Recreational resources and tourism at Lake Baikal

Recreational resources are firstly purely natural factors and (or) combined with human creations that promote to strengthen and preserve human health. Recreational use of the territory of the Baikal region and the lake itself is aimed at meeting the needs of the population in suburb recreation areas, creating spa complexes on the basis of the existing balneotherapeutic resources, development of ecological, educational, and adventure tourism through the use of natural, cultural, historical and archaeological sites. Along the shores of Lake Baikal, in the picturesque corners of the taiga, and the river valleys and at the foot of the snowcapped mountains gush out more than 120 medicinal springs – chloride, sulfate, thermal, carbon dioxide ones. Their medicinal properties have long been tested. And if you remember that at the same time there is clean coniferous air, healthy climate of the same type as at the Switzerland resorts, the Alps or the Caucasus, and the number of sunny days a year more than in other areas of Russia, the health-improving power of the sacred sea becomes clear. Experts estimated that the recreational capacity of the coastal zone of Lake Baikal is 1-1,2 million people, but today it is used only by 3-15%.

Recreational resources of the area of Lake Baikal and its shores are divided into several types.

1. Multifunctional, where treatment, sports, knowledge of local sights, showing all sorts of archaeological sites are combined. To such places of the lake firstly can be attributed camping sites of sanatorium treatment, hospital recreation and tourism in the regions of Listvyanka in Irkutsk region, Posolsk salada and Goryachinsk in Buryatia.
2. Year-round recreational ones, where at any time of year some spa treatments, hiking tours on the medium difficulty routes are organized. Holiday homes and recreation centers of the complete type are now common in the area of Baikalsk and the Severobaikalsk, Enheluk and on the Cape Khakusy.
3. Sport and fitness ones, where tourist excursions and sightseeing tours are conducted, but mostly only in the summer. Such recreational complexes now are numerous.
4. Protected areas (nature reserves), where the organization of recreation and tourism is limited by the established rules and that can be visited only with permission. To such recreations largely relate Barguzinsky, Baikal and Baikal-Lensky reserves, Pribaikalsky and Transbaikalian national parks, some wildlife preserves, etc.
Each of these recreational resources may affect the health and well-being of a human both individually or in a combination through a variety of ways. We will try to consider some of them.

Baykalotherapy

      It is a common knowledge that the climate and some of the features of certain areas contribute to the emergence and development of specific diseases and a lot of researches are devoted to it. Much less information we can read or hear on the impact of terrain on the emergence of medical opinions that differ from those that have emerged and developed as a whole. Although, with no doubt, some connections can be traced here. In Russia the latter circumstance we began to understand more and more in connection with the introduction of the eastern system of "feng shui", which means "water and air." In the same way, you can understand that Tibetan medicine is not only a product of the wisdom of Tibetan lamas, but the impact of mountains and mountain air, the fathomless blue of the sky, calling for moral reflections and purity of spirit. Similarly, speaking about the Siberian health, it is impossible not to recall the scattered across the Siberian taiga region medical prescriptions. The similar content I want to put in the concept “Baykaloterapiya”.
"Strange, but useful, is close – and close, but harmful, is strange: a disease, they say, is harmful that occurs in the body, but the herb is useful that is out of the woods" so the Eastern wisdom says. In this sense, the potential of the natural environment is something that is very close to humans. Let us not repeat the meaning of the main component of any features of the sacred sea – about water and its various guises, let us just remember, what medical nature it may have.
The Latin adage states:

In vino veritas

In aqua sanitas

        The first part of the saying is known to many people speaking in Russian by the lines of A. Block: "and drunkards with red rabbit eyes are shouting “in vino veritas”, it means that the truth is in wine. But the second part – "the health is in the water", only a few can explain. But almost all the people will agree with this ancient truth. The water of Lake Baikal treats by its external view: its light blue, deep blue, turquoise, pearl and other shades soothe, comfort, make the mood better, help to think about the future and believe in his best side. The water of Lake Baikal treats by its staff – in the water, excepting in areas contaminated by man, there is no harmful substances for the body, and are in the scanty amount of minerals makes it very useful for drinking. The water of Lake Baikal treats by its taste – for a thirsty man it can be compared with the nectar and ambrosia. The water of Lake Baikal heals by its smell: the damp breath of moisture and fog blends with fragrant aroma of the taiga, plants, flowers, becoming a kind of incense for the soul. The water of Lake Baikal heals by the sounds it sometimes creates: rhythmic and quiet splashes of the Baikal surf, becoming noisy with the winds’ music, storming waves, river tributaries whispering about something to Baykal – all this is pleasant and useful for the human hearing. The water of Lake Baikal treats by its influence on the tactile sensations – being in the pleasant for the body cool and warm water, but its cold state quenches a man and makes him vigorous and hardy. Eventually, it is reasonable to say that the human value of water should be measured primarily by human yardsticks.

