Tibetan Medicine Essay -- Tibet Treatment History Illness Papers

Tibetan Medicine Tibetan medicine, developed over the course of over one thousand years in the isolated mountainous terrain of Tibet and preserved despite China’s decimation of Tibetan customs, views healing in a much different way than Western physicians. Tibetan medicine emphasizes science, faith, perception, spirituality, karma, and philosophy, whereas Western medicine is based almost entirely on science. In the West, religion and spirituality are believed to have absolutely nothing to do with healing and medical practice. Without looking at Tibetan medicine in depth, the Westerner could easily dismiss Tibetan medicine as superstitious and unscientific; however, Tibetan Medicine is often very successful at treating illness, and Tibetan physicians can often cure the root of the problem, rather than merely performing a quick fix to a localized part of the body as in the West. Tibetan doctors do not recommend simply popping a pill. Instead, they see illness as a manifestation of the body†™s imbalance and seek to correct this imbalance. In order to cure a disease, behavior, lifestyle, and one’s individual ‘humoral constitution’ (the three humors and the way in which they function in the body will be fully explained later) are all very important. In order to gain a fuller understanding of the Tibetan approach, as well as appreciate why it has remained so unknown to Westerners despite its lengthy existence, one must consider the Tibetan and Western medical traditions simultaneously. One is also inclined to consider if aspects or methods of diagnoses from the Tibetan tradition could be incorporated into Western medicine since each form of practice has own benefits – Western medicine has highly sophisticated technology and the... ...he Source, 131. [8] John Avedon, In Exile from the Land of Snows, 156. [9] Vaidya Dash, Tibetan Medicine, 86. [10] Vaidya Dash, Tibetan Medicine, 87. [11] Vaidya Dash, Tibetan Medicine, 89. [12] Dr. Yeshi Dhonden. Health Through Balance. (Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications, 1986), 142. [13] Dr. Dhoden, Health Through Balance, 148. [14] Dr. Dhonden, Healing from the Source, 129. [15] Christopher Hansard, The Tibetan Art of Living, (New York: Atria Books, 2001), 191. [16] Christopher Hansard, The Tibetan Art of Living, 193. [17] Christopher Hansard, The Tibetan Art of Living, 193. [18] Dr. Dhonden, Health Through Balance, 185. [19] Dr. Dhonden, Health Through Balance, 216. [20] Dr. Dhonden, Healing from the Source, 187. [21] Dr. Dhonden, Healing from the Source, 187. [22] John Avedon, In Exile from the Land of Snows, 155.