Tibetan medicine gaining in popularity

Though its roots date back at least 2,300 years, the unique approaches of Tibetan medicine have gained more acceptance. But it remains unfamiliar outside the region, presenting a major barrier to wider influence.

"The biggest obstacle to the development of Tibetan medicine is the unique Tibetan language and culture," said Huang Fukai, vice-president of the China Ethnic Medicine Association and president of the Beijing Tibetan and Ethnic Medicine Hospital.

Geographically isolated, the Tibetan language and culture are largely confined to the region. Few people from other ethnic groups have ever studied Tibetan medicine, he said.

"It is also part of the unique Tibetan culture. Tibetan religion, beliefs and customs are all blended into the medicine. To really understand, one needs to have been exposed to the culture from childhood," Huang said.

In the Tibetan areas of China, including parts of Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, more than 60 medical institutes specialize in Tibetan medicine, according to Huang.

"Tibetan medicine has experienced unprecedented development since the 1990s," Huang said.

In the past, only Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, had any clinics. By the end of last year, the number of various medical institutes in Tibet reached 1,413. They provide more than 11,000 beds, according to Xinhua News Agency. For further information of Chinese medicine, please click to learn Sand bath in traditional Chinese medicine.

In the Tibet autonomous region alone, there are 21 Tibetan drug manufacturers, which produce more than 360 types of drugs.
Some Tibetan medical institutes have also been established far outside the autonomous region, for example in Beijing. Huang is president of the Beijing Tibetan and Ethnic Medicine Hospital.

Since opening in 1992, the hospital has received more than 1 million patients and visitors. Four of its disciplines have been listed as key disciplines at the national level.

"We have received visitors from more than 60 countries and regions, including medical workers, researchers and officials," he said.

Tibetan medicine is one of the world's four traditional medicines, along with Chinese, Indian and Arab.

Like traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, Tibetan medicine specializes in using various herbs that grow naturally in the region, which has a lot of ultraviolet light and no pollution.

Tibetan medicine also uses many animal elements and minerals that have proved more effective against certain chronic diseases - asthma, for instance - than Western medicine, Huang said. He explained that many of his hospital's asthma patients come from other countries, including Japan and Britain.

A unique feature of Tibetan medicine is its use of metals - mercury, for example - which puzzles many people.

"However, we use special procedures to process these minerals so their toxicity is greatly reduced," he said. "When taken at certain time of a day and in carefully controlled amounts, such medicines are not toxic to human bodies."

Since the hospital opened, no patient has died from Tibetan drugs that contain mineral elements, he said.

Beijing resident Li Yan received an education as a patient.

"Honestly, I had virtually no knowledge of Tibetan medicine before I came to this hospital," Li said.

Li said she has had a herniated lumbar disc for many years. She sought help from many other hospitals, but there was little improvement. For further information of Chinese medicine, please click to learn Body acupuncture therapy.

Li said she came across the Beijing Tibetan and Ethnic Medicine Hospital when she was browsing the Internet and found its offers for a special massage treatment for the condition.

"I think massage may be better than a surgery, which is risky," she said.

She said she received the massage treatment a few times from a doctor at the hospital, who used special tools.

"Although I don't know much about Tibetan medicine, I think it must have something irreplaceable as it has been in existence for so long," she said.

To develop Tibetan medicine, cooperation and innovation with new technology is necessary, Huang said.

"We are still exploring how best to introduce Tibetan medicine into the international market," he said.
For further information of Chinese medicine, please click to learn Ear acupuncture in Chinese medicine.
Abstracted from chinadaily.com.cn.