Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Water
The number-one rule is don't drink the tap water, including ice. In urban centres Tibetans,
like the Chinese, boil their drinking water to make it safe to drink hot or cooled. In the coun-
try and while trekking you should boil your own water or treat it with water-purification tab-
lets, as livestock contaminate many of the water sources. Tea is always safe to drink.
Locally brewed beer
(chang)
is another matter. It is often made with contaminated well wa-
ter and there is always some risk in drinking it.
WATER PURIFICATION
The simplest way to purify water is to boil it thoroughly. At Tibet's high altitude, water boils
at a lower temperature and germs are less likely to be killed, so make sure you boil water
for at least 10 minutes.
Consider purchasing a water filter for a long trip (often more economical than buying
bottled water). Total filters take out all parasites, bacteria and viruses, and make water safe
to drink.
Chlorine tablets (eg Puritabs or Steritabs) will kill many pathogens, but not giardia and
amoebic cysts. Iodine is more effective for purifying water and is available in liquid (Lugol's
solution) or tablet form (eg Potable Aqua). Follow the directions carefully and remember
that too much iodine can be harmful.
Tibetan Medicine
The basic teachings of Tibetan medicine share much with those of other Asian medical tra-
ditions, which, according to some scholars, made their way to the East via India from an-
cient Greece. These traditions look at symptoms as indications of an imbalance in the body
and seek to restore that balance.
The theory of Tibetan medicine is based on an extremely complex system of checks and
balances between what can be broadly described as three 'humours' (related to state of
mind), seven 'bodily sustainers' (related to the digestive tract) and three 'eliminators' (re-
lated to the elimination of bodily wastes). There is also the influence of harmful spirits to
consider: 360 harmful female influences, 360 harmful male influences, 360 malevolent
naga
(water spirits) influences and, finally, 360 influences stemming from past karma. All
these combine to produce 404 basic disorders and 84,000 illnesses!
How does a Tibetan doctor assess the condition of a patient? The most important skill is
pulse diagnosis. A Tibetan doctor is attuned to 360 'subtle channels' of energy that run
through the body's skin and muscle, internal organs and bone and marrow. The condition of
