Traditional Chinese Medicine, otherwise known as TCM, started in China and has been continuously evolving for over 5,000 years. Practitioners of TCM use herbal remedies and unique procedures, such as acupuncture, to treat a huge variety of conditions and problems.

​The most popular types of TCM include the natural, herbal remedies and acupuncture. Other popular options include massage, cupping, therapy and moxibustion. 

Therefore, to keep oneself healthy for life means to continuous evaluate and improve the harmony of the chi circulation. 
 
Nowadays acupuncture is used widely in the west, whereas other methods of TCM are still not as common to come by. Practitioners are able to bring TCM to people around the world and they spend many years training, earning qualifications and continuously learning about their craft.

​TCM requires a one-on-one session because it is a very personalized treatment. 

It is necessary to undergo an evaluation before having treatments from a TCM practitioner. The evaluation will include observation of the patient (such as viewing the condition of the tongue), interviewing, touching (such as to monitor the heart rate) and sense of scent and hearing.

​Chinese herbal medicine using plants, animal byproducts, minerals, flowers and plenty of natural resources in order to heal the body. Plants entire beings, from their flowers to their roots and seeds, are used with herbal medicine and are typically given to the patient in capsulated, loose leaf, essence or powder form.

​Traditional Korean medicine is a method of medicine that originated in Korea that focuses on finding out how a disease started, instead of simply finding out how to cure it. Korean medicine is similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in that it looks to create balance between yin and yang. Aside from dealing with the symptoms of a disease, traditional Korean medicine looks to get rid of the actual cause of the disease in its relation to yin and yang itself. 
 
There are many methods and therapies involved in traditional Korean medicine, such as herbal remedies, cupping, acupuncture and moxibustion. These methods have been used for thousands of years in order to cure ailments and their underlying causes. 

​Just like the Chinese use of life-force Chi in their medicine, Korean traditional medicine also focuses on the links between the human body and the nature surrounding it. In traditional Korean medicine, a disease is treated by finding the root of the problem in the body and from nature itself. 

The most common prescription with traditional Korean medicine comes from plants and herbs. It is believed that these herbs and plant extracts have properties and nutrients that are chemically compatible with the human body and that they are much more adaptable to our bodies than artificial substances such as modern medicine. 
 
The herbs and plants are meant to work from the inside out and treat the body by encouraging the immune systems functions and to decrease the risk of disease spreading or causing harm to the body. Herbal medicine can come from a variety of natural resources such as fungus, plants, flowers, trees, moss, algae and seaweed. The entire plant can be used for different types of problems, ranging from the flowers to the seeds or roots of the plant. 
 
Varieties of herbal medicine for consumption come in forms such as dried, fresh or as it is in its natural and whole state. Remedies that are used on the exterior can come in the form of oils, creams, gels and so on. 
 
Acupuncture is the procedure in which thin needles is used to get rid of problems by applying them on certain pressure spots on the body. It has been found to increase the flow to chi. Moxibustion is another procedure, which uses heat on the body through instruments such as a stick. The heat is not enough to burn the skin but it helps reach the pressure points to encourage blood flow.
 
Meditation and aromatherapy are other popular methods of traditional Korean medicine. 

Similar to Ayurvedic Medicine, Tibetan Medicine is based upon knowledge of the bodily energies or juices and good health is supposed to be based on the balance between these three energies These three energies being- Wind- The energy of movement, Bile- The fire of life and Phlegm- The fluid element. ​

These bodily juices and energies are not physical in nature but also have psychological and spiritual connotations. When these three energies are in balance, good health is obtained BUT when they go out of balance various illnesses arise, depending on the energy/ bodily juice that is out of balance. 

These three energies/bodily juices are supposed to go out of balance due to various factors- namely physical, environmental & seasonal factors and also spirit poisons such as greed, hate and ignorance or suppression leading to a spiritual blindness. 
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Hence the psychological aspects of the balance are noted from the fact that these bodily juices/energies can be out of balance due to wrong thinking and straying from the right and healthy spiritual path of devotion and prayer. 

In addition, wrong diet, bad karma, bad climatic conditions, unfavorable influence of stars and spirits and demons are also supposed to cause this energy/bodily juices imbalance, thus causing sickness & ailments.