While thinking about the revitalizing essence of the Baikal nature, you begin to compare different people's views and skills of the nature of interaction and mutual influence of natural and human substances. Moreover, this phenomenon is now considered on the basis of concrete things. For example, in China, Hong Kong and Singapore (and more recently in Japan, Vietnam and Korea) the technique called “feng shui”, which means "wind and water" become to be widely used. Proponents of feng shui recommend creating the most favorable conditions for the operation of any enterprise through the proper placement of office buildings and the arrangement of furniture inside the premises. According to the principles of feng shui building should face the water, and from the flanks there should be mountains. In other words, it should not block the beneficial effect of the mountains. Such places in our area, as they say, are a dime a dozen.

Continuing the conversation about the impact of Lake Baikal, the whole of nature on health and the human condition, let us turn to the concept of "mental health". In a broad sense, it means the unconscious (both before and after the realization) the unity of people with the surrounding world, unity, reflected in the stability, coherence and harmony of life of all organs and in their respective perceptions. Simply put, this state is "Fish in the Water": it does not know and feel what it "feels" - it is just nice and comfortable for it.

Analysis of the impact of Lake Baikal on the physical and psychological health of a person can go in two directions: first, figuring out what the specific impact is on the psycho-physiological condition of the people and in which specific demonstration it is realized, and secondly, what external factors in one way or another act as means of improvement and (or) stabilizing the health of those who find themselves in the sphere of influence of the lake.

Addressing to the first point, we will describe below the possible changes in the state of health and human feelings. Algorithm for analyzing the second moment can be revealed through consideration of external factors:
a) landscape and climatic zones and their impact on health of a human;
b) recreational resources of the Baikal region;
c) people's traditions and procedures of preventive medicine;
d) means and methods of rehabilitation and treatment, occurring in the region in connection with borrowings from the traditional centers of healing (in particular, Tibetan medicine).

This analysis should help to systematize the general ability of influencing the Baikal realities on the person.

The fact that Lake Baikal has a latent, hidden influence on a man, at least the fact said that shamans of Olkhon and Barguzin Valley did recharge their "mystical power" in the most vibrant in its nature and "quiet" Baikal places where the uniqueness of environment and natural forces of the sacred sea were in blessed equilibrium. For some people, staying at Lake Baikal became a reference point, or (and) stimulus for displaying their extrasensory capabilities

About the impact of Baikal energy not only on people but also on the products, an interesting experiment says done with a French wine in 2005. In winter, 12 bottles of wine were dipped to a depth of 38 meters and six months later on the 1st of July were removed from the bottom with the help of divers. The next day at a restaurant in Irkutsk the tasting was held. The organizers have opened 8 bottles, and those who tried the wine with the Baikal energy, noted its changed unusual taste. Not only Irkutsk people could rate it. 4 bottles of wine were sent to Moscow, and two of them even returned to their producers. At an auction in Moscow restaurant one of the bottles was sold for $3000. And one more example. In July 2007, the famous Russian singer Alexander Makarevich, getting down to the bottom of Lake Baikal in Listvyanka, took out a few bottles of wine, which he had dropped there two years ago. After tasting this wine, the singer said that its taste changed noticeably in quality. All tasters agreed that the taste of wine became more rough, rich and interesting. "I think it became thicker in taste," said the musician. Of course, the reliability of the results of such experiments should be evaluated by the experimental method, of course, with the help of competent tasters, but the essence of it itself arouses interest.

Metamorphosis, which occur with a person throughout his life are usually related to various aspects of his life. Probably, meeting with Baykal can affect on changes in states and thoughts that are dependent on the uniqueness of the personality and characteristics of the situation in which the individual is. Clamping changes that occur with a man on the lake has a completely random character: there are comments and impressions of individuals which are not systematized.

