PA 114 Handouts

Southeast Asia – Thailand

Introduction
Traditional Thai Medicine or TTM is an officially recognized healing system alongside
modern western biomedical an Traditional Chinese Medicine in Thailand today. TTM
practitioners are required by the government to study a standardized curriculum, which typically
includes one year of classes to become a tradition pharmacist and another two years to become
a full physician. Graduating students are examined by the Ministry of Public Health in order to
get licensed.
History
 It is dated back to the Sukothai Period, 1238-1377, Buddha Calendar
 Jivara Kumar Bhaccha revered by most Thai practitioners as the “Father Doctor”
o He was the personal physician of the Buddha’s order of monks and nuns
o He is a renowned Ayurvedic doctor
o He was the origin of the Thai massage system
o He was also the source of Thailand’s complete herb and mineral pharmacopeia
Thai Philosophy: The Circle of Life
 There is a constant flow between the three essences:
o Body
 The Substance of which we are made of
 It is the physical manifestation
o Citta
 Usually translated as mind/heart
 It is the entire non-physical human being
 Thoughts, emotions, and spirit
 Since Thai philosophy is rooted to Buddhism, it does not recognize soul
as part of a human being
 It is part of our being, not a separate entity, but tied to the physical body
o Energy
 It holds the mind, heart, and body together
 It is analogous to the Chinese Qi (chi)
 It is an intangible flow that courses through the body via specific meridian
called Nadis
 Thai recognizes 72,000 Nadis running throughout the body which has no
anatomical counterpart, but practitioners knows how to locate and work
with it
 It is said that diseases are caused by the imbalance of the three
essences
Energy Therapy: Thai Massage
 It is a combination of acupressure and ayurvedic principle, through a guided yoga
 It is not considered to be bodywork, unlike the Swedish-style massage, which soothes
the muscles
 Applies acupressure point on certain points in the body in order to promote energy floe
through the nadis in order to relieve symptoms and stimulate healing
 There is a need of the proper understanding of where each nadis is located in the body
and which system they affect in order to target the problematic area in the body
Conclusion
I noticed, based on the information above, that there are some aspects of the traditional
medicine of Thailand is similar to Chinese traditional medicine. The concept of energy is like the
concept of Qi/Chi in the Chinese medicine, both are flowing throughout the body through
meridians. Both believe that imbalance in the elements in the body will result to diseases.
Source
Salguero, C.P. (2003) A Thai Herbal: Traditional Recipes for Health and Harmony. Scotland,
Findhorn Press
Salguero, C.P (2007) Traditional Thai Medicine: Buddhism, Animism, Ayurveda. Hohm Press