Reprinted with permission from Simple Chinese Medicine—A Beginner’s Guide to Natural Healing and Well-Being: copyright 2009 by YMAA Publication Center; www.ymaa.com.

“Cancer cannot be cured if your mind is unhealthy, or if your qi is blocked or weak.”

For centuries, people thought cancer was impossible to prevent and impossible to heal. Even in modern society, with modern medicine, cancer remains a focal point for medical people to explore the cause and the cure. Much research has been done with Western medicine using drug therapy, but there has not been enough research into Eastern medicine and natural approaches. People with cancer have been cured from different natural methods, but there is no evidence to prove how they were cured. Cancer patients lived much longer than the doctors had expected, but how?

Nobody could put the “how” on paper in a convincing way. This is the frustration of Chinese medical doctors who know that there are natural ways of healing cancer. Because there is a lack of research based on evidence except for individual cancer patients’ positive experience with natural medicine, it is difficult for Chinese medicine practitioners to educate people about these natural ways.

The Real Tragedy
First, cancer itself is not terrible; the terrible part is the mind and the stagnated qi. Cancer is curable if the mind is healthy and the qi is flowing smoothly in the body. In contrast, cancer cannot be cured if your mind is not healthy, or if your qi is blocked or weak. A healthy mind does not mean you must be stubborn, and strong qi does not mean you need to have big muscles in your body. A healthy mind helps to promote qi flow, and smoothly flowing qi helps to create a positive and peaceful mind.

What Causes Cancer?
We often think that cancer could be caused by certain chemicals, high-power electric fields, certain fungus or mold, a certain bacteria or virus, and so on. Nevertheless, even when we are exposed to these pathogens all the time, why do some people get cancer and others do not. In Chinese medicine, things are viewed differently.

As we know, cancer tissue (tumor) is a very hard object; almost like a stone that the doctor has to remove surgically. How does the normal tissue grow like a stone? From many years of clinical experience with Chinese medicine, TCM doctors realize that after the body has stored the stagnated qi for a long time and it has not been corrected, blood stagnation occurs. These stagnations cause weakness in the immune system and certain tissues are undernourished. Therefore, the normal tissue becomes cancerous tissue.



People who have better immune function can fight the cancer with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or Chinese medicine. If the immune function is weak, a person with cancer might lose the ability to fight and die. Many things can cause stagnation of the qi, such as high stress, wrong diet, low mental tolerance, an inactive lifestyle, mental restrictions, overworked body and mind, excessive drinking, smoking, certain uncorrected injuries, long-term depression, an introverted personality, other illnesses not corrected in a timely manner, etc. Even the pathogens mentioned earlier could cause stagnation of qi and blood.

Healing Cancer
Cancer-healing exercises are designed to boost the immune system, improve energy and blood circulation, bring about organ harmony and speed up the healing process. In many cases, your immune system will fight the cancer for you. Many people who have cancer do not realize the importance of exercise as a part of healing, and they often wait to do it until the final stages of cancer, when it is too late.

Once you have cancer—it does not matter which kind—you need to practice every day no matter what. Sometimes you do not want to practice because you are tired, but you will feel that you have more energy once you finish these exercises. The miracle is in your hands, and you can make it happen.

Make a plan for your routine:

1. Walk 20 minutes. First, walk at a moderate speed for 5 minutes, then fast for another 10 minutes, finally slow for the last 5 minutes. This kind of walking is intended to get your blood circulating.
2. Do special cancer-healing qigong (open channel qigong) for 10-to-15 minutes. This workout allows you to relax your whole body, strengthen your muscles, release tension, open the channels, and minimize aches and pains in your body. Stretching can be individualized according to your specific tightness or problems.
3. Go through eight brocade qigong (ba duan jing). This particular qigong enhances your immune system and increases your energy level. Alternate this exercise with the 16-step taiji form.
4. Practice the 16-step taiji form (a medical form of taiji for healing) two times continuously (this will take about 12 minutes total). This form of taiji balances the internal organs and brings back the harmony between mind and body, which in turn improves the immune system and promotes healing. Alternate this exercise with the eight brocade qigong (ba duan jing).
5. Drink a glass of warm water after the exercise, which helps to cleanse the body.
Getting Started
The accompanying set of qigong exercises not only helps open the meridian system, but also helps enhance the immune system—the key to fighting cancer—and promotes healing. The entire group of cancer healing exercises only takes less than an hour. If you spend time every day for three months, you will likely see a big difference in all aspects of your health. Even doing these exercises just three or four times a week would be still very helpful in improving the immune function, which helps fight cancer. Once you feel better, you will be encouraged and want to exercise regularly. Nevertheless, even after you start to feel better, it does not mean you can stop; you need to continue these exercises to prevent a relapse and maintain optimum health.
Tips for Preventing Cancer
1. Do not let the stress in your daily life go on too long; it can do much damage later. As we now know that stresses causes qi stagnation. We also know that stagnated qi can cause cell mutation or tumors to grow.
2. Create smooth qi; take care of body disharmony or imbalance early. Do not let discomfort stay with you for too long. Some minor discomfort could be the beginning stages of cancer.
3. Develop healthy habits, such as a moderate lifestyle, healthy diet, regular exercise, avoid too much smoking and drinking, and so on.
4. Avoid using various chemicals for a long time.
5. Stay with the dao.
6. Keep a positive outlook and attitude as much as you can, which is influential in preventing cancer.
7. Laugh and joke more. Laughing is an excellent healing methodology. When you lose the ability to laugh, you lose a big part of your life. Laughing can also prevent depression, which could cause cancer.
8. Do more outdoor activities.

Dr. Aihan Kuhn is a graduate of Hunan Medical University. Trained in both Western and Eastern healing methods, she treats patients at her Holliston, MA, clinic.