Relationship between body and mind

Peace Times 12

Increasing health problems, such as asthma and allergies, caused by the increasing pollution in our environment, is making us aware of the effect that the outer environment has on our body and mind. To western doctors, this is a new aspect to their work but this knowledge has played a central role in Tibetan medicine for over 2,500 years. We asked Tibetan doctor, Norbu Gyaltsen, to further explain some basics of Tibetan medicine.

Do you think western doctors are interested in alternative medical systems?

Many doctors are interested in and very open to learning new techniques which will help them to benefit their patients. They study alternative medicines and practise what they can; however, most doctors do not want their practice to be labelled as «alternative». This will change in the future because natural medicines have a deeper potential to give beneficial results. Doctors are now beginning to understand the need for a medicine that treats the mind and the mind-body complex and not just the body.

Why does Tibetan medicine emphasise the mind so much?

Health does not depend on any individual aspect. However, if the mind is healthy, then generally so is the body. One reason is because there are millions of micro-organisms in our body which depend on the nature and function of our mind; these organisms directly influence the body. If the mind is positive then balance is kept, and physical health remains good. It is also necessary for the 3 humors (energy), the 7 body constituents (essential body tissues), and the excretions (waste products) to be in balance if we want to be healthy.

Can you explain a little more about the 3 humors?

Present in our body are 3 energies or humors of different natures, namely wind, bile and phlegm. Everything in the inner and outer universes, from mind to form, can be divided into these three energies; for example, body, speech and mind; hot, cold and neutral; long, short and middle; male, female and neutral. Inside our body the phlegm humor provides physical material, coldness and fluidity. The bile humor provides temperature, blood circulation and metabolism. The wind humor provides movement, circulation and respiration. More simply we can say that wind corresponds to the nervous system, bile to the circulatory system and phlegm to the lymphatic and endocrine systems. If these energies are unbalanced we experience health disturbances, because at this point it becomes easy for the viruses inside our body to make us sick.

Can therapies be used to cure inbalances in these energies?

Cured means when the problem has gone and is not coming back. Generally, we use 2 types of therapy in Tibetan medicine: internal and external and we consider them as a support for the cure. Therapies perhaps give more immediate relief to the problem. It is a very big subject, and spiritual teachings are considered mind therapy.

Does the outer environment directly affect our health?

The same energies and elements which are present in our body are also present in the outer world, this means that the external environment can effect the body. In the same way, our internal changes of mind and body can also effect the outer. To really understand the outer universal system we should know the system of the inner universe, and to really know the inner we should learn the outer! s.d.