In this way, Tibetan Medicine, does not view an illness as merely a ‘result’ of some cause, but takes a wholistic view- which considers various aspect of our human existence. It truly considers the connection as well as the interdependencies of our mind, body and spirit connection. 

Because of this Tibetan Medicine attempts to heal the complete- i.e. whole person and not just ‘cure’ some ailment!!

Similar to the ancient healing science from India, Ayurveda, The Tibetan System of classification is based on the five elements. 

Which is to say, the Tibetan Medicine systems also believes that our bodies like nature, are made up of the five elements namely- Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Space. These constituents in turn make our body and our bodily juices/energies and thus need to be balanced to achieve good health. ​

​Air represents the neutral property, Fire the hot property and the Water/Earth represents the cold property and they represent the Wind, Bile and Phlegm bodily energies respectively. 

Each of these elements also has eight active forces such as heavy, oily, cool, dull, light, harsh, hot and sharp. Each of these elements also have some of these seventeen qualities namely, heavy, stable, dull, dry, fluid, cool, hot, sharp, oily, harsh, light, supple, pale, cold, gentle, smooth and flexible. 

The various interplay of these eight active forces and these seventeen qualities; increases or decreases the Bodily energies and thus brings about imbalance, further leading to illnesses and ailments.

So, in the Tibetan Medicine system, the methods of diagnosis involve Pulse Diagnosis as a primary and very important method. The right and the left wrist show the state of health or problem for various organs and these are noted differently for men and women. 
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The second method of diagnosis is Urine Analysis and the third method is Tongue Diagnosis. 

Treatment in Tibetan Medicine involves, dispensing various medicinal herbs, which are carefully chosen to have the energies, and qualities that are in imbalance so as to bring about the required balance and thus good health to the patient. 
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In addition, diet and lifestyle changes are also a mandatory part of a successful treatment. 

Moxibustion, and rituals such as Cupping, Cauterization & Blood Letting are also very well-known and often used treatment methods used particularly in detoxification, circulatory problems, injuries, bruising and inflammations.  

In addition to these, there are other methods which are occasionally used such as acupuncture, particularly with gold needles as well as spiritual and religious rites such as special prayers and so on.

Tibetan Medicine does view the whole person as a deep connection of mind-body-spirit.

And because of this, such spiritual practices such as prayer, mantra chanting (a form of sound healing), other healing sounds like from the Tibetan singing bowls and other such traditional methods also form part of the entire healing session and mode of treatment.

Categories:
Ancient Therapies,   Life Management   and    Buddhism ​

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​Tibetan Medicine treats the entire mind-body and spirit realm of the patient, as against of only the body, which is typically the case of modern medicine and the min-body, which is the case of traditional herbal medicine. In recent years as people are looking for healing alternatives that are natural and more in tune with our bodily systems, Tibetan Medicine has gained much recognition (and rightly so) in recent years!
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The energy as well as spiritual aspect of sound, colors, aroma and so on play an important role in enhancing the medicinal herbs that are administered to a person. This helps to effectively bring about a wholistic healing experience for the person.

It is the tantric master, Yuthog Gonpo, who added some more informative data to the original medical texts to bring the relevance in tune with the then current times to give the Four Tantras. These Four Tantras form the basis of the Tibetan Method of healing and looking at body types and their associated ailments. 

These Tantras possess a character, similar to the Huangdi Neijing of the Chinese Medicine or the Samhitas of the Ayurvedic Medicine. The four Tantras utilize the knowledge of the three-fold nature of the bodily energies along with Chinese Astrology and Pulse Diagnosis method to address the entire person and the ailment in specific to bring about the required cure. 

Each of the four Tantras examines the medical knowledge of healing from different perspectives- ultimately bringing about a wholistic healing experience!

Categories:
Ancient Therapies,   Life Management   and    Buddhism ​

Keywords and Tags:
​#tibetanmedicine #alternativemedicine #naturalhealing #orientalmedicine #tibetanherbalmedicine​ #soul #ascension #consciousliving  #energycleanse    #Buddhism #GautamBuddha #teachingsofBuddha #bodhisattva