Stories

They were described as an advanced form and I needed a hysterectomy. I was frightened, to say the least. I declined the operation, and Master Lu and I went to work.

At this point, I learned that I play a big part in my healing. Qigong, herbs, and acupuncture was the only language I spoke! Eight months later, I was free of any pre-cancerous cells.

Last year, I lost my 33-year-old nephew, who was like a son to me. I never thought I would get over my grief, my pain, and my depression. I had never experienced anything like it. Master Lu, Tatiana, and Deborah brought me back into the light! Their counseling and love helped me understand the universal course of death and the beauty that lies within it.

I have now done a “deep dive” into Wu Ming Qigong and there is no turning back.  This is my lifestyle and I am forever grateful!

-Petra P.

Thirteen years after the completion of my active cancer treatments, I continue to practice what I learned through my experience and my involvement with TCM.  I enjoy good health, increased energy, a sense of inner peace, and faith in the universe.

-Esther R. RN

Triple Negative is a challenging diagnosis in that the Western medical community had still not figured out a treatment regimen with any confidence and the reoccurrence rate was pretty staggering.  But…if you make it 5 years, you will be in the clear.

I was referred to an oncologist in our community who was well respected and well known to my family…an all around fantastic person and physician.   I had my first appointment with him to review a treatment plan.  I confided to him that I practice Qigong, go to acupuncture and take herbs as part of my Chinese Medicine commitment.  The doctor stated, “If you take herbs, I can’t treat you,” to which I responded, “If I can’t take my herbs, I can’t let you treat me.”  We were at a bit of a stalemate.  The nurse practitioner jumped in and suggested we have the pharmacist review the herbs.  The pharmacist, as expected, saw no issue with what I was taking.

I was overwhelmed with what was in front of me.  I am a nurse by background so was more aware, than perhaps others without medical training would be, about the challenges associated with my diagnosis.  My doctor, and others I had consulted were recommending an aggressive chemo and radiation approach after my lumpectomy. 

I had many decisions to make. Rather than choose one pathway over another, I chose to proceed with a combination of both Western and Eastern interventions.  My oncologist went along, although with his own reservations.  And, I happily continued with my acupuncture, herbs, and qigong.

It is a long story, but the bottom line is this.  Initially, I didn’t know what I believed, who I trusted, whether I trusted myself even to make important decisions.  But, as I pursued treatment, and experienced the challenges associated with chemotherapy, knowing they were not sure any of it was the right protocol for my diagnosis, I made a decision to commit to the Eastern approach and stopped my chemotherapy.

The amazing thing was that during my treatments, I found my confidence growing and my commitment to the Chinese medicine pathway developing.  If I was nauseous, I would practice qigong instead of taking the drugs I was given for nausea…it worked.  Regular acupuncture kept my energy and strength intact, qigong helped my fear and emotions stabilize.  I felt I was in charge…healing was in my own hands.

So now, just weeks shy of 5 years from my initial diagnosis, I had a mammogram.  They left me waiting in the lounge area to hear my results for over a half hour.  I reflected during that time, what if it’s back?  What if I chose the wrong path to healing?  What if, what if, I admit I had some brief moments of that fear return.  Finally, the technician brought me back to give me the “all clear” message.  My confidence returned…

So, for me, over the years, I backed off all the other supplements and committed to my herbs.  I paid attention to what got me into the cancer alligator pond to begin with, and I prioritized my entire life schedule around my regular acupuncture appointments. 

When Master Lu taught me that tumors have a consciousness and that consciousness has a purpose, what is the purpose?I listened, I reflected, and I made changes. 

I am grateful for the loving support of many throughout this healing journey. I am grateful for embracing the belief system that “there are no accidents, things happen for a reason, things happen for good…look for the good.”  I am grateful that I had the strength of self to fully connect to that understanding and let go of the fear that normally comes with the diagnosis I faced. 

I am now 5 years cancer free and I am grateful. Healing truly has been in my own hands.

I am now cancer-free. I can’t pinpoint what it was that got me to this point, as I also followed some of the Western protocol. But I do know that I am healthier now than I have ever been. Now I know I have the power to change and to heal myself—and that is a lot of power!

