I live with lymphoma for 40 years--Healing Story, Part II, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis

(Continued from Part 1,  Lee Feng Healing Story)

TB and Hepatitis
 
From 1977 to 1997, while I survived lymphoma for 20 years, I was still very feeble.  I took a lot of prescribed medications (except for chemo prescriptions), often use one prescription to counteract the side effects from the other prescription.

In 1997, I was hospitalized in Taiwan University Hospital because of 2-week continuous high fever.  Doctors told me that I had stage-3 tuberculosis (TB).  I was very depressed, but I followed doctor's directions taking the prescription drugs for TB.  Three days after I took the drugs for TB, I was found of having acute hepatitis because of the toxic effects of the prescription drugs. I disobeyed doctor's order again and stop taking prescription drugs.  Everyday I meditated as long as I was awake.

Doctor's Wrong Diagnosis of TB   

A month later, I took another chest x-ray exam, TB miraculously disappeared.  I realized that TB was actually an error of  doctors' diagnosis , because TB would not disappear simply by meditation with the medication.  This led me to a deep thought: (1) Doctors could make mistake.  TB diagnosis was a clear example; (2) I have taken so many prescription drugs every day for last 20 years.  Each prescription drug had its side effects.  Someday should I die, did I die because of the cancer, or because of the prescription drugs?

After this incidence, I decided that from now on, I would depend upon more on self-healing, and nothing from the prescription drugs.  Illness and symptoms were simply what those cells calling for help.

Our responsibility to remain healthy

Prescription drugs were like magic bullets that patients were depended upon.  [However, magic bullets were good only for acute problems.]  For chronic problems, patients needed to take responsibility themselves.  This fundamental self-discovery helped me to recover from illness:  I have never been hospitalized since then.  Illness was not because of the rebellion of our own cells, it was because we had abused our cells for so long that cells needed to mutate to adjust to our abuse.  With this understanding and the approaches that will be presented in Part III, I have never been hospitalized.  Even the lymphoma did not disappear, I am still alive and well.

To be continued on Part III.

Mandarin Text

一直到十多年前，因為高燒兩個星期不退而住進了台大醫院，經過諸多檢查及會診，醫師宣布我第三度得到肺結核。當時我當然很沮喪，可是也只好乖乖認命，照醫師的處方服藥。在服藥第三天抽血檢查時，竟發現還因服抗結核藥物而罹患了中毒性肝炎。 於是我很自然地又反叛醫命，停止服藥。每天不是睡覺，就是靜坐。 

經 過一個月，再照胸部放射線檢查，發現醫師說的肺結核竟然不見了。這個發現讓我瞭解，一個月前的肺結核應該是誤診，因為肺結核是不可能不吃藥而在一個月內痊 癒的。這個發現，讓我不斷深思，平白吃這麼多藥，卻惹來一身副作用。我以後到底是會因癌症而死？還是因其他併發症而死？這次住院，讓我下了決心，從此不再 靠藥物，果然從那以後，我沒有再吞過任何一顆藥丸。

信念：健康靠自己自我反省 

這次住院，也讓我看到了西醫的極限，我開始深思除了藥物以外的方法，也讀了不少書，去探討甚至淺嚐了不少民俗療法，發現最根本的辦法，還是靠自己，靠自己去做觀念的修正與飲食生活的調整。 

經過十多年的努力，我發現我的想法是正確的，從此以後，我沒有再住過院，近年來連感冒都很少了。 

觀念的修正，其實就是自我反省。 

「我好好的，為什麼會得癌症？」很多人一聽到醫師宣布自己得了重病時，往往都會顯現出一副無辜的模樣，希望用切、割、毒、殺等外來方式去除疾病，然而，疾病真的會沒來由地產生嗎？世上絕對沒有這種「好好的就突然生病的事情」。 

以感冒為例，如果真要病人作自我反省的話，通常患者都會表示，自己在感冒之前，曾經一連熬了好幾個通宵：有些人會說，自己最近吹了冷風、淋了雨：有些人則說，工作的壓力很大，常常頭痛又失眠。 

