Alternative Healing

Alternative Healings

Western medicine treats illness from physical evidence of symptoms. For instance, if you have fever, then the medicine will be panadol and etc. It seldom look at the source of the problem. Eastern medicine look at the source as they were around for thousands of years. Using the same example, the Chinese or Indian physician will use massage with herbal oil, acupuncture, acupressure, herbal remedy or a combination of the above. There are others who use Chi (Bio-magnetism) and Yi (mental energy to visualize) to heal.

To the person in the East, the concept of chi /prana / life force/ bio-magnetism is nothing new as it has been in existence for thousands of years. These kind of things can make a western minded person nervous. Normal people cannot see energy, as clearly as those who have undergone the necessary trainings or those who are born with the ability. If we have never heard of ABC how the hell would we be able to read or write in English. Similarly, if our mind have never being conditioned, we would not be able to perform any kind of visualization or meditation. Some people give the impression that such things are sacred and mysterious. If magician do not practice their hands regularly, their acts would easily being seen through by the audiences. If we do not practice the mind, the mind will not be able to respond to our instruction. Chi (bio-magnetism) is an invisible energy which is available everywhere. It can be either cold or warm energy (yin or yang). Yin and Yang are the duality of the universe as a pair of opposite action/reaction opposing yet complementing each other as the male and female. We get chi from our surrounding. In grave yards and moon we get "yin chi" (negative chi). In the Sun we get "yang chi" (positive chi). The chi on its own is neither good nor bad. When we are weak and fail to control the chi resulting in an imbalance, we will become sick. But if we are able to control the chi and direct it at will, we will be able to perform healing on others even from a distance. Evil people learning the black art can place curses on others from a distance. I wish to stress again that Chi in itself is neither good or bad. It is only good or bad depending on how it is being used.

Those who practice meditation and Chi accumulation exercises regularly might be able to do healing without even touching the patient. Here visualization is very important. It involves the patient sitting on a chair, the healer will visualize the chi coming from the middle of his palms descending onto the patient. In many type of Chi kung/ Reiki and Yoga there is the visualization of Chi permeating into the patient body and act on the parts with disorder. Most Reiki books do not mention of cure once the healing session is completed. They just hope the chi would act on the affected areas and hopefully manage to heal the patient. If massage and acupressure or acupuncture are incorporated into the healing process then the patient can be healed faster. I have managed to cure most patients within one session. Only complicated cases involving joints and more serous illness will require further treatment.

Now let us go back to the earlier example of fever, if we were to trace it to the source, it can be just plain fever from eating hot food such as chili or the weather is too hot, some panaldo or herbal tea should be able to take care of the illness. However if the fever is due to complications from meditation, no amount of panaldo or herbal tea will be effective. If the physician does not know anything about meditation, any prescription will be useless. The blood rushes to the head causing heaviness and headache. There is a need to reduce the energy at the head so visualization of energy to the head might not work as there is already too much energy there. You need to know how to release the energy not add more energy. Acupuncture and acupressure would be more suitable treatment as it can release the chi accumulated in the head area. Therefore treatment depends on the source of the illness. In more serious cases, even acupressure and acupuncture can only provide temporarily relief. This is normally due to the activation of the third eye chakra and the crown chakra causing too much chi to go to the head. The healer must be able to reduce the energy going to the head of the patient. Novices should beware that the patient's chi might be absorbed by them and could caused them to be sick as well. Therefore no one should attempt to heal others unless he/she is powerful enough to redirect the chi away. Just like in an exorcist, the healer must be more powerful than the patient or the healer would need to be healed. Nothing is more ludicrous than when the healer need to be healed as a result of absorbing the patient's chi. Now this is not funny as it is happening all the time. About a year ago the assistant instructor told me she had tried to heal her grandmother who is around a century old. Every time she heal her grandmother she would feel very weak and totally exhausted even after 5 minutes of healing. Even our chi kung instructor would say if we give away our chi, we will be short of chi. Of-course I know they do not understand chi and how we absorbed each other chi all the time without even realising it. That is why some people get sick all of a sudden. Many Yoga masters, Chi Kung masters, Reiki masters and chi/bio-magnetism practioners get sick trying to heal others. In my earlier articles I mentioned about each person having their own optimum equilibrium chi/bio-magnetism level. After so many years of healing, I can withstand a higher level of chi. Similarly when I start doing some pest control jobs about a year ago, I would get cramps on both legs. Now I do not feel anything at all. It is all a matter of getting stronger and stronger both mentally and physically.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body consist of blood, chi and body fluid (such as sweat etc). When  the blood circulation is bad you will have problems arising from that particular area. For instance if you have problem lifting up your hand (either side) then you probably have bad blood and chi circulation at your shoulder or your arm joint or both. Therefore you need to clear the clogged blood vessel at the joints and shoulders. This can be done by using massaging and acupuncture techniques to stimulate the clogged areas. The above should be repeated until the blood circulation is improved and the patient has no problem lifting up the hand. Medicated oil might be helpful for those who do not have enough chi. The oil will stimulate the blood flow and heated up the affected area. For those who can manipulate chi proficiently there might not be a need to use medicated oil. Similarly, the acupuncturist can use mild low voltage electrical shock on the needles to stimulate the meridian points.

