SAO PAOLO: Dr Alejandro Chaoul of the University of Texas gave an engaging presentation on the effect of ancient Tibetan Tza rLung yoga on the quality of life of people with cancer at the conference center of Hotel Matsubara in Sao Paolo City on 25 April.
Dr Alejandro is an Assistant Professor and Director of Education at the Integrative Medicine Program of the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. He holds dual position at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics and the University of Texas’ Medical School in Houston teaching spirituality and health to medical students.
This is the third in the series of lectures organised by the Tibet House Brazil to promote and share the Tibetan spiritual and cultural heritage to Brazilians. Earlier, the two were with Dr. Daniel Goleman, author of a newly released book, A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World, and Ven Losang Samten, a former senior monk of Namgyal Monastery.
Dr Alejandro began his presentation by sharing some interesting anecdotes about his initial journey to the Himalayas in Ladakh and Dharamsala in 1989 and his first encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Then, he shared some more anecdotes about the opportunity he had in 1992, in getting involved with the preparations of His Holiness’ first visit to Argentina with Prof Lia Diskin and his mother, Susi Reich. This visit and his intimate encounter then with His Holiness, he said, ultimately led to taking serious interest in studying Tibetan spirituality and medicine.
After sharing the anecdotes, he spoke briefly on Tibetan medicine and its unique emphasis on the correlation of Mind and Body and its effect on the well being of individuals.
He also touched on His Holiness’ continuous dialogues with the western scientists, bringing science and spirituality closer and also giving more prominence to the issue of correlation between the mind and body.
Dr Alejandro, then, shared his experience working at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University’s McGovern Center for Ethics and Humanities, and the experience on how the integrative medicine complement the conventional medical practices.
He dealt in great length in explaining about ancient Tibetan Tza rLung yoga and meditation and how these practices as a part of integrative interventions help in relieving stress and to improve the quality of life of the people in general and people with cancer with whom they regularly deal at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Later, Dr Alejandro shared some details about the US National Cancer institute funded research he and his colleagues have been involved at the MD Anderson Cancer Center studying the mind-body medicine interventions (meditation, stress management, and Tibetan Yoga) and their effects.
He concluded his presentation with a statement that the Integrative Medicine along with a favorable social approach could effectively complement the conventional medical practices in terms of improving well being of people.
Afterward, the audience although not a big in number but mostly comprised of professionals came up with some interesting questions and made the interactions much more intimate and meaningful.
At the end, Tsewang Phuntso on behalf of the Tibet House Brasil thanked Dr. Alejandro Chaoul for his very engaging presentation and Jeanne Pilli for the wonderful translation of the presentation into Portuguese.
He also offered his sincere thanks to the Hotel Matsubaro and particularly Ana Luiza Matsubara, the Board members and advisors of the Tibet House, Andrea and other executive members of Ligmincha center, and volunteers – Marco Flavio Mastrandonakis (Plastic Surgeon) and Sheila Busato (Psychologist) – for all their kind assistance in making the event successful.
– Report filed by OOT Brazil –
