Mercury an important therapeutic substance in Tibetan Medicine undergoes complex ''detoxification'' prior to inclusion in multiingredient formulas. In an initial cross-sectional study, patients taking Tibetan Medicine for various conditions were evaluated for mercury toxicity. Two groups were identified: Group 1, patients taking ''Tsothel'' the most important detoxified mercury preparation and Group 2, patients taking other mercury preparations or mercury free Tibetan Medicine. Atomic fluorescence spectrometry of Tibetan Medicine showed mercury consumption 130 mg/kg/day (Group 1) and 30 mg/kg/day (Group 2) (P 0.001), levels above EPA (RfDs) suggested threshold (0.3 mg/kg /day) for oral chronic exposure. Mean duration of Tibetan Medicine treatment was 9 AE 17 months (range 3-116) (Group 1) and 5 AE 1.96 months (range 1-114) (Group 2) (NS) with cumulative days of mercury containing Tibetan Medicine, 764 days AE 1214 (range 135-7330) vs. 103 days AE 111 (range 0-426), respectively (P 0.001). Comparison of treatment groups with healthy referents (Group 3) not taking Tibetan Medicine showed no significant differences in prevalence of 23 non-specific symptoms of mercury toxicity, abnormal neurological, cardiovascular and dental findings and no correlation with mercury exposure variables; consumption, cumulative treatment days, blood/ urine Hg. Liver and renal function tests in treatment groups were not significantly increased compared to referents, with mean urine Beta 2 Microglobulin within the normal range and not significantly associated with Hg exposure variables after correcting for confounding variables. Neurocognitive testing showed no significant intergroup differences for Wechsler Memory Scale, Grooved Pegboard, Visual Retention, but Group1 scores were better for Mini-Mental, Brief Word Learning, Verbal Fluency after correcting for confounding variables. These results suggest mercury containing Tibetan Medicine does not have appreciable adverse effects and may exert a possible beneficial effect on neurocognitive function. Since evidence of mercury as a toxic heavy metal, however, is well known, further analysis of literature on mercury use in other Asian traditional systems is highly suggested prior to further studies.

Recent EEG studies on the early postmortem interval that suggest the persistence of electrophysiological coherence and connectivity in the brain of animals and humans reinforce the need for further investigation of the relationship between the brain’s activity and the dying process. Neuroscience is now in a position to empirically evaluate the extended process of dying and, more specifically, to investigate the possibility of brain activity following the cessation of cardiac and respiratory function. Under the direction of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, research was conducted in India on a postmortem meditative state cultivated by some Tibetan Buddhist practitioners in which decomposition is putatively delayed. For all healthy baseline (HB) and postmortem (PM) subjects presented here, we collected resting state electroencephalographic data, mismatch negativity (MMN), and auditory brainstem response (ABR). In this study, we present HB data to demonstrate the feasibility of a sparse electrode EEG configuration to capture well-defined ERP waveforms from living subjects under very challenging field conditions. While living subjects displayed well-defined MMN and ABR responses, no recognizable EEG waveforms were discernable in any of the tukdam cases.

M ercury (Hg) is ubiquitous in the environment with global emissions estimated at nearly 7527 Mg annually, some 70% from primary natural reservoirs and reemission processes. The remainder, anthropogenic sources, are principally fossil-fuel fired power plants, gold mining, nonferrous metals manufacturing, cement production, waste disposal and caustic soda production. 1 Despite its toxicity, Hg has a long history of use in Asian medicines including Ayurveda, 2,3 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), 4,5 and Traditional Tibetan Medicine (TTM). 6 Last year Liu et al (the authors) published a research article in Environmental Science & Technology entitled "Traditional Tibetan Medicine Induced High Methylmercury Exposure Level and Environmental Mercury Burden in Tibet", that theoretically models the fate of Hg consumed as TTM, to high levels of Hg in Tibet's municipal sewage measured previously. 7 In our view, the paper has a number of short comings limiting the significance of the work and making it unlikely that the findings are directly informative for assessment of individual or population risks associated with TTM and the wider burden of mercury in the environment.