc. The doctor does not think out medicine by himself that is not that we see in national tradition of herbal medicine where personal experience of the expert, his “feeling of each herb” helps to select a certain mixture.
The combination of components is made on a scientific basis in medicines of the Tibetan medicine where the quantity of each component is strictly proved. The scientific basis of creation of medicines, as always in the Tibetan medicine is the theory of 5 elements. Knowing the structure of elements in each component the big summary tables were made up where qualities of each substance were compensated or amplified by the qualities of other substances. This section — “the internal structure” of substances was always the most closed part of the Tibetan medicine. The ways of processing of raw materials are also refer to this. It’s not always possible to include at once the collected raw materials in medicinal composition: it is often necessary to remove preliminary poisons, to change physical and chemical properties of a plant, mineral or animal component. For example, poisonous aconite it is very dangerous even in contact with skin. The Tibetan doctors have learnt to remove its “rough poisons”, having kept curative force of a plant. For this purpose aconite’s root can be cooked in broth of other plant, or soak in the cow’s urine.
Some spices can be infused for three days in milk, or in broth that strengthens and makes their influence deeper. Minerals can be pounded in a powder and infuse in lemon juice for some days, or to bake at high temperature, and then immerse in various liquids. Mineral substances and metals sometimes can be processed for weeks before they become suitable for a medicine, and other substances are involved in their processing.
Medicines can include very different quantity of components. Few-componental — 3-5; “medium-componental: from 5-6 to 18-20. There is variety of the classical 25 componental. Rare medicines from herbs to 35-37 components often include mineral or metal.
The top of the Tibetan pharmacology are the most difficult medicines of a class “Rinchen” — “the Jewelry” consisting of precious metals, minerals, possessing improbably multilateral effect. They consist of 70 to 140 substances. They are taken in a particular treatment, usually at a full moon and a new moon, 2-4 times a month. (The PHOTO of Rinchen)

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4. Procedures
Procedures — is a very big context section of the Tibetan medicine. It includes “soft” procedures — massage with oil, compresses; and rough — blood-letting, cauterisation of points with moxa, acupuncture.
In initial recommendations it is said that the doctor should appoint a diet at first and correct a way of life; if it didn’t helped — to give a medicine if it didn’t helped either — to appoint a procedure.
In our fast world all possible ways of correction are applied simultaneously.

5. “Secret” methods.
The method which is applied in the Tibetan medicine in especially hard cases could be named in scientific language the informational one. The modern science has already precisely established that sound fluctuations change properties of water — information carrier. Since ancient times doctors of Tibetan Medicine used sound combinations — mantras which were recited over the water and was given to the patient. There are a lot of medical mantras. There are mantras for all diseases. Doctor can give such “mantra-water” if he has received transmission from the authorized teacher.