Medical Pluralism

An Ancient Medicine in a New World: A Tibetan Medicine Doctor’s Reflection from ‘Inside"

by Eliot Tokar

Tokar, Eliot 2008, "An Ancient Medicine in a New World: A Tibetan Medicine Doctor’s Reflection from ‘Inside’." Tibetan Medicine in the Contemporary World: Global Politics of Medical Knowledge and Practice, Ed. Pordié, Laurent. London: Routledge. 229-248

FROM: “Tibetan Medicine in the Contemporary World" (pub. Routledge)
Edited by Dr. Laurent Pordié.
Awarded the International Convention of Asia Scholars 2009 Book Prize Award

Based on his own Tibetan medicine practice, the author analyzes the rapprochement between Tibetan medicine and the... more Based on his own Tibetan medicine practice, the author analyzes the rapprochement between Tibetan medicine and the industry of complementary and alternative medicine/integrative medicine. Discussed in depth are the social, ethical and medical significance of the transformation of traditional Tibetan medicine in the context of Western (esp. American) normative public health policies. The author shows how in that context, a neo-traditional medical practice can be constructed, that advances the translation of traditional Asian medical concepts and terminology in a way that is intended to be both faithful to traditional theory, and that makes it accessible and useful to the wide spectrum of patients of diverse cultural, language and economic backgrounds found in New York City.

A Tibetan Medical Perspective on Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Eliot Tokar

Tokar, Eliot 1998, A Tibetan medical perspective on irritable bowel syndrome: building a means of discourse for integrative medicine, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 4(5): 343-349

This article will compare the diagnostic approaches of Western biomedicine and Tibetan medicine. The biomedical... more This article will compare the diagnostic approaches of Western biomedicine and Tibetan medicine. The biomedical disease irritable bowel syndrome will be used as a case study. It will be contrasted with the multiple nosological categories that could be used in TIbetan medicine to achieve a differential diagnosis for patients with symptoms that are typical of this biomedical disease.

As a result of the grassroots alternative medicine movement, for four decades Americans have increasingly used a wide diversity of natural medical approaches. Among these are ancient systems of traditional natural medicine such as Tibetan medicine. As the use of such medical alternatives expand it is important to consider how they can be best utilized within our society.

The integration of such systems into the existing medical industrial complex is an approach sponsored by powerful voices within the government, academia and the medical industry. Alternatively, many laypeople and health professionals advocate for medical pluralism in order to provide a means for promoting the greatest possible healthcare diversity and freedom. In analyzing the debate between integration and pluralism it is vital to consider how they will each effect the actual practice of traditional natural medical systems as well as the indigenous cultures from which such disciplines originate. This article will draw upon the history of Tibetan medicine to inform the debate between integration and pluralism. Finally, it will pose some critical questions regarding medical reform.

Seeing to the distant mountain: diagnosis in Tibetan medicine.

by Eliot Tokar

Tokar, Eliot, 1999, Seeing to the distant mountain: Diagnosis in Tibetan medicine, Alternative Therapies In Health And Medicine, 5(2): 50-58

To make use of an ancient traditional medical system we must first be able to comprehend the singular concepts and... more To make use of an ancient traditional medical system we must first be able to comprehend the singular concepts and language it utilizes to understand and describe health and illness. The diagnostic procedure is the method by which a person's medical condition is interpreted into the epistemological categories and language of medical science. This article provides a description of traditional Tibetan medical diagnosis, and explains how a Tibetan physician perceives and analyzes a presenting illness. It discusses the spiritual, psychological and physical aspects of the Tibetan medical approach to diagnosis. By addressing these issues we can understand what is unique about this system of alternative medicine and how it can inform other models of medical practice.

Preservation and Progress: Using Tibetan Medicine as a Model to Define a Progressive Role for Traditional Asian Medicine in Modern Healthcare

by Eliot Tokar

Tokar, Eliot. 2007, Preservation And Progress: Using Tibetan Medicine As A Model To Define A Progressive Role For Traditional Asian Medicine In Modern Healthcare, Asian Medicine: Tradition and Modernity, 2(2): 303-314.

The history of Tibetan medicine's development provides an excellent model for planning the appropriate utilization of... more The history of Tibetan medicine's development provides an excellent model for planning the appropriate utilization of 'foreign' medical systems and traditions within a new culture that incorporates progressive approaches for the use of both medical pluralism and integration. This history takes on increasing relevance in the modern world as the practice of Tibetan medicine and other forms of traditional Asian medicine have been spreading in the West where they have been faced with commoditization and the hegemony of biomedicine. In the face of modern globalization, certain key questions have yet to be sufficiently addressed. How can systems of traditional Asian medicine be incorporated into western cultures in a manner that permits them to contribute to our understanding of health and disease while allowing them to retain their own integrity? How can they be utilized to aid in the solution of public health problems that exist in the West? What should be the proper interaction between traditional Asian medical systems (e.g., Tibetan medicine) and biomedicine? To determine the answer to these and other vital questions, we must take into account the many cultural, political, economic and scientific issues that affect the state of both public health and individual healthcare.

A Tibetan medicine doctor's view: Interview with Eliot Tokar

by Eliot Tokar

Laughlin, Matt 2006, Transformation and balance: The principles of Tibetan medicine in the context of American healthcare, Unified Energetics; 1:2, 19-25

This interview explores the nature of the study and the clinical practice of Tibetan medicine. Also included are... more This interview explores the nature of the study and the clinical practice of Tibetan medicine. Also included are topics such as the issues involved in the preservation of ancient forms of medicine in the modern world, medical integration, biopiracy, and the application of intellectual property rights to traditional culture. Eliot Tokar is a traditional Tibetan medicine doctor and internationally experienced writer and lecturer. He practices Tibetan medicine in NYC and is one of the first Westerners to have received extensive textual and clinical training in this field.

The market for healing and the elasticity of belief: Medical pluralism in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

by Robert Thornton

In M. Dekker and R van Dijk (eds.), Markets of Well-being: Navigating Health and Healing in Africa (African Dynamics Series, African Studies Centre).  Leiden, Netherlands: Brill.

The demand for healing appears to produce a kind of ‘market for healing.’ It is often not possible to evaluate... more The demand for healing appears to produce a kind of ‘market for healing.’ It is often not possible to evaluate healing’s effectiveness, utility, or economic efficiency (‘value for money’), however, The market for healing, therefore, is governed less by price than by a parallel market for belief.  In the Umjindi (Barberton) municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, medical choices are made on the basis of belief systems since the effectiveness of therapies is itself contingent on belief (‘placebo/nocebo effect’). Because beliefs change in order to accommodate choice of therapies, and because the perceived effect of therapies often influences belief, ‘markets’ for belief and healing are closely related.  But not all ‘healing’ in this market produces health.  Healing also offers ‘protection’ from other people, from other healers and from other therapies and their effects or side effects.  Since few therapies in this market produce reliable results, belief permits clients to evaluate moral states of being rather than mere evidence of efficacy as they search for healing.  Belief in the therapy allows clients to evaluate their choices and participate in healing with a greater sense of certainty.  In short, what a person believes is believed to influence how and whether he/she can be healed, and to what extent the therapy has been effective.

Devils, parasites, and fierce needles: Healing and the politics of translation in Southern Tanzania

by Stacey Langwick