Sat Hon - Healing Cancer With Qigong: One man’s search for healing and love in curing his cancer with complementary therapy

Healing Cancer With Qigong

One mans search for healing and love in curing his cancer with complementary therapy

SAT HON

Books and Essays by Sat Hon:

Taoist Qigong For Health and Vitality, Shambhala Press, 2003

Soul & Spirit of Tea, 21 Tea-inspired Essays for the Early Twenty-first Century, edited by Phil Cousineau & Scott Chamberlin Hoyt, with Sat Hon and 19 contributors.

Copyright 2014 Sat Hon. All rights reserved. Copyright
2014 Cover design by Alicia Fox

Published by Ancient Taoist Practice Society, Inc.
(A Non-profit educational Incorporation.)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The author of this book does not give out medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a qualified medical professionals. It is not meant to replace your treatment with your health care providers nor should you stop taking any medications. Always seek the advice of a medical doctor in regard to any physical, psychological or emotional condition. In the event you apply any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Bhagavad Gita

Be wise in matters of death and life. See in this epic battle presented by chance a gateway toward liberation. For certain is death that all thats born, for sure is birth to all that dies and for this, you have no cause to regret. Likewise, recognize this struggle as propelled by the karmic tide. Embrace ecstasy and agony, gain and loss, victory and defeat with equanimity, and then brace yourself ready for the fight. So will you bring no evil onto yourself

Foreward

There are three perspectives that I bring with me as I write this foreward. First, I am a Western trained medical practitioner, specializing in dermatology, in private practice with an appointment as a Clinical Associate Professor at Brown University. I am a lifelong student. My curiosity and constant search for knowledge led me to a workshop on Medical Qigong led by Master Hon. One thing that initially attracted me to qigong was the inside/outside parallel that was an integral to my specialty. The skin as the largest organ can reflect the health of a person, both physically and mentally. This opened a door for my mind to explore the possibility, and then realize the truth of this Eastern wisdom. Master Hon so eloquently describes qigong as a movement symphony. This practice is rooted in shamanic dance and is able to refine and affect the well-being of the practitioner. As a physician, I acknowledge the strength and wisdom of bridging Western and Eastern perspectives to health.

Secondly, I had been a caregiver to my late husband for his four-year battle with cancer. I came to the practice of qigong after his death and it has been invaluable in aiding me with the grief and loss, and is so now as I move to the next phase of my life. I can look back at my role as a caregiver and see where qigong would have been a support for me, and for my husband had he been receptive during that time. There was only a minimal complementary medicine program where my husband received treatment. There was the occasional Reiki practitioner who would come through the infusion center to offer chair side treatments, and the pet therapy dog. My husband was only receptive to the latter. In some ways I think his stubbornness served him well on his journey and kept his spirit rooted in his personal battle. Yet I think there could have been some softening on the battlefield had been more receptive. The practice of qigong has much more to offer than merely coping with illness. It can be a life-affirming practice and its power can propel one from loss to personal growth, as it has for me.

Looking back to my four years as caregiver to a cancer patient, I realize in retrospect that I had unconsciously adopted a type of moving meditation in my passion for running. While at the cancer treatment center, during my husbands frequent infusion sessions, I would climb up and down 15 flights of stairs several times a day in lieu of my usual running routine. It was a much needed break from the hours sitting in the infusion room. Focusing on one step at a time helped to clear and calm my mind. This was part of my ongoing healing as a caregiver of a terminally ill patient and a realization that came to me much later.

Thirdly, it is my privilege to be a fledgling student of my Sifu, Master Hon. Although my time in practice is short compared to many of his students, I am here to acknowledge the transformative power of qigong. The voice you hear in my words reflects all that history, yet my practice of qigong brings me change and growth. Integrating qigong, spirituality, and meditation are not merely a powerful combination for dealing with illness but are essential tools for living a full life.

I have been honored to have been asked to write a foreward for this book which can be viewed on several levels--the personal and heroic journey of a cancer patient, and the transmission of the healing of qigong from a compassionate and wise teacher. This is a book written from the heart. This is a book of empowerment. The honesty sings out from the tale of courage, recovery and love.

Just as this story is woven of many colorful and personal threads, the journey of cancer treatment is multilayered and multi personal. It is not a straight path but a roller coaster with the family, friends, coworkers, the medical team and complementary healers along for the ride. The impact of a cancer diagnosis is far reaching; the healing needs to be, as well. The caregivers, the family members and all those within the circle of impact may be inadvertently overlooked as the focus rightly remains on the front line, the patient. The value of complementary healing for these others is also great. Meditation and qigong can heal the spirit that is wounded by anothers cancer diagnosis and help maintain the health of the caregiver. The mind-body connection is so evident here. The partnering of Eastern and Western healing is a boon to all.

In the deep silences that accompany us on our journey through life we may perceive a glimpse of our true self. Some of the silences will be powerfully uplifting, and others can be oppressively heavy like the weight of hearing a cancer diagnosis so like a thunderbolt. Acknowledging this power may allow you to see how the dynamic of the mind-body paradigm can be tapped to promote well-being. This book can instruct you as you take part in your own healing.

It is likely that you are reading this book because you either have cancer or are a loved one or caregiver of a person with cancer. As a very old saying goes, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. It is my wish for you that the lessons in this book will empower you on your journey.

Marla Angermeier, MD
16 October 2014

Introduction

The book you are holding in your hands is at once amazing, inspiring and transformative.

This is a true story told by Sat Hon, a present day Tai Chi and Qigong master. It begins when, as a well known healer in his own right, Sat Hon discovered he was ill with cancer. This first account is stark and moving. Failing at first to cure himself with Chinese traditional techniques of acupuncture and diet, he finally succumbed to the pleas of his children and turned to Western medicinechemotherapy as directed by two Integrative OncologistsDr. M and Dr G. Probably aided by an initial traditional cleansing, the chemotherapy worked quickly and before long, he was free of cancer cells.