Health problems

Infant Mortality
Traditionally women give birth to their children in a secluded place, accompanied at best by one female relative.
3 % of the babies die immediately
10 % die during their first month of life

Malnutriton
The nomads rely on a very limited variety of food, based on animal products and tsampa (roasted barley mixed with butter and tea).
This results in a lack of vitamins, which severely affects the physical and mental child development.
On the top, the drokpas purchase the cheapest type of tea for their tsampa. These old, low-quality leaves, packed as "bricks", contain high levels of fluoride.
74 % of the nomads suffer from a type of bone and teeth disease, which results from a toxic level of fluoride accumulated in the body.

Infection diseases
like hepatitis, echinocoosis ( causes by a dog parasite ) and tuberculosis are widespread in th nomad communities

Eye diseases
like cataract lead to blindness for many drokpas, because they cannot afford the necessary surgery in a governmental clinic.

Kashin-Beck disease (big-bone disease)
is one of the big health problems in the Dokpa communities. As reason for it´s upcomming, malnutriton ( especially lack of Selen, a essential element ) is assumed, but scientific investigation is not yet accomplished.
The disease is widespread and leads to severe deformation of arms and legs, permanent pain and massive growth reduction.
Those people are not able to work and sometimes completely dependent on nursing. Until now western medicine has no treatment for this deisease, but by use of TTM ( Traditional Tibetan Medicine ) massive symptom release is possible.