But from the variety of possible transformations in our view we can and should single out three areas of psychological changes in the plan that relate to:1) changes in self-perception and attitudes towards himself, 2) changes in relation to nature, and 3) changes in relation to the others. These three things can be surely called the basic components of modern concepts of mental health and psychological well-being. We will try to reveal the contents of each of these changes in specific locations.
1. self-perception and attitude towards himself:
• feeling of "recharge" by the natural energy that can manifest itself in changes of physical (reduced thresholds of sensitivity in the perception of colors, sounds, smells), psycho-neurological (stabilization of blood pressure) and emotional sensitivity (increasing of sthenic reactions) in the sense of considerable "gain" of power and internal potential activity, in an unusual sensation of energy in the body ("the whole earth would turn over"), etc.;
• strengthening of the sense of balance and stability, for example, improving of mood, increase of optimism, aiming for a fuller use of his potentials, opportunities, thought processes, etc.;
• a more complete understanding of the meaning of life and predestination in the overall picture of life and the cosmos, his mission on earth;
• increase self-appraisal and self-esteem, which arise because of all the mentioned circumstances, and of course accompanied by increase a person's confidence in himself and his abilities, the emergence of a higher level of dignity.
• strengthening of the desire of self-actualization and self-improvement.

2. Attitude toward nature in the perception of her perfect creations, as Lake Baikal, usually changes, however, the way which is not always possible to predict, the more programming - in which direction. As a minimum, here you have the following options:
• the emergence of ideas that people is more mobile and versatile than nature is, as it is "dead and soulless”, tailored for a uniform, although aesthetically pleasing, sample;
• understanding of the unity of man and nature, a vision himself in it and it in himself, the realization of harmony of the universe;
• awareness of human dependence on nature (especially the all-powerful and "mad" Baikal), the futility of efforts to contrast with its greatness, to rise above it;
• overall improvement in attitudes toward nature and its higher score.

One of the presented reactions, or even some kind of symbiosis is likely to be expected from many people. And we should strive to do everything so that this reaction contributed to the strengthening of positive relations between man and nature.

4. Nature can and should influence the nature of interpersonal relations, because it shows the harmony and shows the harmony of human contacts. No coincidence people consciously and subconsciously strive to various "picnics" on nature, very quickly respond to the proposals about them, and after such a picnic for a long time remember the interesting and impressive (and even not) travel details. And it is in nature, we often learn the others better, observe and understand the fine details of their spiritual world. The attitude of man to nature makes us admire them, or, conversely, to reject. The general summarizing effect of contact with nature in terms of its impact on human relations can be represented as follows (we are not talking about cases where there is no effect or due to some reasons spoil the view of specific individuals):
• the tolerance, attentiveness, courtesy to relatives increase;
• attitude toward people in general improves, and hence decrease or taper off a variety of social phobia.

Social psychology offers the possibility of at least approximately, to identify possible human response to the perception of Lake Baikal’s world. Going along the discussed possibilities of the influence of nature on a man, we have included in the questionnaire “Baikal” two significant questions in this regard (the number of respondents in this survey is 422 people).

Answering the first of them, "Does the communication with Baikal have any impact on you?" 78% of respondents answered "yes", 5,2% - "no", 8,8 - found difficulty in replying. In this particular question the impact is felt more on the indigenous inhabitants of Buryatia (84,6%) and Russians (83.8%).

In determining the specific impact that Baikal the first 7 places have the following wording:
1. Feel a rush of physical and spiritual energy - 37,0%
2. Psychical equilibrium is noticeably better - 34,4%
3. A feeling of unity between a man and nature appears - 31,8%
4. Realize more and better how we depend on nature - 27,3%
5. Profound thoughts about life come - 26,5%
6. Attitude toward nature as a whole improved - 23.5%
7. Want to love relatives and friends even more - 16.6%

Thus, there is every reason to believe that the positive effect of Baikal on the inner world of man is there and noticeable part of the "pros" touches the improving of the attitude to the nature.