事實上，諸如此類的現象，都是導致感冒的因素，接句話說，假使病人的敏感度及警覺性夠的話，自然能夠做到「防患未然」的目標。以我的親身經驗為例，在加拿大唸研究所時，所以會得到癌症，同樣是其來有自。 

首先，我天生怕冷，卻選擇到加拿大唸書，基本上已經違反了健康的大原則。 

其次，為了負擔家計，邊唸書、邊工作。常常為了多省下一些錢寄回家，以致於早、午餐都只吃一個三明治夾起司，到了晚上，才煮些麵條並搭配超市冷凍的青豆及便宜的雞胗、鴨胗。事後，我才明白，原來自己長時間吃進許多可怕、有害健康的食物。 

再加上老闆又是猶太人，對員工非常嚴苛，其身心所承受的壓力自然是可想而知。在那段工作緊張、沒有朋友，一天天重複著上班、下班及唸書的日子中，健康情形自然是每下愈況。還好，後來癌症救了我，讓我有足夠的理由離開那樣的環境，找到生路。 

生病，不是細胞叛逆，是自己無知對細胞加壓。其實，身體發生了疾病，並不是細胞叛逆，違反了主人的命令，而是主人無知，拚命對細胞加壓，卻不知道早已超過細胞能夠容忍的限度，於是，細胞只好應變。生病，不過是受不了委屈的細胞在喊救命的聲音而已。 

如果把觀念改一改，承認生病該由自己負責，對自己的行為，心生慚愧，而努力自我反省，並感恩不盡地以滿心歡喜的心情去看待自己的改變，儘量善待自己的細胞，努力不讓它們受到委屈。 

如有需要，再配合適當的醫藥治療，那麼，即使是病況已經相當嚴重，仍然有很大的痊癒空間。而且，不只癌症，得任何病即使治好了，不表示已經完全痊癒。若不善加調整觀念及生活、飲食，也都可能再得病

I Lived with Lymphoma for 40 years--A Healing Story from Dr. Lee Feng (李豐)-Part 1

Dr. Chen's Note:  When I came back from sabbatical leave in Taiwan (2009), I was ill.  Many friends in Taiwan knew about it.  One of them sent me a healing story from Dr. Lee Feng.  This healing story has been my inspiration every time I am sick.  I hope this story could be an inspiration of many of my friends who are ill.

The original story was in Mandarin.  However, many of my friends who need help now cannot read Mandarin.  Thus, I re-write the story in English.  I will write as a narrative of Dr. Lee Feng.

Here is the story:

My name is Lee Feng.  I am a pathologist, earning pathology degrees from medical schools of National Taiwan University and Toronto University (Canada).

In 1977, I was at the last year of the graduate school program of the medical school of Toronto University.  I was 29 heading to 30 years old.  I had a boy friend.  I also had a pathologist position in a pathology lab in the Toronto area.  My future looked very bright for me.

Bright Future Turned into Dark Age


Unfortunately, I was diagnosed of having Lymphoma as confirmed by a biopsy.  My employer knew about it.  While expressing sympathy and kindness, my boss asked me to resign immediately so that I would not 'slow down' the progress of  the lab.  In the meantime, my boy friend left me.  Thus, I had lost my job and became socially isolated.  On top of that, I was stricken with a life-threatening lymphoma.

I received a surgery and a first-round of chemo treatment.  As a result of the chemo, my blood platelet counts plummeted and I bruised and bled easily.  Thus, I faced a dilemma of decisions:  (1) Continuing the chemo which would end up my bleeding to death either externally or internally. (2) Discontinuing the chemo treatment which my doctor told me that I would die from the cancer.  My doctor told me to continue the chemo even I could face dangerous side effects.

Disobey Doctor's Order  

I decided to stop all the chemo.  After earning a pathology degree, I went back to Taiwan.  Taiwan was much warmer than Canada.  Besides, I had relatives and friends in Taiwan; socially, I was no longer isolated and lonely.  Also, I got a pathologist position in one of the hospitals in Taipei.

I was still very weak and feeble. I took a lot of medications to counteract the side effects from the chemo treatment in Canada.  I was hospitalized several times.  You could say that my stomach had a large appetite for prescription drugs.

