Jigme Gyamtso the Llama
the doctor of Tibetan medicine and astrology
Methods of Tibetan diagnosis
Methods of the diagnostics in tibetan medicine
The Tibetan doctors carry out diagnosis with the aid of three methods, the most important of which is direct questioning of the patient. Diagnosing illness, the doctor should first of all start with three "the vital beginnings" (it is a vital stream - lung, vital energy - tripa and vital force - beigen) and consider a physiological condition of the patient as a whole. Other two methods include the tactile and visual analysis: the tactile analysis in the Tibetan medicine means examination of pulse, and the visual analysis consists of examination of a body of the patient and urine.
For the experienced doctor the Tibetan methodics of pulsediagnosis is the most important source of information. To examine pulse, the doctor puts index, middle and fourth fingers on a radial artery. The distance between these three fingers of the doctor" is not wider than a kernel of rice", and fingers settle down along a radial artery, at a distance of inch from a wrist. The doctor uses both hands to examine the pulse of both hands of the patient. He examines the right wrist of a man and left wrist of a woman first. Examining the pulse each finger presses with different force. The first presses the skin, the second - on flesh, and the third presses so that to examine the bone. Three fingers on each hand are divided into the top and bottom department, that is all there are 12 departments and the pulse felt by each department, corresponds to the certain organ. Blood and lung (a vital stream) from all basic organs flow along a peripheral radial artery. Fingers of the trained doctor can determine the pulses corresponding to certain organ. The top section (closer to the thumb of) right index finger of the doctor measuring pulse of the man patient - examines the pulse corresponding to heart, and the bottom section examines pulse of a small intestine. The top and bottom sections of a middle finger examine pulse of a spleen and a stomach, accordingly. The top section of the third finger examines pulse of the left kidney, and the bottom section examines pulse of seminal gland. The top and bottom sections of the left index finger of the doctor (measuring pulse of a right wrist of the patient) examine pulses lungs and a large intestine, accordingly. The top and bottom sections of the second finger examine pulse of a liver and a gallbladder, and, at last, the top and bottom sections of the third finger examine pulses of the right kidney and urinary bladder. The first finger of the doctor examines pulses of organs of women - patient's mirror.
Correctly to examine the pulse, the certain diet and behavior is necessary. It is necessary to notice, that it concerns not only to the patient, but also to the doctor. In an ideal variant, pulse should be measured at dawn when day and night energies are most balanced.
Beating of healthy pulse makes approximately five impacts during one respiratory cycle of the doctor, and pulsation should not be too strong, slow deep, superficial, empty, fast and so on. As a rule, if pulse is beaten more often, than five times during one respiratory cycle, it specifies hot infringement, and if less than five times - cold. There are differences in healthy pulse, corresponding to the constitutional pulses of the person, as each person has his constitution. The constitutional pulse is formed under influence karma, features of behavior and a feeding of mother during pregnancy and prevalence of space energies. There are three types of the constitutional pulse: male, female and neutral. The certain types of pulse also are connected with different seasons and with position of the sun and the moon. If the doctor measuring pulse wants to find out the reason of disease, he should consider all these factors.
There are six types of pulses of hot diseases:
- strong;
- plentiful;
- resounding;
- swift;
- tense;
- heavy;
and six types of pulses of cold diseases:
- weak;
- deep;
- reduced;
- slow;
- relaxed;
- empty.
As many kinds of food are considered hot or cold and influence the balance of "vital forces", many doctors can determine what the patient have eaten the day before.
Diseases of lung are characterized by superficial and empty pulse. Pulse at diseases of tripa subtle and tense, and at diseases of beigen - deep and reduced.
For diseases of two "the vital beginnings" its pulses are characteristic:
- at diseases of lung-tripa pulse is empty, swift and superficial;
- at diseases of tripa-beigen pulse is deep, weak, indistinct;
- at diseases of lung-beigen pulse is empty and slow.
At disease of all three "the vital beginnings" pulses of a spleen and a liver are unclean, flat and unsteady. Illness of blood is characterized by strong and resounding pulse; such pulse a little slower, than that indication pregnancy. The pulse indicating a disease of lymphatic system is tremulous and faint. At infectious diseases the pulse is deficient, tremulous, irregular and inclined to sudden stops. For each disease its pulse is characteristic. Diagnose is of pulse is a science and practical art. The fingers of the doctor should be sensitive and mobile, and he himself should keep constant concentration and possess good memory, - all this is necessary for correct diagnosis.
Besides the pulses connected to illnesses, there are seven "wonderful" pulses and pulse of death.
Seven "wonderful" pulses:
A family pulse (on which the doctor can determine a condition or destiny of the family, and also condition or destiny of intrafamily relations);
- pulse of a "visitor";
- pulse of a "enemy";
- pulse of a "friend" (on which they determine success or failure of the family);
- pulse of " malicious spirit ";
- replacing pulse (on which they determine the condition of the lover or a member of the family if these people cannot be examined immediately) and;
- the pulse of pregnancy (on which the doctor determines pregnancy and a sex of the child). Pulse of death is usually examined to determine, whether the patient will die. It is usually examined in sural arteries as it is considered, that the illnesses causing death, rise upwards a body. Sural artery allows to determine inevitable death most quickly.
Another most important method of Tibetan diagnosis is an analysis of the urine. The doctor examines color, smell, turbidity, bubbles, sediment and albumin of the urine and also determines nature of the changes which have occurred to the urine after it was settled and cooled. As at examining the pulse, here it is necessary to adhere to the certain diet and the certain rules of behavior, but it concerns only to the patient. In an ideal case the urine should be collected in a clean vessel early in the morning and examined as soon as possible.
Color of the urine is determined by concentration of mineral waste, food pigments, by quantity of the liquid taken. During the illness the color of the urine frequently changes depending on presence or absence of various pigments. On the basis of the color it is possible to make the diagnosis conclusions only when it corresponds to the concentration of the urine. Red color indicates hot disease, and transparent urine indicates cold disease. Large number of factors influences, and it is very important to compare the color of the urine with the other diagnosis parameters.
Smell of the urine it is determined by different variants in metabolism. Strong smell, as a rule, indicates diseases of heat and faint smell indicates diseases of the cold. Cloudy urine with vapor also indicates diseases of heat. Very important part of the analysis of the urine is an observation of forming the bubbles. For example, at diseases of heat bubbles in the urine are small and quickly burst, and at diseases of a cold-big and steady.
Further different deposits and albumin that forms a film on a surface of the urine is studied. Abundant albumin indicates diseases of heat while slight albumin indicates diseases of cold. Deposits can be classified according to "the vital beginnings". The deposits connected with lung, are like hair, deposits of tripa represent viscous formation, and deposits of beigen remind granules.
Three "vital beginnings" and their combinations are connected with the urine of the certain color, smell and the certain deposits, bubbles and changes.
There are descriptions of the urine corresponds to the diseases what kind. Also, as at the analysis of the constitutional pulse, it is necessary to take into account, that prevailing at the given patient "the vital beginning" creates the urine of the certain type. To receive the authentic results of the analysis of the urine, a huge experience and training under the supervision of the experienced doctor is necessary.
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