Tibetan medicine is increasingly popular in the west for a host of ailments. People are looking for alternative ways to deal with common problems, such as restless leg syndrome. Tibetan Medicine uses a gentle and holistic approach, focused on achieving overall mental and physical balance as a method for treating symptoms.
Tibetan medicine
Tibetan medicine is based on an Indian tradition known as Ayurvedic Medicine, but in the last few hundred years has branched out on its own and become inextricably intertwined with the country's Buddhist spirituality. (References 3)
From Ayurvedic medicine, it borrows the concept of three natural humors: wind, bile, and phlegm, and the need to balance these three factors to achieve wellness. But as Buddhism became the primary religion of the Tibetan people, Tibetan medicine came to link physical wellness to mental and spiritual wellness, and now incorporates Buddhist ideas and even occasional practice into its treatment. (References 3)
A patient is diagnosed based on a three-step process: interview (or physical examination), a reading of the body's twelve pulses, and urinalysis. The interview is used to discover the patient's personal and medical history. The twelve pulses are read from six positions on each of the patient's wrists. Variations in the width, depth, strength, speed and quality of the patient's pulses are used to diagnose the disease, locate it, and understand what it's doing to the body. The urine is examined for color, bubbles, and deposits of other substances.
Based on this information, the doctor decides where the patient's bodily systems are out of balance, and he or she changes the patient's diet and lifestyle, accordingly. (References 3) These changes are sometimes behavioral, such as beginning meditation practice, exercise, counseling, or altering sleep habits. They can also be nutritional, with the patient beginning a new diet regimen, eliminating excesses in certain foods that may put their body out of balance.
Should these tactics fail, Tibetan doctors may then apply a series of gentle, natural medicines, ranging from powders to pills to syrups. (References 3, Resources 2) They can be prescribed in many different combinations, usually unique to the patient's particular condition and changing as the condition improves or worsens.
Finally, there are physical therapies, usually saved for the most extreme cases, when the first two tactics fail. They can involve acupuncture, massage and inhalation therapy, among others. Once again, it is the doctor who decides which therapy best fits the patient's condition.
Restless leg syndrome
Restless leg syndrome is a compulsive, uncontrollable movement of the legs at night. It is characterized by an uncontrollable desire to move the limbs, uncomfortable sensations in the limbs, general motor restlessness and a worsening of these symptoms with relaxation. (Resources 1)
Tibetan Medicine and Restless Leg Syndrome
The first round of treatment in Tibetan medicine in approaching restless leg syndrome would therefore be a change in the patient's diet and habits. (References 3, Resources 2)
Should this prove unsuccessful, various medications might be tried, among them nervine sedatives and tonics, rasayanas, and cool diapanas. (References 1)
Acupuncture, or golden needle treatment, is also a possibility for restless leg syndrome, as it repairs the flow of energy through the body. (References 2) However, this treatment would only be used if the changes in diet and herbal remedies were unsuccessful.
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