Amchi* Dorjee Tseten Bhutia

Traditional Tibetan Medicine | Healing through Tibetan Medicine in Europe

Tibetan medicine is a science, art and philosophy that provide a holistic approach to health care. It is a science because its principles are enumerated in a systematic and logical framework based on an understanding of the body and its relationship to the environment. It is an art because it uses diagnostic techniques based on the creativity, insight, subtlety and compassion of the medical practitioner. And it is a philosophy because it embraces the key Buddhist principles of altruism, karma and ethics.

Buddhist philosophy states that everything in the universe is in a constant state of flux – that all phenomenons are characterised by impermanence, and that the only permanent feature is impermanence itself. As Buddha said, "No matter whether perfect beings arise or not, it remains a fact, and a hard necessity of existence, that all creations are transitory." It is this impermanence that causes each and every being to suffer at one stage or another. Suffering is thus not accidental but springs from a specific cause, whether from this life or a previous life. Only through proper learning and the genuine practice of Dharma one can liberate from the vicious cycle of suffering.

Tibetan medical theory states that everything in the universe is made up of the five proto-elements:

1. Sa (Earth) 2. Chu (Water) 3. Mei (Fire) 4. rlong (Wind) 5. Nam-kha (Space)

Although all five proto-elements are responsible for the formation of each tissue cell, each element has a specific influence:
1. sa exerts a greater influence over the formation of muscle cells, bones, the nose and the sense of smell
2. Chu is responsible for the formation of blood, body fluids, tongue and the sense of taste

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