The fact that Baikal by totality of its resources has curative effects on people who for more or less long time stay on its shores, making trips on the lake. For many "indigenous" inhabitants this truth is so obvious that they directly derive a good state of health of the nourishment of the Baikal energy. My father, who spent more than 87 years mostly on the shores of Lake Baikal, and then, when he was in his eighties, went on the ice, pecked holes and fished with great pleasure. He believed that the Baikal nature has a tremendous life-giving force that brings fresh impetus to anyone, even to a fading body. In recent years the death of his son Michael unsettled him and if everything was ok he would have lived for a long time).

Attempts to show somehow the specific and complex influence of landscape zones and associated with it other natural conditions on human health and psychological well-being in recent years are also observed. Frankly speaking, in our opinion, they are not always successful because of some one-sidedness: considering the influence of landscape area in any particular category of the population, or singling out an isolated number of influencing factors from their complex. In particular, in one of the papers we found medico-geographic typing of areas of the Baikal region, mainly focused on the local resident.

Extreme and sub-extreme areas that are in high and groundling zones on the coastal ridges (Hamar-Daban, Barguzinsky, etc.). There is usually a low atmospheric pressure, reducing the oxygen content in air, low temperatures and extremely dangerous phenomena: snowslides, rock slides, etc. The successful living and possible adaptation in such areas are problematic.

Uncomfortable territory with marks in the range 1100-1500 m - mountain taiga areas, intermountain depressions, hollows, where ticks are often met (tick-borne encephalitis), the abundance of blood-sucking insects etc. Acclimatization in uncomfortable zones is considerably difficult, there are no conditions for normal life. People in such circumstances are only for "operational need" - for the sake of hunting and adventure.

Moderately uncomfortable territories combine mountain and taiga areas, taiga meadow-swampy valleys, and intermontane basins from less than 1000 m. This type is characterized by moderately favorable climatic conditions, and they do provide an opportunity for building and agricultural development. Special hazards for health are not observed.

Hypocomfort territories are the warmest areas of river basins, steppe tracts (primarily along the Selenga and Kiki and on Olkhon island), taiga, grassland middle mountains. Here the conditions are most favorable for the health of residents and holidaymakers. Factors adversely affecting the comfort, here are the contamination of soil and surface water by hazardous wastes of industrials and agriculture, the exhaust gases, etc. 

It is worth to recall that this typology is conducted primarily in relation to the adaptation of local residents, as applied to different kinds of travelers and tourists, it might look like, and often looks different. Here we can talk not only about the benefits of "climate change", known to everyone, but about purely psychological reasons. For example, staying in the extreme areas can be a coveted desire of many people who love risk and those who see the beauty in the unusual environmental conditions: "You're not in the plains, here the climate is different; avalanches are one by one ..." We can confidently assert that for a considerable number of "extremal people" being in a seemingly adverse places brings great pleasure and psychological health.

Similarly, we can assess and human presence, even a local resident, in the so-called uncomfortable territories. I remember how we, Pribaikal boys, since the month of May until late fall, loved to go to the "ridge" - mountain-taiga areas in places of Ostraya hill and mountains of Stone Ridge Ulan-Burgasy for wild onion, wild garlic, currants, blueberry, cedar cones, later in life - to hunt, etc. Sometimes we were to live for several days in the mountains, feeling all the "charms" of mosquito and tick bites, the severity of the rain soaked clothes and shoes, "freezing" in the already cold August and especially cold September nights. But we felt no discomfort: on the contrary, we had fun and were filled by health kindly provided by nature.

"A healthy person is the most precious product of nature" once noticed a British historian and philosopher T. Carlyle. That is why for the modern man the knowledge of laws and influence of specific environmental factors on his precious personal health is extremely important. Hence, appears the attention to health-enhancing food, rational heat procedures, drinking healthy juices, etc. Also important is to listen to those rules and procedures of this type existing in the history of peoples. Traditional and at the same time modern ethnic culture of health – a collection of tools, methods, traditions and ways of protection of health (physical and spiritual) of the person and society, formed under the influence of the features of the environment on the one hand, and the unique experience of ethnic groups - on the other. The latter circumstance makes it a dynamic and self-developing a product of folk art. It is from this perspective, we consider some of the traditions and habits of everyday medicine of the Baikal people:

