Tibetan medicine is still considered by most as a kind of 'alternative medicine', which is nice, but if you are 'really sick', you need 'real medicine'. However, this is not true. Tibetan medicine is as powerful as modern medicine. In some cases it even works much better then modern medicine, and that without side effects and multiple other benefits. This is nicely illustrated by the story of my friend Aaron, who was so kind to write a little article on his treatment of epilepsy with Tibetan medicine.
"In October 2012 I began taking Tibetan
medicine to manage the symptoms of epilepsy, which I was diagnosed
with in 1997. Since my diagnosis I have been taking Epilim (500mg)
twice each day. This medication is documented as having several
side-effects that vary from person to person but include damage to
the liver and digestive capacity, changes in appetite (weight gain),
depression, and some hair loss. I decided to try Tibetan medicine as
a substitute for this western medicine that managed the symptoms of
my epilepsy but also damaged my health.
When my Tibetan doctor prescribed a
combination of medicines he said I could stop taking my epilim
immediately because the Tibetan medicine would manage my epilepsy
successfully. I was skeptical but decided to take his advice. He was
absolutely right. I had no epileptic episodes during the transition
from epilim to Tibetan medicine.
My Tibetan medicine has successfully
managed the symptoms of my epilepsy for the last few years. I still
sometimes have episodes but this happens only (as it did with epilim)
when I fail to take my medicine, drink alcohol excessively, have a
lack of sleep, and eat poorly. As long as I take care of my health I
have no epileptic episodes. Furthermore, the harm done by epilim to
my liver and digestive system has also slowly receded, though my
Tibetan doctors have said it will probably be a year or two before
the harm is completely reversed.
Yet while the Tibetan medicine has been
incredibly effective, a change in diet has also been essential to
becoming increasingly healthy during this period. In my own
experience I have found that most Tibetan medical practitioners are
unable to give precise and comprehensive diet and nutrition advice,
perhaps due to the limited variety of food found in Tibet. It has
been my introduction to Ayurveda, the health science of India, that
has been the necessary complement to my Tibetan medicine.
Ayurveda is a health system that
prescribes different diet and lifestyle regimes according to one's
specific constitution. I have found that the two systems complement
each other very well. The benefits have been noticeable. I have more
energy, sleep better, and have less digestive problems.
I would advise anyone with epilepsy to
give Tibetan medicine a try, and anyone seeking coherent and targeted
health and nutrition advice (in contrast to the sometimes
contradictory prescriptions found the West) to try eating according
to Ayurvedic principles." Aaron
