According to tradition, the fundaments of Tibetan medicine are gathered together in the Four Tantras of the Medical Science [Rgyud-bzhi] or Tantra of the secret instructions on the eight branches of essence of the immortality elixir. Traditional Tibetan Medicine, holistic and precautionary, is based on a complex philosophical and cosmological system, which defines an integrated system of health care, viewed as a balance of body, mind and spirit, also including the Dharma practice.
By observing and carefully considering each symptom, it is possible to deduce almost all diseases, which have to be treated according to a complex system of interrelations. These include the qualities of the patient, of the medicines and of the doctor, which must be evaluated also taking into account factors like diet, behavior, seasons, elements, the senses and what their experience.
When they are not balanced or are subject to transformation, they start spreading in all directions The health of body, speech and mind is the result of different states of balance.
A state of disharmony is at the base of every disease. All treatments aim at balancing the different elements. This objective may be achieved through diets, changes in behavior and herbal mixtures, or therapies like moxibustion, acupuncture, heat therapy, massage therapy, thermal baths, phlebotomy, and spiritual practices. Body, universe and nature are made up of the same elements and are in a constant relation to one another.
Physical conditions and emotions are interconnected. The patient to be treated and the doctor who treats are connected. Ignorance and knowledge are connected. The ideal doctor is someone who combines a strong medical knowledge with great wisdom and compassion, whose interior qualities are as important as his professional experience but, above all, is someone who can help the patient develop a genuine awareness.
