Thanks to Cancer, I’m Healthier Now

Self Indulgence Despite a Weak Constitution

I was born with a weak constitution and fell sick easily. My immune system was weak and I was one of those who fainted at the school’s morning assembly if I stood too long. Despite this, it gave me an excuse for self-indulgence. The thought of improving my body constitution had never crossed my mind.

My First Experience with Cancer: Resection of Tumour

In 1998, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. However, this incident didn’t really strike me the hardest possible way. I neither took it seriously nor considered myself as a patient. Bearing my age in mind as well as the fact that I did not have any family planning in consideration, my doctor in the United States suggested the entire removal of my uterus. I did some research myself, and also went back to Taiwan and consulted my gynaecologist. I talked to several women who had undergone the same procedure, and they all told me one and the same thing: apart from the hormone replacement treatment, the body would also suffer from various discomforts. Eventually, I decided to undergo a cervical conization procedure. At that time, I told myself that I should worry about the side effects it would cause but not my physical appearance. 

The Unexpected Second Experience with Cancer

I felt fine after the surgery. Hence I did not put in any effort at all into trying to improve my lifestyle. I simply never thought that nightmare would come back again that soon. A year later after the surgery, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Only when I saw the pitiful look my doctor gave me, I realized that I was a cancer patient! With immense emotional response this time, I told myself that I should not ignore the sickness anymore! It is not hard to overcome cancer. Cancer recurrence and metastasis are the most horrifying! In order to avoid suffering from cancer for the third or fourth time, I decided to learn the lesson from the past. That was also the first time in my life that I had actually thought of improving my health.

Resolute Refusal of Preventive Chemotherapy

When I was in the United States, the doctor suggested removing the entire right breast (or only partial removal) and then combine the resection with postoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy. I chose to perform the partial resection procedure (only tumour), and to adopt radiation therapy but not chemo. I visited the place where patients were undergoing radiation therapy. I noticed that they were all in anguish. The whole atmosphere of that place made me feel really uncomfortable. I asked my doctor why I had to undergo chemotherapy. He said that it was a preventive treatment. I told him that I did not want to suffer from what was actually a cause of prevention. However, my doctor would not agree at all, not until I insisted on signing an affidavit.

The Head of the Surgical Department of the University Of California School Of Medicine once said, ‘If any of my family members is suffering from cancer, I would consider surgical procedure, but chemotherapy and radiation therapy are definitely not an option.’ I can fully understand her. If I had to undertake any precautioning measures, I would like to do it my way.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!

During those seven weeks of radiation treatment, I maintained a healthy lifestyle. Every day, I woke up at 7a.m. in the morning, and then went for a walk in the neighbourhood after breakfast. I had neither worked out nor had I sweated all my life up till then. But then because of the regular exercise, I started to sweat. I always took a hot bath after the exercise. Not only did it improve my blood circulation, but it also soothed my mind and created a pleasant mood. Then at around 9 a.m., I drove to the hospital for the radiation therapy.

Every day I continued to work out, to go for a walk, to take a hot bath and drink the Chinese herbal medicine THL in order to sustain the immune system of my body. Probably during the third week of the treatment, I began to see patients on wheelchairs. There were also young patients who were carried away on stretchers for the treatment. All medical staff were protected from radiation exposure. I thought to myself, ‘If even those healthy people are afraid, how are people like us who are sick able to cope with it?’ Therefore, I put in even more effort into continuously improving my immune system. I knew it would be too late if I started repairing my body only after the completion of the conventional treatment! Till the final week of the treatment, I was still driving to the hospital by myself, and walked into the hospital healthily. Even the doctors were amazed by my physical strength. After the completion of seven weeks of treatment, I was even awarded a medal for courage as a souvenir!

Health Maintenance Did Not End Even After the Completion of Therapy

When our body develops cancer, it is like a ditch filled with sludge. In order to keep the ditch clean, one has to first clean out the sludge thoroughly, and then wash the ditch constantly with fresh water. One should not think that nothing could be done for a ditch that is filled with sludge. In fact, there is still a chance. That is the reason why I did not give up maintaining my personal health even after the completion of therapy. I wanted to keep this ditch clean.

Of course, all those bad habits that I used to have were cultivated over the decades. Therefore it took me at least seven years to improve my health in general. Improvement of ones health just cannot be rushed.

Now, I eat vegetables, bean curd, grains and nuts every day, and maintain a healthy, regular life style. For me the simpler approach is the better one. One can always fight against cancer in their home environment. It doesn’t require one to go to the mountains or to make any great changes. Some associations of living food diet in the United States establish health camps in some scenic mountainous areas. One eats only raw living food every day in the health camp. I really doubt that this is good for our body. I would think as well that if I could continue with such a diet after I had returned home, it would prevent the cancer from coming back again. I had a friend who believed that drinking raw potato juice could cure cancer; therefore he drank only potato juice every day but, he died later.

Consider Improving Your Body Constitution? Listen to Your Body!

Everyone has a different body constitution. Since you have been living with your body for thirty or forty years, you should know better than your doctor! That’s the reason why I agree that one should always listen to their own body.

I am a person with an acidic constitution. Therefore the changes that I made are reducing the consumption of meat and avoiding taking exquisite desserts. I once read a medical report saying that refined sugar will actually eliminate those vitamins which are good to our body. Since then I have been consuming only brown sugar and I have quitted taking any sweet drinks.

It is amazing that since I started to improve my constitution, my body naturally resists the food that is harmful to it. There was a time when I dined out with a friend, and ordered a turtle soup. My friend persuaded me to drink a bowl of the soup. Just twenty minutes right after I had drank it, my whole body got swollen. That totally freaked me out! I knew immediately that my body did not want me to touch such kinds of food.

Besides naturally resisting any food that is harmful to the body, my body’s ability to cure itself has also improved, as well as its immune system. Due to my weak constitution, there were many kinds of food that I could not take before. I could not sleep deeply either. I always roused from sleep easily. Now not only can I eat more, but I can also get a better sleep at night. Even defecation is smooth.

Thanks to Cancer, I’m Healthier Now!

Besides making changes to my lifestyle and diet, I also started to reflect on my personal qualities. I used to be a very tough person. I could put up with everything in spite of difficulties and never let other people know that I am sick. I faced cancer twice all by myself, and, of course, my family gave me great support. However, if one wants to recover from cancer, one cannot rely on a doctor or on one’s family alone, but on oneself! It is because no matter how much you suffer, no one can be in your shoes and feel what you feel. Neither could they help you. You are the one who knows your body the best. What you are suffering from today is caused by your own actions in the past! Which means one should be courageous enough to face it.

On reflection, I discovered that I was aggressive, and being a perfectionist and impatient at the same time, I put too much pressure on myself. This is a lesson that I have learned in my spiritual development. According to my own personal experience, complementary and integrated medicine does address both symptoms and the root cause of a sickness. This approach combines the advantages of traditional Chinese and western medicine, nursing one’s health in a comprehensive way include both mind and body while using exercise, Qi Gong, yoga, macrobiotic diet, Chinese herbal medicine, etc. One should always listen to one’s body, and choose the most suitable approach to taking care of it, allowing the body to maintain its ability to self help. Thanks to cancer, I’m healthier now than before I developed cancer!

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