Tibetan Medicine: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Integrative Medicine
Abstract
Tibetan Medicine DOI: 10.1089/act.2007.13205 Ancient Wisdom for Modern Integrative Medicine T Sala Horowitz, Ph.D. he wisdom of the current Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the government-in-exile* of the Tibetan people, has been recognized worldwide. His Holiness, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, supports scientific study of Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM) for its applications in Western medicine. This article introduces that venerable tradition, and offers supporting research and resources. TTM has been practiced in the Himalayan region since circa the seventh century, making it one of the worldâs oldest, continuously practiced medical systems. TTM is a distinct tradition rooted in Buddhist philosophy, influenced by Traditional Indian Medicine (Ayurveda), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and earlier Tibetan indigenous practices.1 According to Buddhist tenets,2,â illness stems from not understanding the impermanent, interdependent nature of life that results from attachment, anger, and fear. Specific types of disorders are related to each of these âmind poisonsâ that condition misguided ways of thinking and behaving. Secondary recognized causes of disease include climate, diet, behavior (entailing the karmic principle of âas you sow shall you reapâ), spirits (regarded in literal or psychologic terms), and environmental toxins and pathogens that