71st Wellbeing Camp Reoprt (November 6-8, 2019)
It was a perfect break for the noted Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue to be at the Wellbeing Camp after being jailed for 12 days for 'attempting to protest against Chinese President Xi Jing Ping' and after giving a number of Tibet lectures. Winner of first-ever Outlook-Picador Award for Non-Fiction, Tenzin Tsundue writes about the 71st edition of the Wellbeing Camp, an initiative of 'Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing' and 'Men-Tsee-Khang', the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The 3-day long medical camp was held at Alappuzha, Kerala from November 6-8, 2019.
Diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease few years ago, he cannot say a word but breaks into a controlled laughter every time he sees an old acquaintance from the Wellbeing Medical Camp Volunteers.
Sethu Das from the Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing shared with me the time when this patient was first brought to the Wellbeing Camp. Four men were required to support and carry him to the camp. After months of medication he can now stand on his feet, regained some facial gestures, and most importantly he got his beautiful smile back. Sethu Das shared with us that this man was a singer of devotional songs attached to a local Hindu temple near Thiruvananthapuram; after many years of singing, he lost his voice to Spasmodic Dysphonia, a debilitating physical condition caused by nervous system disorder.
Sethu corrected me: "Here no one is patient, all are Participants of the Wellbeing Programme. Even the Volunteers seek medical help and we share this unique opportunity with anybody who is willing."
Since 2016, the Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp is conducted at the Sylviander House, Alappuzha, Kerala. The current camp saw over hundred registered participants. While most of them had been visiting the camp for sometimes, many are new and had never heard of Sowa Rigpa, commonly known as the Tibetan System of Medicines.
During the 71st edition of the Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp, a special diagnostic programme was initiated — 'Diagnosis by Tongue Analysis'. Dr Dorjee Rapten Neshar, the Chief Medical Officer of Men-Tsee-Khang Bangalore Branch who is also the head doctor of our camp, has over 30 years of practice in Tibetan medicine.
Che-Tagpa: The Tibetan Way of Analysing a Tongue
Also, one can observe unique understanding of special links between internal organs and the sensory organs! For instance, your eyes are linked to liver, ears to kidney, nose to lungs and the tongue is linked to your heart. Therefore, it is right to say that your tongue speaks volumes of your emotions stored in the heart.
One amazing reading of the tongue is that the two intertwined veins below your tongue sometimes turn bluish and feel swollen. This is a sign of bad blood circulation and needs immediate blood cleansing or venesection. Sudden slurring of speech may signify age related progressive neurological disorders like Parkinson etc.
Jivha Pariksha: Tongue Analysis as per the Ayurveda System of Medication
Dr Rinu says: "Tongue is an organ as well as a window to the whole body. It serves as a vital instrument in Ayurvedic medicine for assessing a person's current state of health and for providing prognosis. It helps us to understand the physical, mental and emotional aspects of health. Diagnosis by Tongue Analysis shows the nature of Agni or digestive fire. Diagnosis by tongue Analysis is the second most important methods of diagnosis prescribed by Ayurveda, the first being pulse analysis."
According to him, tongue surface reflects an overall map of the body and informs the practitioner about the underlying challenges and strengths in the organs and body systems. "As it helps in understanding the imbalances and potential diseases in the early stages it gives us an opportunity to bring a balance and equilibrium even before the disease manifest," he says.
"Vital aspects such as alignment, colour, edge, fur/coating, mark movement, shape, texture etc are certain parameters that need to be assessed for the proper reading of the tongue. Tongue reading is a universal language, true of all ages, culture and races and it does not stand alone. It's a part of larger family which can be linked to the science of prevention and nutrition," Dr Rinu adds.
Tailpiece: Your Tongue plays a very important role in understanding and analysing many illnesses pertaining to your physical and psychological wellbeing. Hence, keep your tongue safe and healthy!
Wellbeing Volunteer and Yoga Instructor Danny Kumar Azaad photo documents a Wellbeing camp participant for the Tongue Diagnosis as initiated for the 'fasting culture' project of 'Culture Unplugged' during the Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp organised jointly by 'Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing' and Men-Tsee-Khang, Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of HH the Dalai Lama in Alappuzha, Kerala from November 6-8, 2019.
Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing, PO Box 16674, Mumbai 400050, India.
What Our Tongue Reveals
Report: Tenzin Tsundue
Editing: Eswar Anandan
Photography: Siddharth Aderath
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Alappuzha, Kerala: The first patient of the Wellbeing camp was a clean-shaven middle-aged man, trudged and supported by his relatives and an attendant. I seated him in a chair and sat down on the doorsteps near his feet.
Dr Dorjee Rapten emphasised the importance of Diagnosis by Tongue Analysis through his words: "Though Tibetan doctors observe all the five sensory organs as part of the more comprehensive diagnostic methods, amongst them the signs observed on the tongue are understood in three broad parameters — Loong for stress and tension, Tripa for bile or pitta and Badh-kan for phlegm and cold related disorders. For instance, stress and tension could turn your tongue look reddish, give you dry mouth and rough texture, while an imbalance in your bile or tri-pa related disorder could make your tongue unusually thick and give it a pale yellowish coating, and disturbances in phlegm or Badh-kan can make your tongue look pale, wet, very uncomfortably thick and sticky."
This brought an interesting thought on how the Ayurveda looks at Diagnosis by Tongue Analysis. We asked Dr Rinu Ravi, an Ayurvedic Physician who's been studying and analysing hundreds of images and videos for 'fasting culture', the latest project from the Culture Unplugged Centre for Transformation & Healing.
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