Traditional Tibetan medicine is a centuries-old medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials such as herbs and minerals, and physical therapies such as Tibetan acupuncture to treat illness.

In Tibet, a traditional medicine practitioner is a highly respected profession. The best of them are considered equal to Buddha, or God, having supernatural curing abilities. However, in old times women were not allowed to take such important position.

Chokpori, meaning 'Iron Mountain', is a sacred hill, located in the center of Lhasa, south of the Potala Palace. It is considered to be one of the four holy mountains of central Tibet and along with two other hills in Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors of Tibet." It was the site of the most famous medical school on the highland, known as the Mentsikhang, which was founded 600 years ago.

Qiangbazhuoga is one of the first women students of this college.Today you will hear the 68-year-old talking about her experience in learning and practicing traditional Tibetan medicine on the highland.

If you met Qiangbazhuoga on the street of Lhasa, you would probably not be able to tell her from other Tibetan women. Every afternoon, she wears traditional Tibetan clothes, holding a rosary in hand, she walks slowly on the same path around Potala palace, chanting Buddhist scriptures in a low voice.

But when she sits behind the desk in the clinic hall and 30-plus patients wait in line to see her, you can immediately find her among all the doctors. She is only one who is apparently over 60.

"My eyes have become dizzy and blurred. After all, I am getting old. I'm 68 now. But they don't let me retire. My contract will last for another three years. For me, I'm glad to continue my service, because I've been studying Tibetan medicine for my whole life. I won't give it up until my health fails me."

Traditional Tibetan medicine is a unique school of its own. Different from the anatomy-based western medicine, it attaches great importance on the balance of three elements within one's body: the source of hot, the source of cold, and the ability to circulate the two. All illnesses are believed to result from their unevenness.

"There are three elements in one's body. Diseases occur when any one of them becomes unbalanced with the whole system."

The Tibetans obtained their first knowledge of medicine from ancient China 1,400 years ago. Similar to traditional Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine practitioners use their fingers to feel the patients' pulse to decide his or her health condition. Besides, it has another distinct way of doing check-ups, which is urinalysis.

"By observing the patient's urine, we can decide whether he or she has an inflammation or fever, whether there are aches in his or her joints, and whether his or her abdominal organs work well. But it is better to be the morning urine. Thus we can diagnose and prescribe, in addition to feeling the pulse, inquiring about his or her medical history, and observing the patient's complexion."

Qiangbazhuoga was born into an open-minded architect and carpenter's family in the center of Lhasa. With her father's support, she attended the medical school when it first began recruiting female students in the 1960s.

"I entered the medical school in 1963. Three years later, right before I was graduating, the Cultural Revolution burst out. So I stayed at school for another five years. Then I was sent to a village to help farm. I spent three years there before becoming a primary school teacher in a county, teaching Mandarin and mathematics. One year later, I finally regained my profession as a medical doctor at a local hospital. I spent another nine years there."

Fifteen women students were recruited to learn Tibetan medicine in 1963. Later they all became experts in different sections. Qiangbazhuoga recalls they not only needed to recite thick medical classics, but also went to the deep mountains to pluck herbs, which the current educational system never requires students to do.

"We used to go into the deep mountains to gather herbs every year from May till October. This job could be very hard. We began searching in the wood at around seven in the morning, went back to the camp after it was dark, and lived in tents at night. Some herbs grew in the steep mountain crest. Only boys could climb up to reach them."

The quantity and quality of the herbs they gathered would be counted as part of their academic performance and influence their graduation grade.

"After we came back from the mountains with bags of herbs, our teachers weighed everybody's collection, and ranked our names on a blackboard."

Though it was tiring and demanding, Qiangbazhuoga still believes it's the best way for traditional Tibetan medicine practitioners to master their profession.

"Now, the production of Tibetan medicine has become industrialized. The factories buy raw materials from local farmers, any time during the year. The medicine can't be as good as what we gathered and processed by hand. We knew exactly when and where the medicine grew. We picked it at the best time. We dried it in the sun, pounded it into fine powder, and made it into pills by hand. That helped bring out the full potency of the medicine."

Tibetan medicine has not been the dominant treatment option on the highland for a long time. Qiangbazhuoga says patients choose from western medicine and traditional medicine according to their condition.

"Emergency cases, intense pain cases and surgery cases usually go to the western medicine section. Tibetan medicine is believed to better cure chronic diseases."

To meet the demand of many check-up requests, the traditional medicine hospitals are adapting western-style equipment, too. But interestingly, Qiaogbazhuoga regards it as the "alternative therapy."

"Our hospital has some diagnostic equipment to meet alternative demand, such as gastro scope, electrocardiograph, ultrasonic scanning, and blood testing. Tibetan traditional medicine combined with the western medical care is a means to achieve better treatment."

As early as the 1960s, Qiangbazhuoga and her classmates have become the first practitioners who combine western and Tibetan medicines. They had no choice.

"At that time, we didn't have enough medical staff or even medicine, especially traditional Tibetan medicine. So I had to do the check-ups in a traditional Tibetan way, and gave some western medicine according to the instructions. I even taught myself to give injections."

However, combining the two is not always a good solution. Qiangbazhuoga's boss has pointed out several times that traditional Tibetan medicine needs protection and conservation.

"Using western medical equipment too much is somehow harmful to the development of Tibetan medicine. Our president is always concerned about the use of a stethoscope. Every time he saw us using it, he would warn us not to forget the traditional pulse-feeling skills. Good pulse-feeling skills can realize most of the functions of the stethoscope."

In old times, Tibetan people believed paralysis, heart attacks and epileptic seizures were all caused by the shadows of walking gods. Qiangbazhuoga has figured out effective solutions to treat these diseases.

"This child was transferred from the western medical section. He suffered an epileptic seizure. But traditional Tibetan medicine has a certain cure for the disease. So he got his medicine and became better."

Traditional Tibetan medicine practitioners had another important task in ancient times, namely, to forecast the weather, and to rectify the calendar year-on-year. However as time went by, Tibetan medicine colleges no longer include the astronomical almanac in their curriculum. Qiangbazhuoga says it's a bit regrettable.

"The Tibetan astronomical almanac is closely related to the medical practice. It helps doctors understand the diseases better. According to traditional Tibetan medical theory, the four seasons influence human bodies in their own way. So the prescriptions can vary due to different times of the year."

And the notorious regulation which restricted women from learning Tibetan medicine has become history.

"Previously, women were prevented from practicing traditional Tibetan medicine, because some kinds of medicine, such as pearl powder, are very precious. It was believed their effect would be diminished, after being touched by women. Now nobody believes that any more. We have more women doctors than men in our hospital."

Qiangbazhuoga says working in the health care industry for so many years; she can clearly feel the change in Tibetan people's lifestyles. People have gradually abandoned some of the old dietary habits to become healthier.

"Few people get drunk in the public nowadays. But before it was not like this. Lhasa was said to be the highest bar in the world. People used to drink too much and many had liver diseases. As the society is more and more aware of the healthy problems, new lifestyles have been formed. It's a good sign."

Qiangbazhuoga often works overtime. She used to work so hard that her children refused to learn Tibetan medicine in college, regarding it as the toughest job in the world. But she never thinks of giving it up. She says she will continue her career until she is no longer able.

"I think I'm a good traditional Tibetan medicine practitioner. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. It makes me happy working in the hospital and curing pains. I will continue my service as long as I can."