– Edna Rodriguez-Plate

I’ll return to my doctor in one year for a check-up, but I am fully convinced that the scarring will disappear as well. I said to the doctor, “One year? Then I am in good shape?” He was practically dancing around the room as he responded, “You are in great shape.”

I am so grateful to God, Qigong, the Universe, and Grand Master Lu for helping me find my own path to inner healing. Big hugs and love to my Qi family that supports me energetically at all times.

Connie C.

 More specifically, he saw a fibroid adenoma at 12 o’clock, common in young women, he explained, but not in one my age, a flap of overlapping “something” at 9 and a large suspicious area at 11 o’clock. He said that he really couldn’t tell what he was seeing and that an MRI and two core biopsies were required. I left the Breast Health Center with a wad of paperwork and a royal case of the jitters.

I decided to space out the MRI and for the next 30 days, I practiced along with Master Lu’s DVD. I did a lot of reverse breathing, too, to help with my fear and anxiety. In the un/dressing room at the imaging center, I even dedicated spare moments to practicing the Dragon Stands Between Heaven and Earth before they fetched me for my time in the tube. Driving home and with two weeks to go before the biopsies, I looked forward to more daily practice. Knowing there was something I could do to improve my health, and breast health in particular, and manage my anxiety, gave me great comfort. Good news: the morning following the MRI, a surgeon from the Breast Center phoned to let me know the MRI was clear and that she was canceling the scheduled biopsies. I vowed to train and share Wu Ming Qigong for Breast Health with as many women as I could reach.  PS: At my six month follow-up appointment, the same technician who had taken the earlier films said she was absolutely amazed at the difference between the two sets.

-Paula Graham

After a few back and forth, I decide to have the biopsy knowing deep down that I was surrendering to fear, but sensing that it would be nothing. The tumor was small, I was 70, healthy, having practiced Qigong for the last 20 years which steered me through the many demands of a high fashion job. The biopsy would be just to eliminate the nagging doubt at times raising its head.  My mother had breast cancer late in her life.

The result of the biopsy, invasive  carcinoma. The words lingered. While walking I suddenly think of my father who had passed away just a few months before of our tight yet difficult relationship and I sense the emotions, the angers, the pain also of losing him without having made the total peace my heart had been yearning for. I suddenly had no doubt that this small tumor in my right breast was the crystallization of those painful emotions and stress over the years.
Soon after, I decided to have the surgery, it happened quickly, too quickly almost. The highly recommended surgeon whom I had consulted for a first opinion was free in a week. He was reassuring, very small tumor, easy.
I say yes to feel free again. But I knew that this little “nothing tumor” was opening the door for me to really look at my life, my emotional life. What had remained imbalanced in me to get to that point ?
The lumpectomy turned out to be simple and luckily no oncologist really pushed on me the usual post surgery treatments. I had no chemo,  no radiation, no Tamoxifen, their side effects could have most likely caused more issues than the actual risk of recurrence.
And  I was resolute to play my part in my own healing and act on what I trusted would contribute to maintain my health. So I continued acupuncture , herbs to support the energy function of my organs, and my Qiqong practice. Interesting to note that the tumor was directly associated to the Liver meridian, the organ most responsive to stress !

Acupuncture had been in my life since my mid-twenties when I was still living in France my home country. Discovering Master Nan Lu had propelled me to a new sense that I could do something to promote my own healing. Understanding not only the power of our emotions on our own health, but also that helping my life force, our vital energy, to flow freely throughout my body was the best protection against disease.
I am 73 now and as I am writing I feel a little vibration in me, gratitude for the teams at NY Hospital that helped me through the surgery time.

But a total and immense gratitude to Master Nan Lu and his team for helping me understand that “healing is in my own hands” and that better health happens through a proactive attitude rather than a defensive one.
For me having cancer was a spiritual awakening and I have more work to do !

In the late nineties, my cousin told me about ‘a TCM center’ in Soho that was supposedly offering cooking classes, among other things. When my cousin had her first bout with cancer a few years later, she grew ever more interested in alternative treatment options. She told me that she came across Grand Master Lu’s book, A Woman’s Guide to Healing from Breast Cancer. I did not read it.

But when I found myself in a similar situation in 2011, I decided to set up a consultation for the post-radiation period.

Dr. Lu’s assistant suggested that I not wait until AFTER the treatment but to have the consultation with BEFORE treatment to perhaps prevent serious side effects. My visit was life changing!

