More and more patients from different cultures world-wide are seeking appointments with Tibetan physicians. Most of them do not know the basic principles of Tibetan medicine at the time of their appointment. Consultations usually last maximum 10 to 30 minutes, and precious time should not be wasted with questions such as "What is WIND (rlung), BILE (mkhris pa) and PHLEGM (bad kan)?".
Especially in the West, the 'Tibet-Boom' has caused over-expectations in the 'miraculous' healing arts from the Himalayas. Patients often have a history of unsuccessful allopathic treatment, years of suffering and disappointing experiences with Western modes of treatment. Not knowing the holistic approach of Tibetan medical treatment, many patients expect a miraculous cure, exchanging their allopathic tablets with Tibetan herbal pills. But Tibetan medical treatment implies a lot of responsibility and change on the side of the patients. Not wanting to take such responsibilities for one's health may lead to further disappointment and misinterpretation of the Tibetan medical culture.
To help patients to prepare themselves for a visit to a Tibetan doctor the following recommendations have been formulated at ITTM in discussion with Tibetan physicians:
GENERAL PREPARATIONS
1. Avoid comparing Tibetan with Western ways of diagnosis and treatment. They are two completely different systems that should be viewed in their own historical context. They cannot be easily amalgamated, even though they can benefit from each other.
2. Read about the principles of Tibetan medicine prior to your consultation. These are well explained in introductory literature widely available. Having a basic idea will help you to understand the nature of your imbalance and why certain changes in food and habits are being advised.
(e.g.: Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine, MEN-TSEE-KHANG, Dharamsala 1981, 1995. CLIFFORD, TERRY. Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Psychiatry: The Diamond Healing. 1977. S. Weiser, York Beach, Me. 1984.)
3. Be clear about your expectations and know that a Tibetan doctor is not a miracle healer! A recent study by a German Ph.D. candidate, interviewing patients before and after consulting a Tibetan physician, showed that the expectations were in most cases extremely high, unreasonable due to lack of information about the Tibetan medical culture. Such expectations led to a high degree of frustration when they were not met.
PREPARATIONS ON THE DAY BEFORE YOUR CONSULTATION
1. Keep yourself in a moderate surrounding of diet, life-style and environment for at least one day before the consultation. This is to avoid major imbalances in the elements and humours, that would affect the pulse and urine diagnosis and would divert the attention from your actual illness.
2. Do not take vitamin pills, beet roots, etc., as they will colour the urine.
3. Avoid alcohol, meat, strong tea or coffee, excessive sexual activity, lack of sleep, over-exertion, heavy sports, travelling, etc., as they will change the quality of your pulse and urine, diverting from the actual problem you want the doctor to perceive clearly and treat correctly.
4. If you are a practitioner, you may prepare yourself through the practice of the Medicine Buddha. In the Tibetan medical texts it is said that the patient should visualise the doctor as the Medicine Buddha. The doctor will do the same while attending to you. The consultation should be held in an atmosphere of meditation and a peaceful state of concentrated mind. Often, organisers are not aware of this important fact and fail to create such a space for their invited doctors and patients.
PREPARATIONS ON THE DAY OF YOUR CONSULTATION
1. Avoid a hot shower in the morning as the subtle channels (Sk. nadis ; Tib. rtza) and the pulse will be affected.
2. Collect ca. 100 ml of the medium part of your morning urine in a clean glass vessel.
3. If the consultation is before 10 AM, skip breakfast. Light tea or any drink with balancing effect is advisable. Again, here the balance should be kept. Patients coming on empty stomach, waiting for two hours, being under-sugared by the time they reach the consultation room will have signs of weakness and low blood pressure in their pulse.
4. Do not rush to the clinic. Take your time to sit relaxed at least for ten minutes before the pulse diagnosis. (The vibrations of a long and exhausting travel can be felt in the pulse still one day after your arrival.)
5. Actually the consultation should take place in the early morning hours. All activities of the day will reflect in the pulse. Patients rushing to the clinic after their office hours will not have the possibility of receiving a thorough pulse diagnosis.
6. Best results in pulse diagnosis are often achieved by being open and calm and let the doctor at first feel all elemental imbalances without any prior knowledge of aetiology. From the pulse and urine examination the doctor will then ask specific questions that will help to reveal the history. A document file of allopathic diagnostic examinations will not be important in the first hand but can be of benefit, if the Tibetan doctor has additional training in bio-medicine.
7. Inform the Tibetan doctor about your present intake of Western medication, especially if you are under hormone treatment or other medications that have to be taken regularly. Tibetan medicine and Western medicine, including homeopathy, can often be combined with a few hours of difference between the medications.
8. Make notes of diet and medicine prescription. Take information where and when to see a Tibetan doctor next and from where to order medicines by mail. Often, visiting doctors give three months of medicine. Actually, there should be a regular check-up, every two to four weeks. The medication can affect and change the humoural imbalance already after one to two weeks and may require a change of the drugs. Only in very chronic disorders the medication may continue for three months without change. Note that a prolonged intake of unsuitable medication can cause further imbalance of the humours. Follow-up treatments via e-mail and fax can never replace a thorough medical investigation.
9. The intake of the medicines may be supported by reciting the Medicine Buddha Mantra. Buddhist teachings explain to look at the medicines as being precious jewels, offered to the Buddha and Boddhisattvas, and turning them into the nectar of life, filling your body and mind with the power of healing. This practice can be applied with any drugs, also allopathic medication. There are various versions of such a practice of blessing the medicines. (For example: "A concise Sadhana of the Medicine Guru and his entourage and the way to bless the medicines" published in: "Transformation into the exhalted State", Opuscula Tibetana Fasc. 18. by CAROL SAVVAS and LODRO TULKU, Rikon, Switzerland 1987.)
10. Keep a diary noting down effects and changes occurring during your treatment. This documented feed-back can be of help to the physician and other patients.