For more details of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) please refer to my article on Traditional Healing. Basically, it is based on Viscera a general term for the internal organs (zhang fu). There are five yin viscera (zhang) and six yang viscera (fu). The five yin viscera are heart, lung, liver, spleen and kidney. The six yang viscera are gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, bladder and triple warmer. The viscera are linked by meridian points (nadi for Indian) to help the body function. The Five Yin Viscera main characteristics are to generate and store chi. The Six Yang Viscera main characteristics are to receive and transport food and waste.


Preventive Healing

Before you get sick, would it not be better to try to prevent ourselves from getting sick? Prevention is always better than cure. If we lack vitamin C, it would be good to eat more fruits containing this vitamin. Of-course extracts from plants containing vitamin c are being made into pills for convenience. Similarly the wealthy ancient Chinese, Korean and Japanese have been using various type of Ginsengs each with its special healing power to cure deficiencies and excesses in our bodies. Vegetables and herbs have for thousands of years play a vital part in promoting health and longevity in the eastern civilization. Even today Ginseng is regarded as a power booster and Chinese Radish is a good de-booster. Chinese tea is good for cooling down the body, used as antiseptic to clean wounds, removes fats from our system and etc. Cure for all kind of ailments can be found in the jungle or in the Bio Technology farms around the world.

The Asian has for thousands of years used Yoga, Reiki, Chi Kung, Tai Chi and other Chi enhancing methods to become healthier physically and mentally. Most people who can accept the existence of chi will think the more chi the merrier. They probably have the misconception of equating chi to inner strength. Just as water can be harnessed to create electricity, chi can be harnessed to provide psychic / supernatural abilities. Having lot of chi but without the ability to use it is like getting a flood due to overflow of water. It can be dangerous. Similarly electricity, if it is harnessed it can be used to cook food but if it is out of control it can be a disaster. Such surplus chi need to be released or the patient will have to endure great sufferings. In Chi Kung, the practitioners can store the chi at their Tan Tien (two to three inches below the naval). Some Chi Kung techniques make use of 3 tan tien. The crown is the upper Tan Tien, the heart chakra is the middle Tan Tien while the lower Tan Tien is 2 to 3 inches below the naval.

