Enthusiasts emphasize that Tibetan medicine is effective and safe. Opponents of alternative medicine argue that it is only magic. What is it really like?

Tibetan medina , based on the idea of ​​the 3 forces, is closely related to the philosophy of the East. According to it, the entire universe, including man in it, consists of dynamic and interacting vital forces:

  • chii (air) - is responsible for supplying cells with oxygen and nutrients and removing unnecessary products from them
  • gray (bile) - regulates the work of the endocrine system, digestion and metabolic changes
  • badgan (phlegm) - produces mucus, synovial fluids, saliva; is responsible for the condition of the brain, throat, lungs, bronchi, mucosa

You have to live in such a way that your vitality remains in a state of balance. Then the energy in the body flows calmly, and this means the he alth of the body, spirit and mind. When one of the elements, e.g. due to stress, exhaustion, unhe althy lifestyle or trauma, maintains an advantage for a long time, the body's balance is disturbed (homeostasis) and you get sick. Everyone has their own energy system - the more stable it is, the more resistant you are to disease. Just as no two energy systems are alike, no two people are alike, and no universal recipe for he alth. What is good for one person may harm another.

You are whole in Tibetan medicine

Tibetan medicine is holistic, perceiving the person as a whole. According to this principle, the disease of one organ affects the functioning of the entire system. Since everyone is different, the body's response to the disease depends on individual characteristics. Even knowledge in the field of microbiology (at the molecular level) cannot explain why the same disease causes different symptoms in different people.

The only indication for treatment should therefore be the sum of local symptoms (pain, rash, knee swelling) and the general reaction of the body to the disease, including our mental state (fever, lack of appetite, agitation, concentration disorders). And since the whole body suffers, it is not the disease that needs to be treated, but the sick one, individually selecting the therapy. This approach does not differ much from that of the Greek philosopher Hippocrates, considered the father of Western medicine. But contemporaryAcademic medicine, which is fragmentary and focused on treating the effects, has moved away from the holistic approach. Although he has been returning to it more and more recently. Hence, perhaps, the interest in Tibetan therapies.

Important

Tibetan medicine does not exclude conventional methods, it often supports them. Such treatment is effective and safe, but it must be carried out by a doctor who can combine classic and unconventional methods of therapy.

Tibetan medicine - get to know the source of the disease

When making a diagnosis, the doctor tries to find out the cause of the disease. He is interested not only in the ailments with which the patient comes, but also in the circumstances that accompany them and all the diseases he has ever had. It also takes into account the psychological characteristics of the patient. Asks questions about everyday habits, lifestyle, type of work, culinary preferences.

According to Eastern medicine, individual internal organs have their counterparts in the sense organs. For example, chronic conjunctivitis or deterioration of visual acuity may indicate liver problems, and tinnitus may indicate kidney problems.

From the moment you enter the office, the doctor is closely watching you. It pays attention to body posture, skin color, facial expression, manner of speaking, walking, and gestures. On this basis, it determines whether the internal balance of the three elements is maintained: bile, phlegm, air, and in the event of its disturbance - which of them predominates.

People with a dominant element of bile are usually of medium height with a proportional body build, energetic, with a red face. Phlegm-dominant ones are strong, move slowly and tend to be overweight. The predominance of air determines a fine build, darker complexion, and excessive stimulation. Although most of us have a mixed personality type, an insightful physician is able to see which traits are predominant, and the physician carefully examines the tongue, eyes, nose, ears, and lips. This diagnostic method in Oriental medicine is defined as the observation of five flowers, the tongue of which is the flower of the heart, the eyes of the liver, the nose of the lungs, the ears of the kidneys, and the lips of the spleen. Changes in their appearance allow you to initially assess the condition of the corresponding organs.

Tibetan medicine: read from the heartbeat

In Tibetan medicine, a specialist examines the pulse on both hands, placing the fingers in three places in the wrists on the radiant artery (the classical method is used for the pulse on the same artery). Each of these points corresponds to a different organ, each change in their activity triggers an appropriate reaction on the part of the circulatory systemand must be reflected in the heart rate. In this way, the doctor can determine the general condition of the patient and twelve organs, incl. heart, liver, lung, kidney, bladder, gallbladder, pancreas.

Only skeletal, dermatological and psychological diseases cannot be read from the pulse. This extremely sensitive test requires the doctor to be able to distinguish about 90 types of pulse, taking into account the natural changes in the rhythm of the work of individual organs depending on the patient's age and even the season of the year. In case of doubts or to confirm the diagnosis, the doctor additionally refers the patient to diagnostic tests used in classical medicine (blood tests, urine tests, ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography and others). All the results give a more complete picture of the state of he alth, as the eastern and western methods complement each other. Only after a detailed examination and a well-thought-out diagnosis, the doctor decides about the treatment.

Tibetan medicine: rebalancing

The main goal of treatment is to restore the balance of air, bile and phlegm, because this is when the body works best. But in practice, such a state is rare, and if it is achieved, it is short-lived. The point is, however, to try to maintain the appropriate proportions of vitality, which guarantee well-being and a long he althy life. Sometimes it is enough to change your diet or lifestyle to get everything back to normal. In the case of more severe or chronic diseases, the doctor selects the treatment, combining (most often in different proportions) several methods of therapy. He has at his disposal, among others herbal mixtures, massages, acupuncture, moxa, cupping.

The doctor of alternative medicine is not a miracle worker and in the face of some diseases, Eastern methods can be powerless. In case of acute injuries, deep psychoses, conditions requiring the absolute intervention of a surgeon, neoplastic diseases and other diseases commonly considered incurable, it is necessary to quickly help a specialist in classical medicine.

Worth knowing

More and more often it is said that the future is a new direction developing in the world, called integrative medicine, which combines the achievements of the West with the traditional medicine of the East and other methods of alternative medicine. It is also happening in Poland. Scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Medical University of Lublin together with scientists from the Far East (India, Mongolia, Thailand, Japan) are working on plant-derived drugs. Where does such interest come from? About 200 species of plants that have healing properties grow in Europe, while in the countries of Asia there are thousands.

Where to go for help

Doctoror charlatan?

Not all offices that define themselves as Tibetan, Mongolian or Chinese medicine, which offer acupuncture or other unconventional methods of treatment, are trustworthy. We are one of the few European countries where there is absolute freedom in the field of alternative medicine. So far, we have no legal regulations on natural methods of treatment that would define exactly who and on what terms can offer alternative therapies - says Dariusz Stencel from the Council for Unconventional Therapies at the Ministry of He alth.

What is the result of this? Anyone can declare themselves a specialist in alternative medicine, open a surgery and see patients. It is enough to feel God's will, go to the commune office and register. No certificates or diplomas are needed. The effects can be dire. The problem of educating unconventional medicine doctors in Poland is also unsolved. Those who obtained their diplomas abroad have no equivalent with us.

In connection with the WHO directive obliging the member states to deal with this issue, work has started in Poland on an act that would regulate the principles of education and practice in the field of natural medicine, including the Far East. Until the problem is resolved, we must be careful who we entrust our he alth to.

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Alternative medicine