1. Associated with economic activity:
 • Improvement of job places for their rational organization, aesthetic appeal and cleanliness,
• organizing of places for the litter with the least possible adverse effect arising odors and other effects on people
• rituals of worship of deities and totem animals that attempt to influence the success of a business (which is particularly common in the Buryat and Evenki)

2. Associated with philosophy and religion of ethnic groups:
• the introduction of fasting, and other restrictions that are beneficial for cleaning the body from food and other toxins,
• various kinds of concentrated reflections – meditations, allowing you to call or activate latent resources of the body (which contributes to the spread of Buddhism in the region);
• thermal water treatments (e.g, bathing)
• imitation of the "professional" healers (shamans, sorcerers, fortune-tellers) in their habits to affect their health,
• folk psychotherapy (magical ceremonies, receptions with music, dance, recitatives, and other group processes).
• ways of maintaining health through the appropriate combination (sequence) of different types of activity: change of physical and mental labor, etc.,

3. Related to the satisfaction of natural human needs:
• Taking into account the compatibility of certain products, especially animal and plant species;
• identification of medicinal properties of food, particularly in cases reasonably accurate diagnosis of a disease (at low pH is better to use those, but at a high - other products, etc.);
• the use of natural substitutes in cases of lack of some substances in food (spices, whose effectiveness has been demonstrated both individual and ethnic experience);
• The use of herbs, leaves, roots as a flavoring in rooms or filling of mattresses and (or) the pillows for their healing properties, soporific effect, etc.
• different kinds of massages, rubbing and other processes that contribute to the restoration of functional capacity of organs and improve the blood - and lymph circulation and metabolism in tissues,
• Use tools that promote stabilizing or stimulating the nervous system: different kinds of tinctures, teas, potions, balms for ancestral or restoration of people's recipes
• herbal medicine and the use of animal and mineral resources in the data view, and each ethnic group is the mass of its nuances and secrets
• phlebotomy on the established rules and by using folk remedies.

Of course, only a part of the traditional factors and procedures was mentioned that were used to improve their states of representatives of different ethnic groups. Their use in specific situations, their skillful combination with climate and recovers the influence of nature and created the one known in Russia (and not only there) effect, which is called Siberian health and which is sincerely wished to everybody.

Speaking about the peculiarities of the Baikal preservation of traditional medicine and keeping health in general, it is worth to mention some of the habits of old-timers and natives which played a significant role in their lives. Personally, the author of the book wants to put bathing at the first place. It's not just about physical purity and health impact of its procedures: steam, broom, herbal infusions, etc. No less significant for human is interaction between people, which accompanies many bathing days. Sometimes the bath is good because of human contacts that occur during the treatments. In describing the beneficial effects of bath I should not speak much: many of them are known. But I want to share my childhood exotic memories, when in the garden of our house was a special construction: a "chimneyless sauna". A small building like a small house with sides 2.5 to 2,5 meters and a height of slightly more than a man’s. In the "house" was one small window and doors facing the south. In the right corner of the door was a "kamenka". Kamenka is a furnace in the form of a small "cave": top, sides and rear are of the usual granite rocks and river pebbles. Smoke from the furnace had only one exit, which is also the entrance to the firewoods. When the oven is heated, the smoke and soot from it go directly into the "room", and then through the doors go outside. That’s why the walls of the bath were coal black because of soot, which was so pressed and alloyed, that it has become a kind of a crust on the logs. While the black walls did not look nice, the shelves of the baths where they washed, and benches were clean with neatness and well-attended freshness. To do this, they were weekly scrubbed by "dryasva" – sand and small pebbles. It was a laborious, tedious, but very important work. The appearance of blackness on the shelves and benches was not permitted, and that was the bedrock of the bath business.

The furnace was fired up just after dinner, and it was "finished" only by evening, that is, about five hours, because in order to warm up and heat the thick (not less than 0.5 meter) walls of the furnace, we needed a considerable amount of firewood. When all the wood burned and the remaining coal ceased to exude a bluish flame, it was a high time to go to the bathhouse. Staining untidiness (but hygienically the smoke destroy any bacilli, germs and other "little creatures" that get into this space) was usually washed down from the shelves and benches or flew out with the first steam bursts, which people always tried to release outside. Peculiar and indescribable heat that was in the bath from a hot furnace, unusual, or not be compared to anything steam and brooms, the coveted diving after the “thermal procedures” in cold water or snow any subzero temperature – all this provided our continued love for black bath .