Intuitively knowing that he did not have ‘to spare’ me, Grand Master Lu went full throttle challenging whatever unchecked sets of beliefs about health and cancer I may have carried. It got to be really humorous—in all its seriousness—when he said, in quiet provocation: “Catharina, let’s face it, YOU DON’T HAVE THE GUTS to withstand the fact that from now on you will be a willing victim of the cancer industry machinery—with no end in sight!”

That was brilliant psychology. It was all I needed (“OF COURSE I have the guts…”)

Subsequently, I completed several programs with the TCM World Foundation Center, read some of Grand Master Lu’s books and learned more and more about TCM.

However, there was an invisible barrier to my understanding of it: What do I make of these strange notions: there is dampness, there is wind INSIDE my body….?

That changed drastically when I started to read Digesting the Universe. All of a sudden, I began to understand the interconnectedness of the body’s systems, their infinite complexity and the concept of transformation. I found this as exciting as a mystery novel and had the hardest time putting the book down.

This book entered my life as a precious invitation: to take on the responsibility for my health, respecting my body’s innate wisdom. Fascinated by the wondrous energy frequencies of the interconnected levels of our existence as energy beings, I am grateful for the journey that brought me to this point in my life—and it’s just the beginning!

-Catharina C.

Within roughly 2.5 years, I broke a toe, my foot, my ankle, and my neck—twice. I also had two wrist surgeries. After seeing far too many doctors, a geneticist diagnosed me with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, a disorder that affects the connective tissues throughout the body. In a nutshell, my muscles had to do twice the amount of work because my ligaments weren’t doing their job. I struggled to make it up the stairs and was in pain all the time. At 12 years old, I was on prescription pain medications, which would make me fall asleep in class. As an alternate to the pain medications, I started on saline therapy, which tricks the body into thinking it has an injury so it can repair itself.

I received 100 injections in my legs every 3-4 weeks. I needed crutches to walk. My back and ankle were in extreme pain. The breaking point was when my mom broke down—imagining me not being able to walk anymore. That’s when she reconnected with her cousin who was doing some work with Grand Master Lu. Hoping that this was the answer we were looking for, my mom and I flew into New York every other weekend. We’d wake up at 3am on a Saturday, drive to Buffalo, NY, and take a flight into the city. After my treatment, we’d wait in the airport for our flight back home.

During my first appointment, I was told me that my energy was dead. He put me on herbs and gave me acupuncture. At 14-15 years old, acupuncture was a foreign concept. But we had tried everything else—every treatment imaginable—and nothing was working. Making the trips into New York was a strain on finances and time, but we were hopeful and were willing to make the sacrifice to learn. I learned that the body has an innate ability to heal—that I didn’t have to let this disease just happen to me. I have the ability to turn on something profound in my body and to help jumpstart my own healing.

I am 23-years-old now, and I’m 95% better than I was before. I have not broken a bone since I began changing my perspective and treatment plan 9 years ago. I still have some ligament pain in my knees here and there, and I still have some issues with my spine. But I never imagined that I’d be at the point where I am now.

The challenge of my own experience gave me an inner knowing to see that healing from within is possible. I became a nurse so that I could help others understand the body’s ability to heal as well. After being diagnosed with a genetic disease, especially at such a young age, it’s hard to understand anything other than pain and suffering. I was told that although treatments were available to manage the pain, the condition would never reverse itself because it is part of my genetic makeup. But through herbs, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes, I now see that a simple change in perspective can help change an entire genetic code, and that healing—even from something deemed impossible to heal from—is entirely possible.

-Haley C.

A wonderful friend told me about the teachings of Dr. Nan Lu and how he had helped her recover from the same disease. She gave me his book on breast cancer prevention and told me of the philosophy of Chinese medicine. I read the book and decided to follow a path that combined Western medicine in conjunction to Dr. Lu’s teachings.

I decided to go ahead with radiation to treat the breast cancer. I had used this treatment during my previous bout and received some severe burns to my chest. This time, however, I followed the advice in Dr. Lu’s book and imagined myself looking at the moon and the stars every time I underwent the radiation treatment. After an extensive amount of treatments, my skin remained untouched and unblemished from burns. Even my radiologist was extremely impressed and said he would mention this to future patients undergoing radiation.