To be continued on Part 2.   The Mandarin's version of the narrative is shown as follows:

30 年前，當我還在加拿大的多倫多研究所進修，正慶幸尚有一年，研究所的功課便可以結束時，竟被發現患了癌症。 手術證實是癌症的第二天，我工作機構的老板來看我。首先，說了一大篇他心裡如何難過的客套話。 然後告訴我，在社會上做事，好比一個大機器中的小螺絲釘，只要中間有一個小螺絲釘停止工作，都會影響整個機器的工作效率。 接著，他指著我說：「而你，顯然會有很長一段時間不能工作，所以，很抱歉，請你馬上辭職。」

當我的男朋友也明顯地疏遠我時，我了解到，自己竟完全被孤立起來。我不但失去工作，已被社會遺棄，也被愛自己的人遺棄，而且，還被自己的健康所遺棄。我的生存價值，幾乎完全被否定掉。因此，我的情緒降到最低點，我想到自殺。 

癌症經過手術，很多個療程的放射性治療，因為療效不佳，經過一年多，仍然時好時壞地原地打轉，癌並沒有完全消失。最後只剩下化學治療一個辦法。當時的化療，以目前的眼光看起來，是相當粗糙的。 

治療了一段時間後，血小板變得很少，不小心一碰，到處都會瘀青，如果內部大量出血，就可能致命。與主治醫師商量，是否可以暫時停止治療，主冶醫師竟然不同意。在這種「吃藥會出血致死，不吃藥又會病死」的情形下，做病人的我，的確非常為難。 考慮再三，決定作個反叛的病人，我自己把化學治療停掉了。現在回想起來，是當年的反叛救了自己。 

丟掉藥罐子調養身心 

直到回到國內，回到熟悉的環境，不但重新獲得舊日友情的溫暖，而且，還很幸運地恢復了工作。這些轉變，使我的情緒漸漸由消極轉變為積極，癌雖然還在，我卻漸漸學到如何與它和平相處，它並沒有再發。 可是由於身體很孱弱，治療後的副作用層出不窮，不斷住院又出院，我也變成肚量很大的藥罐子.

Firefly

John was seeking wisdom from his grandpa.

"Grandpa, teach me something wise."
"John, if you go to the wood behind at night, and if you see firefly, you will see the wisdom behind it."

In the next 3 evenings, John went to the wood and searched for firefly.  He did not see any.

"Grandpa, there was no firefly in the wood.  I have been searching them three nights and saw nothing."

"Don't be silly.  Come, let's go to the wood together."

John and Grandpa brought a torch and went to the wood  at the night.  That night, it was pitch dark.  However, with the torch, they saw the trail and trees along the trail.  They were in the woods for three hours and did not see any firefly.

"See, Grandpa.  I told you that there was no firefly in the woods."

Suddenly, Grandpa put off the torch.  It was pitch dark.

"Grandpa, what were you doing?  It is pitch dark.  How do we get out of the woods."

"Be quiet..."  Grandpa said to the John.  After Grandpa and John were silent for a while, surely firefly appeared everywhere in the wood.

"Listen, firefly is everywhere in the wood.  However, when you have a torch, you do not see them.  Wisdom is like firefly.  It is everywhere; however you would not notice them as long as you have a torch in your hands.  The wisdom will come to you when you are stumbled in your life, career, health, or relation.  The wisdom will come when you quiet down and allow them to appear in your life.

The story is dedicate to church friends whose life are touched by illness or some other misfortune.

Cancer Patient Healing Story--Part I-Wake Up Call

Some of my church friends are suffering from the pain, agony of cancers; the suffering extends not only to the patients, but also to patients' spouses, family members and close friends.  Since cancer may strike anyone when a person is getting old, what shall we do if we face such a challenge?

I believe that the following healing story from a cancer patient (colon cancer) who is also a neurosurgeon in Taiwan would bring hope to those people whose life are affected by the pain and agony of cancer.  The original article and the You-Tube video is in Mandarin.  I will do my best to translate the article to share with my friends.  Also, since some of the readers of this blog read Mandarin, I will present the story  both in Mandarin and in English.