The chimneyless sauna was a household necessity and essential "health-improving technology," of pribaykaltsy and Siberians in general during several centuries. I can state that it contributed greatly to the development of these harsh places. Today pribaykaltsy stepped to the baths and saunas of a new level, more efficient and hygienic. But black bath – an ancestor of modern ones, should not be forgotten as the belonging of the folk, everyday medicine, which ensures growth of human health (why not create a kind of "working" museum of the black bath?).

Among spontaneously revitalizing pribaykaltsy’s habits we can include chewing "tar" – larch resin. This resin itself exudes in the place of any damage of the tree and froze up till quite a solid condition. Larch bark with such growths resin was collected and picked out "tar": by simple putting compacted resin in your mouth, or "heating" it in stoves or fires. Today's habit of using chewing gum does not differ much from centuries-old traditions of the Siberians for chewing “tar”. Positive impact of such habits is no less than, for example, of advertised all over the world benefit "orbit without sugar." Firstly, the larch resin cleans well and strengthens the oral cavity: different kinds of dental diseases of people chewing resin were much rarer. Secondly, such a habit as this one gave the illusion of a rational pastime, and, thirdly, for some inveterate smokers, it has contributed to the reduction of cigarettes smoked, and thus prevented them from "ruining their health."

What's more useful nowadays: the chewing of resin or chewing gum - this question still has not a well-grounded response. But this response is very important for Siberians promoting tourist products in our taiga region.

It is important to show the possible impact of resin on human health. All those who involved in this work know that in the mouth the resin during chewing rapidly "ages" likely because of giving its useful substances: it changes in color – becomes darker and less and less soft and pliable to the teeth. The fact that Siberian scientists discovered an important oxidant – Diquertin in the larch, and this substance formed the basis of a popular and well-functioning drug "Kapilar" seems somehow connected with useful features of “tar”.

Considering existing natural determinants of Siberian health in different Baikal nations, we can’t but mention the existing traditions of Buddhism, which was most clearly embodied in Tibetan medicine. It should be done at least because of the fact that adequate sources of this medicine predetermined (especially in Buryatia) a splash of people’s visits of different nationalities in the hospitals and to the doctors prepared for the implementation of this direction of modern medicine. Incidentally, Lake Baikal region is at the forefront of the country in these science and practice areas.

About the possibilities of curative effect of the Buddhism ideology on a man also the medical ethics of Buddhism speaks, which became known in Russia thanks to the two Buryat brothers, who came from the steppes of Transbaikalia - Alexander and Peter (christened) Badmayevy. The latter, having finished Irkutsk Russian classical school with a gold medal, moved to his brother to St. Petersburg, there he received a right of healing in absentia by passing exams in Medical-Surgical Academy. Later he became an official of the Asian Department in the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire, in 70-80 years of the XIX century he often traveled to China and Mongolia, taking over the wisdom from experts of medical science of Tibet. A result of its exploration and reflections was the book "The most important guide of Tibetan medical science “zhud-shi” in a new translation of P. Badmaev. Officially being a translation, the book carried and carries a lot of author's ideas and recommendations.

Philosophical and biological basis of Tibetan medicine for many of its adherents is the idea of the interconnectedness of internal processes occurring in the body, and many external phenomena of the environment. Any discrepancy between them may affect the health. Ethical ideas of Tibetan medicine were primarily in the selection of the three main causes that can negatively affect the welfare of the human body: 1) the inability to use his passions, which cause disorders of organs and tissues’ supply , 2) the lack of true kindness, which is a manifestation of the harmony of mental and physical development; because of it there are disorders of supply of circulatory system with heart and liver especially, and 3) because of ignorance of medical science, in particular, and lack of knowledge in general.

As a result of violations of the relationship between a man and nature various diseases are developing. Some people have inflammatory diseases, which occurred in their ancestors, others have dystrophic or functional disorders caused by constitutional reasons and affected these or those organs and systems also depending on genetic factors, and, finally, in a third group of people can be determined various combinations of these diseases and be accompanied by a concomitant processes of different nature.