Tai Chi Chuan / Chi Kung / Yoga all have breathing exercises to promote the blood circulation and general health of a person. It is not so much the fanciful moves but the breathing techniques and mind (yi) that is most important. You can learn Tai Chi for 20 years and yet not progress much due to the inability to master the breathing and visualization techniques (yi). What is the use of all these fanciful moves if the proper breathing is neglected? It is at most like doing normal exercises which might help in promoting blood circulation. However, if a person is able to master the breathing and visualization techniques (using yi), I am sure that person can do healing of normal ailments such us backache, headache, migraine, sprains, cold limbs and etc as in Reiki (Japanese Ki Healing) and Chi Kung. I have taught a staff of mine a single move and within one week he has managed to provide treatments to family members. After two weeks of self training, he was able to provide treatments to his friends. Of course the Chi alone would not be able to cure a person of some of those ailments. There is also a need to have sufficient knowledge of massage and how the human body functions. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the body consists of blood, chi and body fluid (such as sweat and etc.). The blood transports the chi and body fluid around. If the blood is not moving properly, you will get bad blood circulation resulting in stagnant chi. Chi Kung /Yoga / Reiki enhances the circulation of the blood and chi. When everything is functioning properly, you will be less susceptible to ailments. It is not surprising to see people in their fifties looking from ten to twenty years younger due to constant harnessing of chi. Many Yogis and Chi Kung masters can do stunning things such as pulling buses and even planes with their hairs, teeth and other parts of their body.

Before I realized what Chi and Yi are, I always assume it is not important how we breathe. We are breathing all the time so what is so special about mere breathing? Surely it must one of those fanciful moves such as "Mei Yan Chue Keng" (maiden looking into a mirror), "See Tow Pai See" (disciple paying homage to master), "Wong Kow Seh New" (yellow dog pissing urine), "Siong Loong Chut Hoi" (double dragons crossing the sea), "Hoi Tai Lau Yip" (scooping leave from the bottom of the sea) and others. My mother and elder brother both claim to have 20 to 30 years of experience in either Tai Chi Chuan / Chi Kung or both. I also know of another person learning Wai Tan Kung. None of them were taught to pay emphasis on breathing techniques and yi. From my observation, they look ordinary. When I ask them whether they can feel the chi at the centre of their palms (Lao Gong), the answer was always sometimes only.

After having gone through some short courses in Shao Lin Chi Kung and see the ability of the master, I finally realized I have actually neglected training on proper breathing. Once I incorporated proper breathings into some simple moves, I was astounded by the results. My staffs (in their twenties) are not even half my age and who do manual works (their arms are about 1.5 to 2 times the size of mine) used to shake hand with me. I could not beat them but neither could they beat me. It was always a stalemate (I have martial art ability which offset their youth and muscular strength) as neither could make the other yield. After learning some breathing techniques, I can now make them yield. Imagine a middle aged man making young men with arms almost twice that of his yield. I can also stop their punches with my bare soft palms. Of course I can do all sort of thing an ordinary person cannot. I am in no way implying that the moves of Shao Lin are better than Tai Chi, Wu Tang or any other martial arts. I am only stating the fact that a lot of people learn Tai Chi or Chi Kung without really able to master the correct breathing techniques and most important of all understand yi. It is not how many years you have studied or practiced the techniques but rather doing it correctly. My mother said she had practiced Tai Chi 18 styles Chi Kung for more than 30 years. While she might be stronger than most around her age, she would definitely be better if she had practiced it with the correct breathing technique and yi. Even though I have only learned the Tai Chi 18 styles Chi Kung from video, I can confidently state that all martial arts and breathing exercises are good for health. I have seen from video how Tai Chi masters are able to perform death defying moves such as 3 huge westerners lifting up a big log and ramming it into the old master. The master in his eighties was not even moved by the impact but rather those westerners were thrown back by the impact. The old Tai Chi Master was also able to withstand punches rained on him by the same westerners. Many Yoga and Chi Kung masters can harness enough electricity to light up bulbs with their chi and yi. Of course some of those learning mind control and meditation can also harness such energy. Such powerful chi can be used to help people with deficient chi, poor blood circulation and other diseases. Some people has abuse the trust of the sick by claiming cure for un-curable diseases such as cancer. Until the cure is validated, we must be vigilant against such con artists who conned the sick of their hard earned money. There are people who themselves need healing but try to convince other he can cure all disease. If they cannot even cure themselves, how can they cure others? There are many masters and even grand masters with health problems. While we can practiced to a high level we must also be disciplined enough not to over abuse our body by knowing our limit and eating healthily.

