This book discusses the perception of disease, healing concepts and the evolution of traditional systems of healing in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh, India. The chapters cover a diverse range issues: people and knowledge systems, healing in ancient scriptures, concept of sacredness and faith healing, food as medicament, presumptions about disease, ethno-botanical aspects of medicinal plants, collection and processing of herbs, traditional therapeutic procedures, indigenous Materia medica, etc. The book also discusses the diverse therapeutic procedures followed by Himalayan healers and their significance in the socio-cultural life of Himalayan societies. The World Health Organization defines traditional medicine as wisdom, skills, and practices based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness and maintenance of health. In some Asian and African countries, 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for primary health care. However, the knowledge of these conventional healing techniques and traditions associated with conveying this knowledge are slowly disappearing. The authors highlight the importance of safeguarding this indigenous knowledge in the cultural milieu of the Himachal Himalayas. This book will be an important resource for researchers in medical anthropology, biology, ethno-biology, ecology, community health, health behavior, psychotherapy, and Himalayan studies.

Volume 40 features research articles on Tibetan mountain deities, Mongghul ritual, material culture in Ladakh, Tibetan ritual practitioners, Tibetan naming practices, and lifestyle migration in Dali. The volume also has two folklore contributions and twenty-one book reviews. Editor's Note Articles Tsering Bum. "THE CHANGING ROLES OF TIBETAN MOUNTAIN DEITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: DKAR PO LHA BSHAM IN YUL SHUL" Limusishiden (Li Dechun) and Gerald Roche. "SOCIALIZING WITH GODS IN THE MONGGHULBOG RITUAL" Jacqueline H. Fewes and Abdul Nasir Khan. "MANUSCRIPTS, MATERIAL CULTURE, AND EPHEMERA OF THE SILK ROUTE: ARTIFACTS OF EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY LADAKHITRADE BETWEEN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA" Libu Lakhi (Li Jianfu). "NAMUYI TIBETAN pha54 tsә54 RITUALS AND ORAL CHANTS" Duojiezhaxi (Dorje Tashi, Rdo rje bkra shis) and CK Stuart. "A MDO TIBETAN NAMING PRACTICES AND NAME POPULARITY" Gary Sigley. "THE MOUNTAIN CHANGERS: LIFESTYLE MIGRATION IN SOUTHWEST CHINA" Folklore Timothy Thurston and Caixiangduojie. "An A mdo Tibetan Wedding Speech from Ne'u na Village" Bkra shis bzang po. "Oral Narratives from Bang smad: Deities, Demons, Bla ma, and Leaders Reviews Bettina Zeisler. Mountains, Monasteries, and Mosques Barbara Gerke. The Social Life of Tibetan Biography Francesca Fiaschetti. China's Encounters on the South and Southwest Francesca Fiaschetti. Inner Asia, and the Spatial Politics of Empire: Archaeology, Mobility, and Culture Contact M. Alyson Prude. Pilgrim of the Clear Light Sienna Craig. At Home in the World Tristan G. Brown. China From Empire to Nation-State Robert Entenmann. In the Land of the Eastern Queendom: The Politics of Gender and Ethnicity on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier. Jonathan Z. Ludwig The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China Jonathan Z. Ludwig. India-China Borderlands: Conversations Beyond the Centre Tricia Kehoe. Ethnicity in China; A Critical Introduction Hilary Howes. Towards Sustainable Use of Rangelands in North-West China Lei Duan. War Finance and Logistics in Late Imperial China Magnus Fiskesjö. Chieftains into Ancestors Nikolas Broy. The Origins of Religious Violence Kali Cape. Eminent Buddhist Women Andrew Nelson. The Brave New World of Ethnicity in Nepal Christine Murphy. The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver Enrico Beltramini. Healing Traditions of the Northwestern Himalayas and Being Human in a Buddhist World Katia Buffetrille. Mapping Shangrila Christine Murphy. Tibetan Folktales (World Folklore Series)