Many treatises on Tibetan medicine are made in verse, and it increases their influence on humans, since knowledge is perceived not only by reason, but also by feelings. A Buryat poet L. Olzoeva made a translation of "blank verse" of some propositions of Tibetan medicine. Here is one of them.

Our feelings
build our health.
If you feel fear,
You prepare your own kidney disease.
Throw away fear and anxiety.
If you feel anger,
Your liver and gallbladder
will be affected.
Feeling of melancholy hurts your spleen.
And grief and anguish of spirit
overshadow with disease your heart and mind.
Arrogance, ignorance, passion, jealousy
and anger - these feelings
(If you have them tested)
will hit you mercilessly.
Be a friend to yourself.
Become the best doctor to yourself.
Find the cause of your illness
in yourself.
And purify your mind,
determine what part of your thoughts’ course
take your enemies – hatred, fear, ignorance, passion,
anger,
and five them a more narrow angle of the sector
and finally eject it
by good feelings:
by compassion for all living things.

We do not need many reflections to determine the importance of the psychological component in the reasons’ analysis to which the Tibetan medicine reasonably attributed adverse effects on human health. And, again, in overcoming of them, the improvement of the attitude to the environment plays a leading role.

Baikal region in the created opportunities can and should become the basis of Tibetan medicine and its implementation of its best technologies in the treatment of diseases and their prevention. The Siberian scientists’ activities are of a great interest now. In general the whole program of Tibetan medicine’s development , which is scheduled by staff the Baikal Institute of Environmental Management, (BIEM) consists of several blocks.

1) Diagnostics of the disease. It is largely based on an external study of the body’s state, especially on a pulse diagnosis. Along with the improvement of traditional methods of visual recognition of disease a computer system of automated pulse diagnosis developed, which greatly expands the practical possibilities of Tibetan medicine.
2) Pharmacology. Translations of ancient manuscripts allowed the deciphering of the recipe of many Tibetan medicines, it became possible to create their pharmacopoeia’s counterparts and to conduct clinical trials for some of them. They do not contain chemical compounds, do not cause allergic reactions and therefore are very effective.
3) Create a resource base. Formulation of Tibetan medicines covers a variety of exotic and rare plants, however, for the industrial production it is required to find their counterparts in the local flora or to create them artificially on the basis of industrial technologies.
4) Drug-free treatments. These specific treatments (acupuncture, phlebotomy, massage, psycho-social adaptation, etc.) significantly extend the capabilities of modern medicine.

To see traditional and at the same time innovative nature of Tibetan medicine, it is worth to recall one of its essential credo: "There is nothing on earth that can not serve as a remedy."

In a famous treatise of Tibetan medicine as the detailed elaboration of this credo there are the characteristics of medicines including their origin distinguishes 8 classes:

1. "Drugs made of the jewels"
2. "Drugs made of the stones"
3. "Medicines taken from the soil"
4. "Drugs made from the tree: roots, stumps, bark, sap, stems, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits"
5. "Drugs formed by the juices"
6. "Drugs made in broth"
7. "Medicines made of herbs "
8. “Medicines made from animals”

The presence of already proven techniques of drug use "made of all" in Tibetan medicine suggests its future prospects in the Baikal region. It will unlikely cause a doubt that the integration of approaches to treatment and medicines of scholars and practitioners is highly necessary which will unite and coordinate the traditional methods and means, of so to speak, “the official”, Tibetan, and “folk” (in terms of usage of different peoples’ medical skills) medicine. For such an integration the region has all the possibilities, and they should work to ensure the Siberian health of many people. By the way, the appearance of the incorruptible body of Lama Etigilov increased people's attention to the health-improving potentials of Baikal. Many people begin to understand that there are several factors: the beneficial influence of the “taiga, and lake, and steppe" nature; and medicinal possibilities of potions made of ecologically pure products of flora and fauna on the purest Baikal water; and moral-psychological impact of spiritual wisdom of Tibetan medicine. Not by accident in the spring of 2008 the Russian State Scientific-Research Test Center of Cosmonauts Training named after Yuri Gagarin and the government of Buryatia signed a document on building in the republic a center of the post-flight rehabilitation of astronauts. The astronauts expect that all beneficial factors of the region would not only provide new approaches to improving the health and strength, but also will enhance the unique methods, suspending the process of aging.

