Tibetan Medicine and You

Miriam E. Cameron, PhD, MS, MA, RN, is Lead Faculty of the Yoga & Tibetan Medicine Focus Area and Graduate Faculty, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota (https://www.csh.umn.edu/education/focus-areas/yoga-tibetan-medicine; https://www.csh.umn.edu/bio/center-for-spirituality-and-he/miriam-cameron). She did nine years of funded postdoctoral study in Nursing and Cross-Cultural Ethics at the University of Minnesota, Georgetown University, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Midwest Bioethics Center. Since 1994, she has studied Tibetan medicine in Tibet, India, and the United States. Starting in 2003, she created and teaches two graduate courses about Tibetan medicine. PI or Co-PI of 9 funded research studies, she has published over 65 articles, nine book chapters, three monographs, three Internet modules, and four books: Hello, I’m God & I’m Here to Help You (Warner Books); Living with AIDS: Experiencing Ethical Problems, Foreword by Edmund D., Pellegrino, MD (Sage Publications); and Karma & Happiness: A Tibetan Odyssey in Ethics, Spirituality, & Healing, Foreword by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (Roman & Littlefield). Tenzin Namdul, BTMS, MA, GCPHCC, PhD Candidate, graduated in 1996 as a Doctor of Tibetan Medicine from Men-Tsee-Khang Medical College, Dharamsala, India. Since then, he has engaged in clinical practice, teaching, writing, research, and other scholarly work involving Tibetan medicine in Europe, Asia, and the United States. He has published research articles and an Internet module about Tibetan medicine, and he translated from Tibetan to English Tibetan Medical Dietary Book: Vol. I, Potency & Preparation of Vegetables (Men-Tsee-Khang) by Dr. Yangbum Gyal. He serves as Faculty at the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing: https://www.csh.umn.edu/bio/center-for-spirituality-and-he/tenzin-namdul.

Introduction.
Tibetan Medicine: Self-Care and Integrative Care by Miriam E. Cameron
The Practice and Relevance of Tibetan Medicine by Tenzin Namdul.

Part A: Tibetan Medicine as Self-Care.

Chapter 1: How to Be Happy!
●Karma.
●Suffering.
●Healing.
●Happiness.
●Sitting Meditation and Circular Breathing.

Chapter 2: Live in Harmony with Your Constitution.
●Gold Standard: Consultation with a Tibetan Medicine Practitioner.
●“Constitutional Self-Assessment Tool” (CSAT) and “Lifestyle Guidelines Tool” (LGT).
●Complete the “Constitutional Self-Assessment Tool” (CSAT).
●Complete the “Lifestyle Guidelines Tool” (LGT).
●Use the “Constitutional Self-Assessment Tool” (CSAT) and “Lifestyle Guidelines Tool” (LGT) together.
●Meditation on a Lotus Flower.

Chapter 3: Understand the Source of Your Existence.
●Health Is Balance; Dis-ease Is Imbalance.
●Earth: Cold, Stability, Structure.
●Water: Moisture and Cohesion.
●Fire: Heat.
●Air: Movement.
●Space: Allows the Other Elements to Interact.
●Tonglen Meditation.

Chapter 4: Keep Your Three Primary Energies in Balance.
●Nyepa: Defect.
●Loong: Movement Energy.
●Tripa: Hot Energy.
●Baekan: Cold Energy.
●Balance and Imbalance.
●Meditation: Alternate Nostril Breathing.

Chapter 5: Learn about Your Unique Nature.
●Who really am I?
●Loong Constitution: Nature of a Vulture, Crow, and Fox.
●Tripa Constitution: Nature of a Tiger and Monkey.
●Baekan Constitution: Nature of a Lion and Elephant.
●Dual and Triple Constitutions.
●Meditation: Om Mani Padme Hum.

Chapter 6: Create a Healthy Mind.
●What Is Mind?
●Negative Thinking, Suffering, and Dis-ease.
●Heal Negativity.
●Develop Spiritual Immunity.
●Mindfulness Meditation.

Chapter 7: Create an Enlightened Mind.
●Buddhism: Beyond Religion.
●The Four Noble Truths.
●The Eightfold Path of Ethics.
●Impermanence, Emptiness, Dependent Origination, Interconnectedness.
●Universal Compassion.
●Meditation on the Medicine Buddha.

Chapter 8: Create a Healthy Body.
●Diet.
●Digestion.
●Behavior.
●Daily, Seasonal, and Environmental Changes.
●Rejuvenation.
●Meditation: Tibetan Prostrations.

Chapter 9: Create a Good Death.
●Life.
●Death.
●Bardo: Intermediate State Between Death and Rebirth
●Rebirth.
●Tonglen Meditation while Dying.

Part B: Tibetan Medicine in Integrative Care.

Chapter 10: Tibetan Medicine Past and Present.
●History of Tibetan Medicine.
●Tibetan Medicine Today.
●Gyueshi: Fundamental Text of Tibetan Medicine.
●Four Tantra of the Gyueshi.
●Loving Kindness Meditation.

Chapter 11: Tibetan Medicine’s Code of Ethics.
●Unsuitable and Suitable Students.
●Core Values.
●Tibetan Medical Education.
●Exceptional, Ordinary, and Incompetent Practitioners.
●Rewards for Excellence.
●Shaking and Dancing Meditation.

Chapter 12: Disease.
●Causes.
●Conditions.
●Location.
●Characteristics.
●Create Health.
●White Light Meditation.

Chapter 13: Diagnosis.
●How to Prepare for Your Consultation.
●Diagnostic Process.
●Observation.
●Touch.
●Questioning.
●Classification.
●Meditation on Anger.

Chapter 14: Treatment.
●Treatment Goal.
●Diet.
●Behavior.
●Tibetan Medicines.
●Accessory Therapies.
●Prognosis.
●Meditation on Sound.

Chapter 15: Tibetan Medicine for Health Professionals.
Overview.
Scientific Basis.
Application.
Effectiveness.
Meditation: Loving Kindness Is My Religion.

Appendix
References.
Selected Bibliography