The Tibetan Book of Health: Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing

A just published book by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, The Tibetan Book of Health, is loaded with remarkable health tips and practices. I highly recommend it to all students of alternative medicine and to everyone seeking better health. Tibetan medicine shares similarities with both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. It remains, however, a decidedly unique modality with its own significant contributions to medicine and personal health care.

In addition to the origin and philosophical base of Tibetan medicine, the book includes sections on diagnosis, natural remedies and external therapies that can be employed at home. One example is Tibetan self-massage, or nejang, which, I find delivers remarkable results. The simple stretches themselves are not elaborate or complex. But when coupled with breathing techniques, they profoundly move and adjust energy. This will not come as a surprise to people familiar with Tibetan meditation breathing techniques. Published by Sky Press, the book is 198 pages and abundantly illustrated with many color photos.