November 7, 1998
PLENARY SESSION
Constitution Hall
November 8 & 9, 1998
SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel on Capitol Hill
The First International
Congress on Tibetan Medicine was sponsored by
George Washington University Medical Center and organized by
Pro-Cultura, Inc.
Introduction Message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama Executive Summary Tibetan Medicine, History & Background Conference Objectives Conference Final Program Operation & Management Sponsors
INTRODUCTION
A three day international congress on Tibetan medicine was convened in Washington, D.C. November 7 - 9, 1998. This was the first world congress dedicated specifically to Tibetan medicine. It was been planned to coincide with a historic
exhibition of a recently discovered set of Tibetan medical paintings at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.The Tibetan system ranks among one of the oldest, continuously used medical systems in the world. For centuries, Tibetan medicine has been successfully practiced in Tibet, China, Mongolia and Buddhist regions of Russia and Central Asia, as well as areas of the Himalayas extending to Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Northern India. So successful and effective was Tibetan medicine among these cultures, that Tibet became known as "the land of medicine."
As one of Asia's oldest and most important medical traditions, Tibetan medicine has yet to take its place in the history of medicine. In today's search for new approaches and paradigms, Tibetan medicine should make a significant contribution: to enrich our current views on health and healing, particularly in the area of mind/body relationship; to introduce us to a diverse range of time-tested methods of diagnosis and treatment; and to provide new bio-active compounds from their extensive herbal pharmacopoeia.
The Congress provided a unique opportunity for the first global dialogue between traditional Tibetan medicine and Western scientists, scholars, clinicians, physicians and allied health workers. It also offered an extensive program on the practice and art of Tibetan medicine including clinical applications, complementary research and its relevance to conventional western medicine.
One intention of the congress was to give practitioners of Tibetan medicine from many different countries an opportunity to meet with each other, network and share their information and knowledge. This is of tremendous importance at this time as the mobility which previously kept the medical tradition alive and permitted the flow of ideas, education and medicines, has been seriously curtailed. It is our hope that the congress will create a first step towards re-establishing these contacts and connections as well as provide support, and encourage practitioners of Tibetan medicine around the world to strengthen their commitment to their medical tradition. Moreover, the results of these collaborative action-plans will contribute towards the protection and preservation of this unique medical system for the benefit of all humanity.