Rooting out ailments
Mathures Paul discovers the basis of Tibetan cures ‘MISUSE, disuse and overuse… These are the causes of all health problems,” says Dr Pema Dorjee, director (literary research department) of Men-Tsee-Khang or the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, in Dharamsala. Word about the doctor’s visit had spread like wildfire and since early morning patients had begun to arrive in great numbers at the institute’s centre in Tollygunge, Kolkata. Entering the institute, a sea of people were visible, some sitting on the floor and many others waiting outside the little gate, all eager to find cures to their health problems. Even when the doctor is away, the residents are never left idle. Nearby is a dispensary filled with large jars containing herbal solutions to almost any health problem and another showcase presents a wide array of tea leaves — some meant for diabetics, a few for the depressed — but all of these priced modestly. Sparkling clean, we were guide...