As a practitioner of Tibetan medicine in Mustang, Nepal, Tenzin Bista incorporates his beliefs as a Buddhist monk into his daily work with patients and preserves traditional cultural practices, Bista told audience members gathered in Haldeman Center on Thursday night. In his lecture, "Traditional Medicine, Social Change, and Global Health: A View from the Nepal Himalayas," Bista discussed the benefits of Tibetan medicine and the role of Lo Kunphen, a school of medicine and astrology he and his brother founded in Mustang.
Bista's discussion was translated from Tibetan into English by anthropology professor Sienna Craig.
Tibetan medicine, which incorporates Buddhist traditions, is based on the idea that sickness results from three poisons: anger, ignorance and desire, Bista said.
"This thing that we call Tibetan medicine is important for many reasons," Bista said. "It exists alongside other medical systems, but is important because of its Buddhist ideals of compassion for sentient beings. It's good to be a doctor without fancy technology, but with compassion."
The Tibetan medicine practiced in Mustang offers residents a more accessible and less costly form of care than may be offered by Western medicine, Bista said.
"One of the main ways that we diagnose is by physically examining the patient," Bista said. "We look at their complexion; we look at the tongue; we do a complex pulse reading. Then we ask questions."
Practitioners of Tibetan medicine generally classify diseases by their causes, which Bista said include nefarious spirits, karma from a past life, genetic predispositions or bacteria and viruses.
The doctors have four different strategies for treating illnesses. They may instruct patients to change their diet or to alter their physical surroundings. Doctors also prescribe medicines composed of plant, animal and mineral products, or external therapies, including incense, acupuncture and herbal baths, Bista said.
Tenzin Bista and his brother, Gyatso Bista, established the Lo Kunphen school to preserve and revitalize this traditional form of medicine, Tenzin Bista said. The school also teaches math, English, science and the Nepali language to 30 students.
"Lo Kunphen is also a place where students in Mustang learn about other cultural traditions," Bista said. "They're getting not just a medical education, but a cultural one. Although Tibetan medicine and Mustang are a part of a modern global world, it's important to maintain traditions that are very old but also very important."
Lo Kunphen has revolutionized the education of Tibetan medicine by admitting women to the school, Bista said. Until Lo Kunphen was founded, Tibetan medicine was practiced only by men. Lo Kunphen's student body is approximately 50-percent female, Bista said.
The school has also built four small clinics throughout Mustang, where students treat residents of the village.
"One of the other things that Lo Kunphen has had to do is figure out ways to provide clinical experience to these young doctors while preserving the health of villagers," Bista said.
Bista's school of medicine and astrology has also pioneered conservation efforts in Mustang.
To preserve biodiversity in the region, members of the school work with organizations like the World Wildlife Fund to determine what plants are becoming more rare, and then start conservation plots to protect species, Bista said.
The event was cosponsored by the Dartmouth Coalition for Global Health and the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding.
