Welcome  back to AyurVijnana!

         This spring issue has largely drawn its inspiration from the scholars, researchers and practitioners of Tibetan medicine whom your editor was fortunate to meet and interact with at the  International Congress of Tibetan Medicine in Washington DC, November 7-9, 1998. At the Congress, she, on behalf of ITTM, was invited to present a paper on “Problems in Creating and Translating Tibetan medical Terminology” along with an outline of the medical glossary and bibliography database projects carried out at ITTM in Kalimpong.

    The first research papers in this  issue which throw new light on little known aspects of Tibetan medicine, have been presented by two outstanding Buryat scholars and Tibetologists, Dr. Natalia Bolsokhoeva and Dr. Dandar B. Dashiyev from Ulan-Ude. We are particularly thankful to Dr. Bolsokhoeva for agreeing to be the co-editor of AyurVijnana and for spending one spring month at ITTM in Kalimpong when we worked together on  translations of original Tibetan medical texts. The careful editing these papers finally received made their publication possible. We welcome her as an invaluable and esteemed member of our Editorial Team and look forward to a lengthy and mutually rewarding relationship for our future publications.

    While contributions on the history of Tibetan medicine have been largely emphasized in this issue, we have not lost sight of the reality in the teaching, training and practice of Tibetan medicine around the world today.

    Dr. Eric Jacobson, a medical anthropologist from Harvard University and one of our Editorial Advisors shares his candid views on the effectiveness of new emerging training courses on Tibetan medicine for Westerners. We trust, his opinions will provide the substance for thoughtful reflection on the part of our readers on this difficult and sensitive subject.

    Interviews with two Tibetan physicians with similar educational backgrounds, Dr. Sonan Koldaev and Dr. Keyzom Bhutti, who are establishing their practices in totally divergent socio-cultural environments reflect, among other things, differences in patient expectations.

    Although most of the contributions in this issue relate to Tibetan medicine, we have not lost sight of another equally ancient medical tradition of Asia, which  has a remarkable affinity to Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine. The article, “A comparative introduction of the Unani and Tibetan medical traditions”, by the preeminent researcher, on Unani medicine in India, Prof. S.H. Afaq, is a step towards publishing comparative studies of allied traditions of Indo-Tibetan medicines.

    Following the lead of our last issue, we also intend to continue publishing articles on biodynamic cultivation of medicinal plants. This area of study, incidentally, has become a major field of research activity at ITTM.

    We welcome contributions from our readers and especially research papers on any relevant topic related to traditional medicine of India, Tibet and the Himalayan regions for publication in the forthcoming autumn issue of AyurVijnana.

    We thank all whose contribution in one form or the other made this spring issue a reality. Our complimentary circulation will continue among those individuals and institutions who are corresponding with, and supporting us, in creating an international forum for authors to share their research and experiences on the prospects and promotion of traditional medicine of Indo-Tibetan and allied origins.
 
    We feel the articles in this edition are particularly rich in content and relevance. We now expectantly look forward to your critical response.
 

Medical Faculties of Buryat Buddhist Monasteries   by Natalia Bolsokhoeva, Buryatia
Experiences with Comparative Studies of Tibetan Medical Formulae   by Dandar D. Dashiyev, Buryatia
On the History of the Tow Tibetan Medical Schools Janglug and Zurlug   by Barbara Gerke, India
Namthar of Zurkhar Lodo Gyalpo    - a brief biography of a Tibetan physician -   by Barbara Gerke and Natalia Bolsokhoeva
A comparative Introduction of the Unani and Tibetan  Medical Traditions   by S.H. Afaq, India
On Traditional Mongolian Medicine   by Lama Chimpa, India
Tibetan Medicine in Kalmykia   Interview with Dr. Sonam Koldaev, Kalmykia
From Tibet to Massachusetts - The Journey of a Tibetan Lady Doctor   Interview with Dr. Keyzom Bhutti,   MA, USA
Building a Means of Discourse for Integrative Medicine:   A Tibetan Medical Perspective on Irritable Bowel Syndrome   by Eliot Tokar, NY, USA
READER'S THOUGHTS:  Time not ripe for Westerners to study Tibetan medicine?  Eric Jacobson, MA, USA