專訪 名醫許達夫 談罹癌的心境過程與抗癌的自然療法之成功見證
 Interview:  Testimonial of Dr. Hsu Ta-Hu (a neurosurgeon in Taiwan) of the struggle and the success of his natural healing.

腦神經外科名醫許達夫目前已經幫一萬多位病患開過腦部手術，但是他自己卻被醫師宣佈罹患末期大腸癌，活不過三年。今天，許達夫仍然非常的健康，迄今正常生活超過十年，他要分享抗癌結合中西醫的自然療法。

Dr. Hsu Ta-Hu, a famous neurosurgeon in Taiwan, has saved lives to more than 10,000 patients who had head injury trauma.  Unfortunately, he himself was diagonalized of having stage-3 of colon cancer.  His doctor told him that he had only 3 years to live.  However, 10 years after the diagnosis, not only he outlives his fate predicted by his doctor, he is healthier than ever.  He is sharing his healing story to those who are anxious to learn about the secret of natural healing.

The following story is taken from the excerpt of the interview of Dr. Hsu with a television reporter.
If you understand Mandarin, you can click the link to the YouTube interview.

PART 1: http:// www.youtube.com/v/0e56OsD36bc

Neurosurgeon Professional

Reporter:  Can you introduce yourself to the audience about your profession?

Hsu:  Yes.  I have been a neurosurgeon for 20+ years, specialized in head injury brain trauma surgery.  Sometimes, I operated 20 patients a night. Most of the patients were brought to the hospital due to motor-cycle accidents.  Back in the 80's, there was no law requiring cyclists to wear helmet.  That was why there were so much accidents.  After the law was enacted requiring cyclists to wear the helmet, the number of head injury was greatly reduced.

Fear 

Reporter:  As a doctor, how did you react when the other doctor told you that you had stage-3 colon cancer?

Hsu:  At the time I received this bad news, I had a patient in my office.  I was so frightened with the news that I did not know what did I say to the patient (In fact, I could not even compose a complete sentence.) but quickly sent him home.  Cold sweats were all over my hands and my feet.  I was shivering, and was very depressed and could not walk a step outside.  I reacted exactly the same way many cancer patients did.  I fully understood their agony.

Reflection and Lifestyle Changes

However, the difference between me and other patients was that, I only frightened for only 2 days.  After 2-days of great fear, I stopped.  I began to reflect and analyze my life style including stress and diet and I began to see why I got this terrible illness.

First of all, I noticed for the first time in my life that my life style would eventually get me into trouble.  In the operation room,  I often spent 72 hours straight working on patients; it meant no sleep,  very lousy, quick, calorie-loaded meals.  For each patient, I would spent 20-30 hours on brain surgery; sometimes I had to skip bathroom break.  Occasionally got a weekend break, I would eat big meals loaded with meat and other animal-based meals, very seldom ate any greens or other vegetables.

Before I got sick, I was a very famous neurosurgeon in Taiwan.  I spoke, everybody listened. Besides, I was an athlete in medical school.  I played rugby in school.  I felt that I was invincible.  That belief system crumbled the moment I got sick.

Although medical students were the best students in Taiwan, we never learned how to treat diseases, especially cancer effectively beyond our tools: prescription drugs, radiation, or surgery.  We were never taught in medical school about the nutrition, the mind-body connection, the importance of stress management, let alone the prevention of the disease.

Doctors are not God

Thus even medical doctors looked like kings (or queens) in the eyes of the society, they were the group of people knew least how to take care of themselves.  In fact, they often were much short-lived than the rest of the society.

Reporter:  Let's go back to 2002 when you had noticed something wrong in your system.

Hsu: Yes, back in 2002, I found blood in the stool.  First, I dismissed that symptom as hemorrhoid. To a brain surgeon who had seen more traumatic cases of brain injury,  hemorrhoid was just a minor nuisance; nothing to be worried about.  Well that symptom did not disappear and lasted 3 months; upon the nudge of other doctors, I finally went to hospital and did the colonscopy.