I am now trying to heal my body by getting my life in balance. I am working to rid myself of negative things in my life and to take care of myself in healing ways. I am learning that I can heal myself by strengthening my body and gaining energy. I will continue this journey of learning and healing because I now believe I have the power to do so.

-Arlene Burgis

The diagnosis was that I probably had ovarian cancer. I then had to see an OBGYN oncologist who sent me for numerous tests while being in extreme pain. It was determined that I needed surgery.  We had set my surgery for November 16^th Tuesday but in the meantime, I also needed an additional Cat Scan & mammography

In between all of this I had gone to see Master Lu. He jolted me with a question, “how many more body parts are you willing to donate?” Needless to say, this was an emotional time and also a wake-up call that I needed.

I had never been sick or been in a hospital.  I was full of fear. The Monday before surgery, I had blood work done and was told to go to the hematologist who announced to me that I had cancer and most likely had breast cancer too. 

I was in shock and also very upset that the doctor spoke to me as if I were a chair in the room with no feelings.  I couldn’t grasp what was happening with me. I felt like there was a snowball happening that I could not stop.

The whole experience was based on fear.

The surgery was to be a total hysterectomy because of the suspected cancer. My surgery went well and the pain was gone. The doctor came to visit to tell me that I had a mass that was the size of a basketball. The pain was due to a twisted ovary.

I was not sure what was going on. I had a hysterectomy but it was a twisted ovary? Wait, hold on I’m told, we’ll know for sure by the end of the week when the pathology came back.

Friday, I’m told there is no cancer. Now the focus was on my breasts.

I had just gone thru a major operation. The incision was from below my breast down to below my belly button about 4 inches. I was stapled together but was able to go home.

I went to see Master Lu and asked his advice on what to do next. He said you need to figure it out. Take some time. Do some research  Research? Where? How? Who? Something told me, buy the Seth book, The Way Toward Health.

While recuperating, I listen to music, meditated, practiced qigong for the breast and read the Seth teachings. In it, he says, “Don’t label things. We create what cancer is based on. It was all very interesting and it home. Master Lu had always told me to love myself.         

I was getting anxious and upset with myself. Where do I do the research Master Lu had suggested? On the internet? Don’t think so. I would be quiet and look for some answers and one day they came while looking through the mail.

A postcard from my Nissan dealer about oil & filter change. I was ready to throw out the card but instead turned it over. The card read

TRUST,  IT’S THE PATH TO PEACE OF MIND

HELLO JACKIE IT’S SO SIMPLE!

I was so worried and busy overthinking I lost myself and couldn’t see what actions I wanted to take. I went back to the surgeon who thought my thinking was inappropriate. Yet she never asked 

She never asked me the basics of how I was sleeping, were my bowels ok or did I have an appetite? All she could ask me was, what are you going to do about the breast cancer?

I told her, I believed I can heal myself. 

The answer was clear for me. It was an inner knowing that I would continue to seriously practice qigong, go for acupuncture, and continue to take responsibility for my health. I had reviewed how my thoughts and emotions brought me to this place. 

I do have to share that my sister who was a nurse would ask me to see a doctor. I told her that this is my path and I am doing it this way. Her answer to me was, I don’t’ have your Faith.

 I have to do this for myself this time.

Over the past few years, however, I discovered a new “normal”—no more cramps and no more heavy periods. Can you imagine how this has impacted my lifestyle? It’s amazing, and much more natural. Friends still tell me about the pains they experience from their monthly cycle nonchalantly, as if what they’re feeling is normal. But I’d like them to know that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Through acupuncture, Qigong practice, and herbs, I have realized and experienced new possibilities. I continue to discover ways to improve my health and life—and it feels great. Like so many other people, I’m shy sometimes when speaking about my period. Sometimes it seems as though people treat women’s health as a taboo subject. If you are reading this, I encourage you to be bolder about communicating about menstruation. This powerful cycle reminds women, in such an intimate way, about their connection with Nature.

Each person’s experience is unique, however, far too many men and women seem to accept being out of balance as “normal.” If you are ready to experience something different, know that the possibility exists! I believe that a combination of acupuncture, dedicated Qigong practice, and herbs can help you make a change, as it did for me.

-Melanie