A thorough and detailed resource that describes the history, culture, and geography of the Himalayan region, providing an indispensable reference work to both general readers and seasoned scholars in the field. The Himalayas: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture serves as a convenient and authoritative reference for anyone exploring the region and seeking to better understand the history, events, peoples, and geopolitical details of this unique area of the world. It explores the geography and details of the demographics, discusses relevant historical events, and addresses socioeconomic movements, political intrigues and controversies, and cultural details as to give an overarching impression of the region as a coherent and cohesive whole. Readers will come away with a vastly heightened understanding of the geographical region we recognize as the Himalayas, and grasp the issues of geography, history, and culture that are central to contemporary understandings of the human culture in the region. The alphabetically arranged and succinct entries provide easy access to detailed, authoritative information. Additionally, sidebars throughout the book relate compelling facts that point readers to new and interesting avenues of exploration. The volume also includes a chronological overview of the region, ten primary source documents, and a comprehensive bibliography of supporting works.

Each day, new applications and methods are developed for utilizing technology in the field of medical sciences, both as diagnostic tools and as methods for patients to access their medical information through their personal gadgets. However, the maximum potential for the application of new technologies within the medical field has not yet been realized. Mobile Devices and Smart Gadgets in Medical Sciences is a pivotal reference source that explores different mobile applications, tools, software, and smart gadgets and their applications within the field of healthcare. Covering a wide range of topics such as artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and oncology, this book is ideally designed for medical practitioners, mobile application developers, technology developers, software experts, computer engineers, programmers, ICT innovators, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students.

This book, as part of the “Natural Products Chemistry of Global Plants” series, describes in detail the health-promoting wild edible and medicinal mushrooms specific to the Himalayas region. The focus of the book is to draw on the rich culture, folklore, and environment of the Upper Himalayas, which represents a scientifically significant region. The Himalayas has rich plant resources and a large diversity of plants and mushrooms, which can provide important health benefits as detailed throughout the text. Drawing attention to these mushrooms with detailed scientific descriptions may help in the awareness and in developing sustainable growth of these important resources. Features Provides an opportunity to describe the wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from this scientifically significant region. Represents a wider variety of mushrooms than previously published in other books. Presents more content related to traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, distribution, processing, toxicology, conservation, and future prospective of individual mushrooms. The plants and mushrooms of the region are valuable resources not only to local populations but to those living outside the region. Scientists are monitoring the rich Himalayan plant resources and the consequences of climate change on this precarious ecosystem.

TThis book illustrates recent advances in applications of partial order theory and Hasse diagram techniques to data analysis, mainly in the socio-economic and environmental sciences. For years, partial order theory has been considered a fundamental branch of mathematics of only theoretical interest. In recent years, its effectiveness as a tool for data analysis is increasingly being realized and many applications of partially ordered sets to real problems in statistics and applied sciences have appeared. Main examples pertain to the analysis of complex and multidimensional systems of ordinal data and to problems of multi-criteria decision making, so relevant in social and environmental sciences. Partial Order Concepts in Applied Sciences presents new theoretical and methodological developments in partial order for data analysis, together with a wide range of applications to different topics: multidimensional poverty, economic development, inequality measurement, ecology and pollution, and biology, to mention a few. The book is of interest for applied mathematicians, statisticians, social scientists, environmental scientists and all those aiming at keeping pace with innovation in this interesting, growing and promising research field.

Why do health inequalities exist? How do gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity or class affect health? What is the healthcare impact of technology? How does climate change relate to health and illness and what does sociology have to teach us about pandemics? This textbook exists to answer these complex questions providing a complete overview of all the key sociological debates, themes, theories and research. Key features: Takes a global perspective providing comparative examples throughout Grapples with the most pressing healthcare debates including climate change and environment, pandemics and society, racism, health inequality and gender identity Breaks the complexities down using extremely clear language throughout Lecturers and instructors can also access a range of additional teaching resources available from the SAGE website. Though aimed primarily at students on health and social care courses and professions allied to medicine, this textbook provides valuable insights for anyone interested in the social aspects of health.