Treatment Journey

Reporter: As I read your book, initially you took chemo treatment.  Then your doctor suggested to do the surgery, you refused.  What had happened?

Hsu:  Yes, after I self-pity on myself for 2 days upon the bad news of colon cancer, I began to change my diet, reduce my stress, and completely changed my life style.  I even began to learn Qi-Kong ( a Chinese form of breathing exercise).  With those preparation in hand, I went to the first run of chemo.  I felt my health had greatly improved.

Three month later, my doctor told me to conduct a surgery.  That became a very serious decision for me to make.  My final decision was to say 'No' to the surgery.  First, I had felt for the first time in my life, my breathing exercise, or Qi-Kong, was doing good thing to my body.  I felt stronger and healthier with this breathing exercise.  This surgery would set the clock back to the original 'sick' state.  Second, I had seen many cancer patients in the hospital.  They looked terrible: hair loss, skin turned dark,  sacking eyes, crooked backs.  No one smiled.  Everyone looked so depressed.  Many of them died in the hospital, not due to cancer but the complications from the treatments: pneumonia, blood poison (septic disease) etc. 

To be continued on Part II.  Click "See Older Post"  to read Part II

Cancer Patient Healing Story, Part II--Hope Clinic

(Continued from Part I, cancer healing story)

Cancer Relapsed

Reporter:  In 2004, your doctor found that your cancer relapsed and cancer cells had metastasized to lymph nodes.  Your doctor recommended another round of chemo treatment.  You refused.  Why?

Hsu:  Once the cancer relapsed, it meant that cancer cell had evolved to adapt to the chemo.  Thus, unless the doctor used different chemo, the chemo would have no effects in killing the cancer cells.  On the contrary, the chemo would have devastating effects on the patient's well beings and vitality.  Besides, I felt that Qi-Kong, or the breathing exercise was having positive effects on my healing, another round of the chemo would set the clock to the miserable state of my health.

Thus, when I heard that cancer had relapsed, I said to myself:  I had to practice more Qi-Kong, and pay more attention to diet and exercise.

[End of YouTube Part I]

YouTube Interview:  Part II

PART 2: http:// www.youtube.com/v/LonXzyvJprY

Hope Clinic

Reporter:  In 2005, you had established the first  "Hope Clinic" accepting only the cancer patients within the Taiwanese mainstream hospital.  However, 3 months later, you gave up the "Hope Clinic" but establishing your own clinic.  Can you share this with the audience?

Hsu:  Yes, after I survived the cancer I wrote a book of my survival experiences.  I had received a lot of inquiry from many cancer patients. To help out those suffering cancer patients, I established the first Taiwanese "Hope Clinic" within the Taiwanese Health Care System.  The Clinic assembled Orthodox Western Medicine doctors, Chinese Medicine doctors, and Alternative medicine practitioners to treat cancer patient.  Being trained as an Orthodox Western Medicine neurosurgeon, I did not oppose Orthodox Western Medicine.  The purpose of the Clinic was to assist Orthodox Western Medicine for successful treatment of cancer patients.  Unfortunately, many people including many doctors within the Taiwanese Health Care system did not accept integrated and holistic appraches other than the Orthodox Western Medicine, the Clinic collapsed in 3 months.

After failure of the "Hope Clinic" within the orthodox Taiwanese Health Care System, I established my own "Hope Clinic".  This Clinic had accepted 3-4, 000 patients since its establishments.  Many of my cancer patients lived beyond 5 years after the diagnosis comfortably without pain.  In Orthodox Western Medicine, it was very difficult for the cancer patients to live beyond 5 years.  Moreover, the patients had to endure pain and agony within this 5 years undergoing the Orthodox Western Medicine treatment.

(to be continued on Part III)(Click "See Older Post to read Part III)

 

A Cancer Healing Story of a Taiwanese Neurosurgeon--Part III--How A Patient to heal himself

(Continued from Healing Story, Part II)

The single most important thing a patient can do for healing

Reporter:  You had survived cancer without surgery, and without the 2nd round of chemo.  Do you think your model would work for other cancer cases?