The harnessing of chi can be vide hard strenuous kung fu exercises such as Shao Lin Kung Fu (with powerful kicks and punches) and also the soft kung fu of Wu Tang (such as the seemingly effortless and graceful movements of Tai Chi and Wu Tang martial arts). The general misconception of Shao Lin martial art is that it is based on only hard chi. There are of course slow movements and soft chi exercises in Shao Lin too. In fact, there are also Buddhist meditation techniques in Shao Lin Kung Fu.
 
Shao Lin Kung Fu is a Buddhist based Kung Fu started by Damo (a priest from India who became the First Patriarch ). He was credited as the person who spread Buddhism to China. Martial art was meant as a self defense and health enhancement. Damo might have taught the monks some ancient Indian martial art such as kalari payat. Later the movements of animals were incorporate into a martial art form. Shao Lin Kung Fu also borrows some Taoist ideas such as the Five Elements (i.e. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) as in the “Five Elements Palm”.  In "Iron Shirt Chi Kung" the exponent are able to absorb deadly blows without much injury. Exponents can also withstand heavy weights such as being run over by a car, bus or truck. Such acts can only be performed by the true master. Ever try asking someone heavier to stand on top of your abdomen and you will know what I mean. It can break your pelvis bone and  get you hospitalized. In some cases it can be fatal. Therefore such acts can only be performed by those who regularly practiced deep diaphragm breathing and some form of Iron Shirt Chi Kung or Golden Bell technique. Of the people known to perform such acts, I think Grandmaster Anthony Wee went under a double deckers bus weighting 9.3 tons practically unharmed. Many masters have broken their pelvic bone and get hospitalized even at 3 tons. There are masters who get killed as a consequence.

Contrary to popular belief that Shao Lin is using only hard Chi as in those deadly Shao Lin Kung Fu moves. I have personally witness astonishing and incredible chi kung demonstration where Shaolin Wu Chu Chuan Master James Chee use chi to throw several person off balance from a distance of several meters. At first I was inclined to think it must be some form of hypnotism or collusions. When I tried the same techniques on a staff of mine (6 meter from me) and he actually nearly fell down and complain of feeling like he wanted to vomit that I become convince there is something to it. I only directed a half strength chi at him. That same staff was lying down with his back facing me and probably asleep a week later when I playfully flick my fingers to target his left ear. I was at least 2 meters away so I never physically touch him and there is no way he can see me. He immediately wake up after the flick and look bewildered at me. He told me he felt some energy hitting him on his ear and part of his face. I purposely did not say anything just to see if he was telling the truth. If he had said he feel some heat near his hand or other than the left ear I would immediately know he is lying. On another occasion, I asked the same staff to go out of the room. The door was closed so that he cannot see me. I took my time to direct my chi at him (after 2 minutes). If he was to yell before I even started, then he would be faking it. Somehow, when I started to direct my chi at him, he yelled. I quickly opened the door and found him balancing himself against the wall. He told me he was about to fall and he lean against the wall to balance himself. People with more chi will definitely be able to overcome those with weaker chi and accordingly have control over them just like when a ghost take over the body of a victim (it is always someone mentally weaker at least at that moment).  I have also experimented with some household spiders. The spiders have fast reflexes and move away from danger quickly. When my chi hit the spider in my office, there was no movement from it for over 3 hours until one of my staff pushes it with his finger. The spider as if suddenly awaken from a trance or meditation ran off never to be seen again. I have also experiment on household lizards. I directed my chi mentally on a lizard. The lizard retreated each time I directed the chi at it until it finally run out the window never to be seen again. I have done the same experiment on lizards at my sister's house and my mother's house and have yet to see any of the lizards.

Wu Tang is a Taoist based kung fu based on the Yin and Yang harmony (Rou Tai Kang – soft yet hard), Ba Gua (8 Trigram) and the five elements theory. The Ba Gua Zhen (8 Trigram Formation), Chi Xing Jen (Seven Stars Swords) and Tai Chi Chuan are all based on Taoist principles. Taoist monks are different from Buddhist monks. The Buddhist monks are shaven bald while the Taoist monks keep their hairs knotted.  Shao Lin and Wu Tang have always been among the elite martial arts in China.
 
