By Ymke Koperberg
On the 4th of November 2006, the first seminar “Bridge between Eastern and Western Medicine” was organized in the Netherlands.
The main aim of the seminar is building a network of practitioners of both Western and Eastern medicine, so the systems can work together in closer cooperation. Over 80 people attended the seminar.
The participants were Western doctors, Tibetan doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, medical students and the people who were interested in bringing the two medical systems together. The guest speakers on the seminar were Prof. Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya, a Tibetan doctor from Milano, Italy; Drs. S.H. Kwee MSc, medical doctor and acupuncturist; Dr. J.A.M. Hoevenaars, general practitioner and acupuncturist; and Amchi Lobsang Tsultrim, Tibetan doctor. The seminar was organized by Amchi Lobsang Tsultrim and his practice for Traditional Tibetan Medicine in the Netherlands.
The seminar was opened by Geshe-la Sonam Gyaltsen with a Buddhist ceremony. Following on that Amchi-la Pasang Yonten Arya gave a lecture on Tibetan Medicine in the Third Millennium. Doctor Kwee talked about Integrated Medicine: opportunities and obstacles. Doctor Hoevenaars talked how both Western and Eastern practitioners should develop understanding and knowledge about each other’s approach because that can be beneficial for the patient as well as for the doctor. Amchi Lobsang Tsultrim gave a lecture on Diagnosis and Treatment in Tibetan Medicine.
After each lecture was time for the attendants to come up with questions.
At the end of the afternoon was a panel discussion hosted by Ir. Linda Doctor, the chairlady of the seminar. Actually, the day was too short to talk about all issues coming with creating cooperation between Eastern and Western Medicine, but we can conclude that it was a very fruitful day, a start for more gatherings and seminars in this field. The opinion of the attendants and the guest speakers were very positive and people showed their interest to start network groups.
The day was closed by a beautiful performance of Loten Namling from Switzerland, with his traditional Tibetan music and songs.
More information can be found on the website: www.tibetmedicine.nl
