In some regions like the South East Asia and South
Pacific, tattooing is done for health purposes as well. Health tattoos
are common in Tibet, where people tattoo their bodies with sacred
mantras, mantra wheels and mantra flags. The Tibetans believe that
tattoos help the tattoo wearer to achieve inner as well as outer balance
and harmony. It is interesting to note that the Tibetans also tattoo on
certain acupuncture points and mix certain medicinal herbs in the dyes,
to acquire certain medical effects. Another common practice in tattooing
for health purposes is having tattoos of gods on the distressed person
so that the person recovers by the blessings of gods.
In India tattooing for health purposes is very popular since time
immemorial. We often see the tattoo of lord Hanuman and Shiva tattooed
on the bodies of a number of persons. Another interesting example of
tattooing for health purposes and well being is of Ainu women tattooing
themselves to look like goddesses so that the evil forces of disease
would mistake them for goddesses and run away. In many parts of the
world people also take recourse to tattooing to preserve youth. Such
tattooing rituals are performed by Maori girls, who tattoo their lips
and chin. Similarly, old Ainu ladies re-tattoo their hands and mouths to
get back the falling eyesight.
