Traditional Medicine: The Ancient Wisdom Of Thailand
http://chinamediastation.com/articles/articles/33/1/Traditional-Medicine-The-Ancient-Wisdom-Of-Thailand/Traditional-Medicine-The-Ancient-Wisdom-Of-Thailand.html
Lana SG
My name is Lana, I am a professional linguist/ translator and am in love with writing, too!
I was born, brought up and educated in Russia, continued my education and got married in India, now I am living in Thailand and have no idea where I will find myself tomorrow! I love learning languages, travelling and getting to know about other cultures. I know Russian, English and Hindi; some bits of German, Turkish and Tatar, now learning Thai, and have great plans for at least 5 more languages!:)
I am happy to share a few articles regarding Russian, Indian and Thai cultures with you. By Lana SG
Published on 04/29/2006
Traditional Thai medicine features a lot of common with India's Ayurveda and Chinese healing practices. It has a natural, holistic approach to health and well-being, developed over thousands of years, which includes proper nutrition, physical exercise...
Traditional Medicine: The Ancient Wisdom Of Thailand
Traditional Thai medicine features a lot of common with India's Ayurveda and Chinese healing practices. It has a natural, holistic approach to health and well-being, developed over thousands of years, which includes proper nutrition, physical exercise, the use of medicinal herbs and therapeutic massage. Traditional Thai medicine sees illness as a sign of imbalances in one's body and mind and seeks to restore harmony.
Traditional pharmacological therapy of Thai medicine prescribes herbs - singly or in a combination. In total, over 700 plant varieties and some animal sources are used. Most commonly used herbal remedies are available over the counter at traditional medicine shops and to a lesser extent in modern Thai pharmacies. These include medicines for headache and stomachache, fever reduction, muscle pain, etc. More complex combinations are prepared by herbalists and for each patient individually, following the specific proportions adjusted for each particular case of disease. Herbs are also widely used in cooking for a double purpose - enhancing the taste and obtaining a stronger health.
The most well-known and effective type of traditional Thai medicine is massage. Traditional Thai massage is a complete and refined system of treatment using the principles of a holistic approach, that is taking into consideration not only body but spirit and mind as well. The system combines characteristics of massage (stroking and kneading the muscles), chiropractice (manipulating skeletal parts) and acupressure (applying deep, consistent pressure to specific nerves, tendons or ligaments) in order to balance the functions of the four body elements (earth, water, fire and air). Often Thai massage is prescribed along with pharmacological and psycho-spiritual treatments. Though, a lot of people use it just for relaxation and disease prevention rather than for a specific medical problem.
Unfortunately, along with a tourist industry development, Thai massage started getting misinterpreted and often used as a part of entertainment. Till date, it is largely used as a cover for prostitution; clearly, such "massage specialists" hardly apply any of the real Thai massage techniques. Massage on undressed clients often using massage oils is not a part of the tradition - both patient and massage therapist should be fully clothed.
Traditions of Thai massage are preserved mainly in provinces, while in big tourist hubs as Bangkok and Pattaya you may spend quite a lot of time and efforts finding an establishment that offers real traditional Thai massage and has good specialists. Wat Pho in Bangkok (temple of reclining Buddha) is the centre of authentic Thai massage and the headquarters for teaching traditional Thai medicine.
Psycho-spiritual healing is one more staple of traditional Thai medicine, though it tends to be overlooked by modern practitioners and patients themselves. It features meditation and hypnosis along with some shamanistic rituals and prayers. Maintaining a positive approach and inner balance is considered crucial in many cases. Here a tight connection between Thai traditional medicine and Buddhism becomes evident.
Traditional pharmacological therapy of Thai medicine prescribes herbs - singly or in a combination. In total, over 700 plant varieties and some animal sources are used. Most commonly used herbal remedies are available over the counter at traditional medicine shops and to a lesser extent in modern Thai pharmacies. These include medicines for headache and stomachache, fever reduction, muscle pain, etc. More complex combinations are prepared by herbalists and for each patient individually, following the specific proportions adjusted for each particular case of disease. Herbs are also widely used in cooking for a double purpose - enhancing the taste and obtaining a stronger health.
The most well-known and effective type of traditional Thai medicine is massage. Traditional Thai massage is a complete and refined system of treatment using the principles of a holistic approach, that is taking into consideration not only body but spirit and mind as well. The system combines characteristics of massage (stroking and kneading the muscles), chiropractice (manipulating skeletal parts) and acupressure (applying deep, consistent pressure to specific nerves, tendons or ligaments) in order to balance the functions of the four body elements (earth, water, fire and air). Often Thai massage is prescribed along with pharmacological and psycho-spiritual treatments. Though, a lot of people use it just for relaxation and disease prevention rather than for a specific medical problem.
Unfortunately, along with a tourist industry development, Thai massage started getting misinterpreted and often used as a part of entertainment. Till date, it is largely used as a cover for prostitution; clearly, such "massage specialists" hardly apply any of the real Thai massage techniques. Massage on undressed clients often using massage oils is not a part of the tradition - both patient and massage therapist should be fully clothed.
Traditions of Thai massage are preserved mainly in provinces, while in big tourist hubs as Bangkok and Pattaya you may spend quite a lot of time and efforts finding an establishment that offers real traditional Thai massage and has good specialists. Wat Pho in Bangkok (temple of reclining Buddha) is the centre of authentic Thai massage and the headquarters for teaching traditional Thai medicine.
Psycho-spiritual healing is one more staple of traditional Thai medicine, though it tends to be overlooked by modern practitioners and patients themselves. It features meditation and hypnosis along with some shamanistic rituals and prayers. Maintaining a positive approach and inner balance is considered crucial in many cases. Here a tight connection between Thai traditional medicine and Buddhism becomes evident.