What does Metablism mean in Tibetan Medicine?

 Metabolism is a broad term in Tibetan Medicine because it involves the entire complex physical and biochemical changes and substance processes involved in the maintenance of life. Metabolism is commonly used to refer to the breakdown of food and its transformation of all nutrients into energy, but it incorporates all chemical and physiology changes that take place within the body to enable it to grow and function. Functions that include thyroid, hormone as example,.

How does Tibetan Medicine look at the process of metabolizing our food?

In Tibetan Medicine the body metabolizes the nutrients into an essence that substance and feeds the 7 bodily constitutes. Especially the digestion and excretion functions. The metabolism is interdependent to the physiological function of the Tibetan Medicine's three humors. The three humors are rLung, mKhris-pa and Bad-kan. Translated as Wind, Bile and Phlegm and seven bodily sustainers are

1. Essential nutrients,
2 blood,
3 muscle tissues,
4 fat
5 bone
6 marrow
7 regenerative fluid.

General description of rLung/Wind is that it is a subtle flow of energy out of the five elements (air, fire, water, earth and space) and it is most closely connected to air. However, it is not simply the air which we breath, or the wind in our stomachs it goes much deeper than that. Wind is like a horse and where the mind is the rider, and if there is something wrong with the horse the rider will not be able to ride properly. It is rough, light, cool, thin, hard, moveable. The general function of wind is to help growth, movement of the body, exhalation and inhalation and to aid the function of mind, speech and body. Wind helps to separate in our stomachs what we eat into nutrients and waste products. However the most important function is to carry the movements of mind, speech and body. The nature of rlung/Wind is both hot and cold.

mKhris-pa/Bile is the hot nature within our body and not simply the bile, which comes from our gall bladder. From the five elements Bile is related to the nature fire or the sun. It is oily, sharp, hot light, pungent and moist. The most important function of bile is to keep in balance the bodily temperature. It helps with the digestion of food and it is what makes us feel hungry and thirsty at the right times. It also gives luster to the skin and helps to keep the pores clear.

Bad-kan/phlegm Bad-kan is not the phlegm, which comes from the chest cold, it is all the diseases connected with the cold nature called Bad-kan. From the five elements it is related to both water and earth. The description of Bad-kan/phlegm is oily, cool, heavy, blunt, smooth, steady and sticky. The main function of Bad-kan/phlegm is to sustain the bodily liquids. It helps to mix food in the stomach, steady the mind, and it helps to keep our joints flexible. The nature of Bad-kan/phlegm is cold, like water or the moon.

How are the three humors effected by our eating and digestion of food?

To understand how the three humors work in the metabolic system is when we eat or drink something, it goes to the stomach by the rLung/Wind process. The Bad-kan/phlegm will help to mix it (moisture from mouth and intestines), the mKkhris-pa/bile will help to digest it and rLung/Wind will help to separate the essential nutrients from the waste products. (These three stages are effected by improper diet, emotional situations which will aggravate and cause imbalances and problems within the metabolism system.) The essence of the essential nutrients will then form blood, the essence of blood forms, muscle, tissues, the essence of muscle tissue forms fat, the essence of fat forms bones, the essence of bones forms marrow and the essence of bone marrow forms the regenerative fluid. The waste products have three eliminating functions 1. Elimination of feces by the colon, 2 Elimination of urine and 3. Elimination of perspiration.

This process shows how important it is for rLung, mKhris-pa and Bad-kan (Wind Bile & Phlegm) to be kept in balance.

What causes a Toxic Metabolism?