According to ancient records, the founder of Wu Tang was Chang San Fong (or Cheong Sam Fung in Cantonese) a former Shao Lin apprentice monk who happened to guard the Shao Lin library containing the best martial techniques available then. In the midst of a trespassing by some other party to steal some of the books, he somehow managed to get hold of some books and fled to Mont Wu Tang where he established the Wu Tang Clan. In his golden years, he founded the Tai Chi Chuan (which means the ultimate martial art). Experts of Tai Chi Chuan are able to deflect and absorb normally fatal blow effortlessly vide the interplay of Yin and Yang chi. The modern Tai Chi Chuan taught today originated from the Chen family. Probably someone from the Chen clan managed to learn it from a disciple or has been a Wu Tang disciple and modified it to what it is today. As Chinese martial arts were passed down from generation to generation usually within the same family, Tai Chi Chuan was only taught to the Chen family (male only). Somehow Yang Lu Sian (Yeong Low Sim in Cantonese) managed to learn it from the Chen and modified it into a more harmonious Yang style Tai Chi Chuan. Therefore the modern Tai Chi Chuan is either an offshoot from the Yang style or the Chen style. It is different from the Wu Tang's original Tai Chi Chuan which is still being taught in Mont Wu Tang.

Yoga make use of postures and breathings exercises to promote blood circulation and vital energy (prana). They also have various meditation styles such as Raja Yoga, Hatta Yoga and others. These all promote the flow of the vital energy through the awakening of the chakras. Yoga based on the Kundalini method is the most dangerous and might not be suitable for everyone and must be taught by a qualified master. Kundalini Yoga is based on the belief of a dormant serpent coiled up at the base of the spine. Once awakened the serpent at the base of the spine unleashed its full power and rose to the head. This might be too much to handle for most people learning without a master. In fact I have nose bleeding, migraine, fever and etc for almost two years which is more than most people can endure. I have over zealously practiced on my own far more than others resulting in the suffering. Therefore I would advise those interested in meditation to tread the path cautiously. You might not need to suffer as much as I do. Take it a step at a time and you will have much lesser to regret.

In conclusion, not all eastern healing methods are good or useful. You learn Yoga/Chi Kung for health but it really depends on each individual's need. Accumulation of chi / prana / bio-magnetism is good but if you go beyond your limit / tolerance level, it might not be good for you. If you have too much chi rushing toward your head, you might have fever, headache, nose bleeding and etc. It is a real nightmare for those who have been in similar situations. Too much chi is not good and need to be removed. On the other hand if you have become an expert, your tolerant level will be much higher and you will be able to redirect the chi with your yi (mind). At this stage you can use the chi to heal others and yourself. Therefore an over zealous beginner will suffer for his folly of learning impatiently and getting himself in the "spider web". Only a master can control the chi properly. A lot of books exaggerate on the achievements as a result from certain training methods especially in regard to learning Yoga. A lot of books especially ancient texts will tell you that mastering Kundalini Yoga will bestowed powerful magical power to the student. I have almost gone crazy trying to master it but after more than 20 years I still do not consider myself having any magical power. My chakras have been activated and I can direct the Chi to any part of my body and anywhere I choose to(as in the case of the insects and lizards experiments). I can look directly at the Sun without harming my eyes. Of course many people get blinded by a half strength sunlight. Most of it must be taken with a pinch of salt. The Taoist books tend to be flowery and coded resulting in wrong interpretation for those who venture unguided. The book "Elixirs of the Golden Flower" is actually a Taoist divination method using meditation to achieve a certain stage of progress. The translation is simply a golden pill to achieve the stage but because it is Taoist, it is not the physical consumption of the pill but the intricate meditation trainings involved. It is like the taoist masters alchemy of preparing a golden pill. It takes at least 49 (7 x 7)days of slow preparation. It is just like a meditation. Therefore it is always advisable to learn from a master who can help you in your journey to better health. Learning from books might have certain limitations such as when you have a problem there is no one to turn to. Unless you are already an expert then there is no harm in reading the books to increase your knowledge. On the other hand who would reveal their special techniques in a book. You only get the ordinary materials. Many masters charge thousands of dollars for a few days of excercises.