Intro to Tibetan Medicine

From our text Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine:

"The Tibetan medical system is one of the world's oldest known medical traditions. It is an integral part of Tibetan culture and has been developed through many centuries."

It is believed that Tibetan medicine has had religious and cultural influences from the indigenous Bon tradition, Ayurvedic medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine, and Greek medicine. The precise influence of these practices on the evolution of the Tibetan medical tradition, however, is unclear.

For the last week and a half, we've been studying the theory and practice of Tibetan medicine in the clinic and classroom. Each morning from 8:30-10:30a we shadow Tibetan medicine doctors, visiting patients in outpatient and inpatient clinics at the Qinghai University Tibetan Medical College Hospital.

From 11-12a we get to study conversational Tibetan language! It's been so fun learning the local Amdo dialect and practicing with locals. They seemed amused by our efforts. :) Our teacher is a very bright 18-year-old Tibetan who also serves as our translator during the morning clinic sessions. He studied English for a year in New York and speaks excellent English. He's also helped us a lot around town, guiding us to his favorite restaurants and other spots.

We have a 2.5 hour lunch break and then return to the hospital for our afternoon seminar from 2:30-4:30p. During these sessions, we are introduced to various topics of traditional Tibetan Medicine, including history, theory, diagnosis, and treatment. Classes are taught by the medical college's most senior professors. We feel so lucky that they take time out of their day to be with us. :) These seminars as well as the clinical sessions have been so fascinating! We're learning a lot about a system that is so different from Western medicine. It's been such a treat to be surrounded by so many doctors who love teaching and sharing so much about their medical system!