In those 8 Buddhist classes of drugs the water was not mentioned, although many other medications include it as a natural component of or a basis for the creation of other drugs, for example, decoctions. But the Baikal water in its wide variety of guises is the most significant natural healer. About its features we have already talked in the part "The main value of the land" and at the beginning of this section. Here we will focus on two interesting points that may determine the prospects of water treatment in Baykaloterapiya. Firstly, abroad today a number of works of philosophers and physicians 19 centuries revealing the healing power of the interaction of water and light were recalled. They primarily include works of I.Goethe, J. Lorber, S. Pancost, E.Babbitt etc. They suggested different combinations of water and light treatments. In particular, Babbitt recommended his patients to drink water charged by sunlight which was transmitted through the light filters. Many people considered him to be a magician, because he often managed to cure people of unyielding diseases. Seeing the limitations of pharmacology in the treatment of some certain diseases today foreign scholars increasingly try to restore such procedures.

The purest Baikal water, filled with a myriad of sunbeams through the various filters is a quite real treatment’s resource of the sacred sea. Only the knowledgeable enthusiasts should appear to do everything. As about the fact of something related to it, we recall the first thing of the appearance in the world practice the revitalizing, bringing to a man life-giving forces and simultaneously institutions making him younger, more beautiful and more attractive – the so-called SPAs, SPA centers, etc. It is considered that their name is based on an abbreviation of Latin expression: «Sanitas per aqua» which means “Health through the water”. In practice also psychological effects of spa salons and centers are mentioned if their staff, along with the original water and other procedures creates for the client the most humanized environment in which the natural healing forces are supplemented by care, attention and respect for the individual. Baikal with the opportunities and benefits of its water can and should become a heart of naturally and specially created for the benefit of people SPAs, which can become a special "lure" for tourists and guests of Baikal.

Neither in the modern Buddhist medical manuals, recognizing the medicinal essence of everything around us, nor in the popular medical literature the color therapy functions of the Baikal sites are not mentioned. Very briefly we touched this point in the section "What are they about – the colors of Baikal". We should say that for these 3 examples (flaring colours of the lake, personally preferred ones and characterizing the image of Lake Baikal) on the first three places by more than 400 respondents of different nationalities came out light blue, blue and green. Let’s go into detail on their health-improving opportunities. As for the light blue and blue, the studies have shown that they stand apart from the rest of the chromatic colors. For example, the study found out that if you have bad mood, weakness, and passivity, they lower the sensitivity to all other colors, but to light blue and blue, on the contrary, increase.

In practice it means that asthenic conditions (depression, grief, sadness, fatigue, instability, intolerance to loud sounds, etc.) lower the thresholds for "adoption" of light blue and blue, as if require recharging by them. Hence, so to speak, and stabilizing the body, the therapeutic value of the perception of these colors on the Lake. Man wants to get through them feeling of peace, ease, stability, strength, dignity and spirituality. And the outer images of the sacred sea in some way help the person. This is one of the reasons why people consciously and subconsciously tend to rest on Lake Baikal.

But the true treasure of human health is within himself. It is only necessary to dispose its jewels better with the help of external forces and contacts. Lake Baikal is just that place on the earth where the admiring the nature, communicating with it and care about it coupled with the desire to understand himself better and get rid of its internal vices will for sure yield fruit in the form of mental and physical health. I always want to advise the urban civilized man to arrive at least for a few days on the shore of the sacred sea, to live alone or with his faithful friends to the healing places, to reflect on the matter and then ask himself some questions like these:

1. Have I got some new energy and power from the meeting with Baikal?

2. Do I feel now better than before?

3. Have any new ideas and opinions appeared in my mind?

4. Have I become more optimistic and confident in my abilities?

5. Is it a possible intention to improve my contacts with relatives and generally to be more tolerant to people?

6. Did the nature of Lake Baikal prompt me to think about the purpose of my live, about more worthy manifestation of my capabilities?

 In typically affirmative replies to these questions is the essence of baykaloterapiya.

See also

• The Many Faces of Multilingual and Mysterious Baikal. A.D.Karnyshev

Literature

1. A.D. Karnyshev "The Many Faces of Multilingual and Mysterious Baikal"© BSU Publishing House, 2011