Tibetan Medicine Digestive Metabolism is correlated to these three humors and seven bodily sustainers. Example: In Tibetan Medicine the food descending from mouth to stomach is a function of the sustaining rLung/Wind correlated through muscles and nerves to the stomach. When food gets to the stomach it goes through a second process called decomposing BadiKin/phlegm. Stomach glands produce liquid that makes food soft. This is a function of the decomposing phlegm. The digestion bile called mKhris-pa/Bile cooks the food and sends the nutrients to the first intestines and second intestines. The second intestines sends the body plasma to the liver. The color transformation of the bile is the function of the liver metabolism where all the substances received from the intestine goes to making blood cells. tissues, muscles, bones and reproduction of hormones. This color transformation is paramount to the body receiving nutrients for life sustaining.

Digestion Metabolism is primarily responsible for the bile (heat warmth) to provide the warmth throughout the body. This is called digestion bile. This is crucial for good health and prevention of disease. This helps the functions of the three humors that feed the seven bodily sustainers to build strengths that prevents disease. When the Digestive Metabolism bile is not properly working this can result in indigestion, diarrhea, weight gain, hyperglycemia. Too much excess metabolism heat can burn all the nutrient substances and create many different kind of heat disorders. Digestive Metabolism Bile is like soil. If the soil has good heat (sun energy), water, and nutrients it makes all the life sustaining elements in balance and provides the good vegetation to have healthy growth. The same is the function of the Digestion Metabolism. Like the soil. too much heat or not enough, too much water or not enough and lack of nutrients can effect the growth and well being of the body. The treatment and understanding of the body's Digestion Metabolism is always the first to be addressed in the treating of any disease and in maintaining ones health. To live a long health life requires a healthy understanding of the digestion metabolism. To preventive disease you need to watch your digestion metabolism. If you don't eat right, think right, and maintain a good energy system in your body, disease will prevail.

Why should I know what body type I am?

The Digestion Metabolism relates to your body type. Therefore, if you know your body type you can have a better understanding of the nutrients and digestive process needed for your body. Example: If you have hyper metabolism : You have excess bile and heat condition. You need to be careful not to have high spicy food, alcohol, sugar and citrus. Body needs to be more alkaline as it produces more acid that can cause more heat in the digestion metabolism. This is a Bile body type. This person may be more anxious, angry, more challenging. Always wants food. When you get hungry you get angry. This person if continues to eat the food mentioned above, they will continue these traits, and lead to blood inflammation, ulcers, gastric condition, liver conditions, hypertension, inflammatory disorders to name a few.

If you have a natural lower metabolism this is called Phlegm body type. You always have a tendency to eat raw food, sugar, dairy food and over eat. Plus too much sleeping. This can cause problems like hyperthyroid disorders, diabetes, and insomnia, soiling of the body, low kidney functions, water retention, limp system congestion. This is a cold condition therefore, if you know this is your body type you are usually not an angry person, want to sleep a lot, body has tendency to have more fat. The need to avoid the above foods and to have a specific diet plan is important.

Wind Digestion body type is a fluctuating body type, some times high sometimes low. Is light and moveable dominated. Wind can produce a wind bile heat disease and if low can be wind phlegm disorder. Some body types can be two types or three types dominating which effect the individual digestion metabolism . The condition is aggravated by food lacking nutrition, coffee and all caffeine drinks, sugar, wheat, night shades, citrus and pork and dairy. Plus lack of oil. Emotions such as worry and anxiety can also effect the wind combination disorders.

What kind of bacteria(s) are in my body?

The three digestive humors are also called the 3 microseism bacteria natures in the digestive system. In your digestive system there are approximately 84,000 micro organisms bacteria in the human body. These three digestive bacteria's have different kinds of shapes. First is Phlegm which looks like a series of connective circles in a line. The second is the Bile bacteria which looks like a strand of hair. The third is the Wind bacteria that looks like an arrow.

All major internal illnesses are caused by cold and heat, phlegm and bile, alkaline or non alkaline issues There are four methods of treatments. 1) advice regarding diet, 2)Advice regarding behavior 3) Tibetan herbs. 4) Accessory therapy such as Reiki, Acupuncture, Yoga, Meditation to name a few.

Source

www.tibetanacademy.org