Turning back to tradition

NO ONE WOULD argue that modern medicine has improved life expectancy and that some of the drugs available on today’s market offer a quick and efficient cure for some of the most common diseases known to man.
Yet while they have their merits, none of these miracle cures “listen” to the body. Unlike in bygone days, when traditional Thai healers embraced nature for salves and potions to soothe an individual’s physical ailments, they do not take into account the tard – the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire.
While traditional Thai medicine (TTM) has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years, it still faces problems in convincing people to believe that say, onions and garlic are an effective antibiotic and ginger root is as good a painkiller as paracetamol.
The recent symposium, “T(ha)ime Machine: Global Trends Turn Back to Thai Wisdom”, hosted by the Office of Knowledge Management and Development at Royal Paragon Hall, was designed to create greater awareness and understanding of Thai wisdom. It brought together three experts in holistic wellness.
Dr Teepatat Chunhaswasdikul, who practised modern medicine before turning to naturopathy, points to the old days when our ancestors dealt with illness by turning to the healing powers of nature and took into account the seasons and the stars. Their observations gradually evolved into knowledge and to a medication database that included herbal teas, hot herbal compresses and herbal stream baths and massage.
Thai Traditional Medicine is considered a holistic form of medicine. Treatment emphasises adjusting the balance of the body elements in relation to the influence of seasons and modifying external elements to tard-chao-ruan – the individual’s own dominant element based on date of birth. A proper balance between the four elements leads to good health while an imbalance results in a person falling ill.
Using a body analysis machine and his special computer program, Teepatat calculated volunteers’ tard-chao-ruan from their birth date and time and explained how the nature – particularly seasonal variations, weather and the stars while they were in the womb – affected their health once they were born.
While most young people brought up to question anything that cannot be proved scientifically decry this mix of astrological and holistic beliefs, Teepatat argues that the idea has scientific relevance. TTM, he points out, has long embraced the four elements in analysing the human body and indeed advises patients to maintain good health by balancing the elements through body and mind – just like how modern medicine prescribes drugs and lifestyle changes for healthy living.
“Of course, we can no longer stick strictly to the older textbooks,” Teepatat says. “We have to understand and adapt to the current situation. For instance, we have to look at how we evaluate the elements of those who were born prematurely, through a c-section, as well as those who were born overseas, where the seasons are different. The knowledge has to be adapted and adjusted,” says the doctor who runs the Healthy Flavour clinic and restaurant, which offers a mix of modern and traditional health analyses as well as dishes based on the individual’s elements.
The four elements analysis is also widely used in wellness retreats. In addition to offering traditional Thai massage, elements analysis also allows guests to eat foods matched to them as individuals while promoting healing through Thai herbal compresses and foot massage.
Krod Rojanastien, president of the Thai Spa Association and director of the Chiva-som Academy says that the elements, massage and Thai holistic treatments play a pivotal role in the wellness tourism business, which is now worth billions of baht a year.
In addition to providing spa and massage treatment, the Academy offers a range of holistic treatments that include everything from nutrition programmes to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Life Enhancement Counselling through detoxification and colonic hydrotherapy to Chi Nei Tsang massage, meditation, reflexology, shiatsu and reiki.
Thailand is one of the world’s leading spa destinations, with these combinations of ancient wisdom and exotic retreats attracting people eager to find some kind of preventive medicine and lifestyle improvement through non-traditional therapies offered in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.
And it’s profitable too.
“Visitors coming for wellness tourism spend a lot more than other types of tourists,” Krod says.
“The revival of ancient practices like Thai massage and Thai Traditional Medicine are vital to a business that today provides thousands of jobs for the Thai people.”