Frequently Asked Questions

How does Tibetan Medicine work?

Tibetan medicine is an ancient form of healing which aims to balance the five elements of the body through the three principle energies (often called humors, or doshas). Diet, lifestyle and paying attention to seasonal changes are central in the treatment. The root causes of disease are assessed and directly worked with to bring resulting symptoms into balance.

For some people, treatment emphasizes mostly dietary and behavioral changes, such as what to avoid and promote. Traditionally, accessory therapy may also be administered, such as moxabustion, cupping, acupressure/puncture, and various massage therapies.

We currently do not practice acupuncture within the USA. Within the USA acupuncture is strictly licensed and regulated. At this time Tibetan Medicine’s use of acupuncture needles has not been approved by the boards which currently govern acupuncture treatments. Nashalla, who does most of the external therapies within the practice, depends on her many years of acupressure techniques and finds she can obtain the same results needle free.

Once she has completed the national acupuncture boards, she will let everyone know she can use needles.

What is the common duration for Tibetan Medicine treatment?

This depends on the health issue and symptoms one is experiencing and for what length of time the imbalance has been present. An important variable that the patient alone controls is if one follows the advice of the practitioner regarding foods and behaviors. If they do, the effects of the herbal formulas are greatly enhanced, bringing quicker changes and most people will notice changes in several weeks to a few months or more. Tibetan Medical formulas are given according to one’s personal elemental balance, imbalance, and how these are influenced by the seasons and times of day.

While there are 4 types of treatment in Tibetan Medicine: Diet, Behavior, Medicines and External Therapies, the most important are those which the patient themselves is responsible for – Diet and Behavior.

The guide is the well trained Tibetan physician who gives advice on what foods and lifestyle choices to accept or reject, but if the patient does not rely on such advice, it is like trying to sit on a one legged stool. While indeed, there are 4 legs to Tibetan medicine treatment, a patient can reliably stand and proceed down their healing path on the two legs of diet and behavior. The herbal remedies absolutely can further assist and give stability, (the third leg) and if needed, a fourth leg can be given through the external therapies.

It is therefore essential that the patient adhere as close as possible to the advice the Tibetan physician gives regarding diet and lifestyle. This greatly impacts how quickly one sees changes in symptoms and gets results from a typical Tibetan Medicine treatment.

What can I expect from a traditional Tibetan Medicine treatment?

Traditionally Tibetan Medicine diagnosis begins with determining the nature of your inner elements and their state of balance or disharmony. This is accomplished through extensive questioning, urine and pulse diagnosis.

Dietary and behavior patterns are accessed, and recommendations will be made based on individual circumstances. Traditional herbal supplements and formulas, external therapies may or may not be a part of one’s regime. A follow up visit to read the pulse and observe what changes in the inner microcosm of the person are taking place, will be scheduled in a few weeks.

Generally if one has on-going treatment, check up visits will occur every month/s or seasonally to observe what further changes are needed in accordance with seasonal changes, as well as changes in the internal elements and organ systems.

Will Tibetan medicine herbs and dietary supplements interfere with prescription medications or other vitamins and supplements?

Traditional Tibetan Medicines offer a wide rage of treatment for a variety of health issues. While traditional Tibetan Medicine is safe and effective, it is vital to work only with well-qualified practitioners. People may say “natural substances have no side effects” but this is not true. If you miss the subtle aspects on the elements in a person’s system, if the season shifts, if their inner elements shift, all these factors can mean what was the right medicine at one time, may not be the right one later on.

Likewise, as with all dietary supplements and herbs, one needs to know the mechanism of action of the supplement on the various organ systems. Because Tibetan Medicine works directly with the body elements and relates to the seasons, times of day etc., one must NEVER self prescribe these supplements. It takes many years under the supervision of experienced Tibetan physicians to understand the complex system. Mail order medicine or off the shelf is not something our clinic supports.

In most cases Tibetan Medicine will not interfere with your current treatment. If you are taking prescription drugs, the Tibetan Medicine practitioner will recommend having a minimum of one-hour gap between Tibetan formulas and other medicines, herbs or supplements. It is however, important to disclose all prescription and non-prescription supplements you are consuming to ensure there are no contraindications for a condition or medicine.

While very rare, there are a few compounds that should not be combined with certain prescription drugs. For example, prescription blood thinners (lipid lowering statin drugs) for cholesterol and Tibetan formulas, which also thin the blood for cholesterol, are contraindicated. Just as they need to be monitored in western medicine one would never over thin the blood. But if the Tibetan physician knows you’re on such a drug they will be able to avoid any contraindications.

If you are pregnant, or breast feeding or thinking of conceiving soon you MUST make this known to your practitioner, as certain formulas are not allowed during this time.

If you are going to see a Tibetan Practitioner, in order to properly read the urine sample, prior to your visit vitamins and minerals should not be taken for 3 days. Likewise avoid the foods which are on the Patient Forms page for preparing to see a Tibetan Dr.

There are many cases where people can slowly, and only with supervision of their licensed MD’s come off select western prescriptions, replacing them slowly with Tibetan medicine. This very much depends on the disorder, the medication, and the willingness of the MD to supervise your care alongside your Tibetan Medicine practitioner.

The full cooperation between allopathic and traditional medicines is to be honored, and not avoided. It is common that a Tibetan practitioner may ask you to go to your Allopathic MD and have certain tests done to check blood, serum levels, blood sugar, and liver enzymes. This means you may need to sign a waiver allowing the release of your medical records to your Tibetan Medicine practitioner.