Hsu:  My model of holistic healing would work in most cancer cases.  Unfortunately, Orthodox Western Medicine was a deep-rooted medicine practiced in almost every where for every Taiwanese doctors, not many doctors and patients accepted my model for treating the cancer cases.  However, patients who followed my advice could easily live beyond 5 years after the diagnosis.

Reporter:  Tell us, what is the most important thing you did to overcome cancer?  Was that your diet?

Hsu:  No, not the diet; not the exercise.  The most single important thing a cancer patient can do is to overcome his or her fear.  The fear itself blocks the healing process of a patient. (Dr. Chen's note:  This echos what Dr. Simon says in his book, "The Wisdom of Healing.":  If the patient surrenders, and leaves the issue of death to God, he or she has a better chance of remission.) The patient must have the confidence in themselves.  Our human body has more than 4 trillion normal cells who fight for you to survive.  Let go the fear is the most important step, and probably the most difficult step for a cancer patient.  Qi-Kong or breath exercise can quiet our 'Monkey Mind' to reach a peaceful state of mind that would be extremely helpful for healing.

There were 3 major themes for overcoming the cancer:

(1) Respect Life:  Normal cells are life, cancer cells are also life.  In the Orthodox Western Medicine, cancer is a foe and must be totally eliminated.  In my treatment philosophy, we don't need to completely eliminate cancer cells to live. We don't have to. The most important thing we can do is to live, not to kill.  We can co-exist with the cancer cells as long as we put the cancer cells in-check.

(2) Protecting the Body:  Orthodox Western Medicine only treats the disease.  In the process of treating the disease, the Medicine damages the body.  In my Clinic, we protect the body so that a patient can sleep well, eat well during the treatment.  Sleep and appetite are essential for a body to heal.

(3) Raising The Body Immune System: The treatments that Orthodox Western Medicine practice today suppresses immune system, interfere with patients' ability to heal himself.  They are all against the principle of healing. 

Ping-Sai-Kong 

Reporter:  In your book, you had mentioned about Qi-Kong and Ping-Sai-Kong exercise.  Can you comment on the so-called Ping-Sai-Kong Exercise?


Hsu:  The principle of exercise for health is that the exercise is simple and effective and you can do it at anytime and at any place.  I used to play rugby. But, rugby is not the exercise good for our health.  During my medical practice as a neurosurgeon, I used to play basketball after 10-20 hours at the operation room.  Basketball once a week or once every 2 weeks is not useful for good health either.  Moreover, you can get injury from playing basketball.

In doing the Ping-Sai-Kong Exercise, you stand on the floor with feet stay apart approximately your shoulder height.  Then you swing your both hands fro and back; every 5 swing, you slightly bend your knee and stand back.  (See video demonstration.)  The hand and knee motion allows you to adjust your spine.  Because all the nerves come from the spine, your healthy spine guarantee your healthy respiratory, circulation, digestion and kidney functions.   Furthermore, you can do this at any place and anytime. I told my patients to work on this exercise 20-30 minutes every 1-2 hours.


http://www.screencast.com/t/t4KcERqfH 

 End of YouTube Video Part II.  Click "See Older Post to read about Dr. Chen's opinion.)

What is my view on cancer treatment?

Dr. Chen is pragmatic regarding cancer treatments.  Orthodox Western Medicine would be useful if the treatment success rate is greater than at least 40%.  Examples of this would be early detection and treatment of breast cancer and prostate cancer.  However, if the success rate of treatment is low or impossible such as relapse of the cancer (It means cancer cells have evolved and adopted to the chemo.), I would suggest using the holistic approach.

In any case, surrendering the fear of death to God is the most important thing a patient can do for himself or herself.  Make sure, the patient eats well for the nutrients, sleep well (Many healing processes occur during sleep.) Laugh more.  and move around.  The best is to visit parks as often as a patient's ability allows, because the Nature has an amazing healing power.  Breathing Exercise and Ping-Sai-Kong as Dr. Hsu had demonstrated will be very useful.  Our mind can heal or kill.

May my heart goes to those people who are suffering the pain and agony of cancer.  Healing is possible.  Dr. Hsu did it.  So can you.


http://www.screencast.com/t/t4KcERqfH