The Path to My Healing

I have put a lot of effort and energy into natural healing educational work.  Why do I do this? 

About ten years ago, my hip was so painful that it affected my work, teaching, and my entire life.  I refrained from going to movies or restaurants because I could not walk afterward. But since I married a movie fan, I had to go sometimes. Afterwards, I suffered.  I felt very tired while driving too, felt sleepy after driving for 30 minutes.  This kind of feeling I had to keep to myself because I didn’t want people to feel bad or sorry for me.

I have dysplasia, which means I have a genetic deformity around the tissue that surrounds my hips; they are genetically weak and thin, which, in turn, leads to daily inflammation from regular use. There is no cure, according to western doctors, not even surgery because there is not enough tissue to support the hip joints. The best that the doctor can do is to give me pain killers.  I first tried to refuse the pain medications, but could not handle the pain, so I agreed to use them.  The first time I took the pain medication, I almost passed out.  My stomach turned inside out, so painful like having bleeding in my gut.   I could not function; I do not want anyone to have that kind of feeling.  
I also had Lyme disease which adds more pain to my body and my joints.  Antibiotics did not do much for me; they did not remove many of my symptoms. 

In addition, I have asthma, chronic bronchitis and mild COPD. I was born and lived in China for 30 years prior to moving to the United States. At that time most people smoked; every business person smoked, everywhere you went it was a smoking environment.  My father had very poor health, especially his lung function.  One night I had to drive myself to the ER during my asthma attack.  All of these situations affected my energy.

Since there is nothing that doctors could do for me, I decided to help myself.  I must help myself.  I changed my diet and my attitude: I did Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Ba Gua, bicycle riding, as well as other stretching exercises. After several years I finally turned myself around: I can walk, go to the movies without suffering afterwards, I can do pretty much like a normal person. My energy is 90% better and most of my symptoms are gone. The most important issue: I am so much happier because I don’t have the pain I had before.  My mind is much clearer, my body can do what I want to do. I am soooooo happy. Isn’t that amazing? 

I am a private person but I am telling you this story because my work is to help people get well and prevent suffering.  If you participate in the healing, you can heal yourself. If you rely on doctors and not participate in the healing process, you can live but not with the quality you ultimately desire. 

Start to practice Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and other exercises; you can make a difference in your life and health. Keep in mind, prevention is the key.  You are the key to your healing journey.
I continue to offer training programs. Many people come to my training programs, not really wanting to be an instructor; rather they want to help themselves. You can find training programs from my website: www.draihankuhn.com.

Five Steps to My Healing

Step One: Qi Gong Daily
I did therapeutic Qi Gong daily, after power walking for 15 to 20 minutes. In the beginning, even power walking is a little struggle, but after a week or so, it becomes easier.  Qi Gong is very gentle, I did it at my own pace; if I felt tired, I would do several movements or half of the form, or short form Qi Gong.  If I felt better, I did the whole form, which made me feel even better. I drink a glass of water (room temperature) after every practice, or a cup of tea. 
After my Qi Gong exercise, I did Xing Yi stance, horse stance practice for 5 to 10 minutes. Once my pain was better I added Ba Gua walking for 5 minutes.  I did other short form Qi Gong if I did not have enough time to do Therapeutic Qi Gong, which takes 30 minutes.  If I don’t have enough time to do all of it, I just do some, or stretching, even just 10 minutes practice is still beneficial. Bottom line is to do it every day, without exceptions. 

Step Two: Change Diet
I cut back eating bread, carbs, and sweets. I eat mostly vegetables, all kinds of vegetables, very little meat (various meats), some nuts and seeds.  I use olive oil or coconut oil more often when I cook, but sometimes I use vegetable oil if the meal needs to be fried (rarely). I rarely use butter unless I have a guest who likes butter.  I eat smaller portions of meat especially at dinner time; almost half the amount which I usually ate before.  After dinner, I drink only water, no sweets like I did before.  If I eat sweets on occasion, I notice the symptoms the next day.  In the morning I must have fruits; I alternate all kinds of fruits.  I do eat soy product periodically.  I drink more water: 8 to 10 cups a day, either water or tea.

Step Three: Nutrition and Herbal Medicine
I do use herbal medicines such as “Jian Pi Wan”, Xiao Yao Wan”, “Shen Qi Wan”, “Ba Zhen Wan”.  Those herbs help my digestive function, live function, immune function, and strengthen my organ system.  I also use Nutrition support: Calcium complete, Vitamin D with K, Vitamin B, and digestive enzyme; those can be purchased from my website: www.draihankuhn.com

Step Four: Change Attitude
From being in pain every day, I became depressed and negative, but I tried as best I could not to be negative. Anyone around me who was negative would immediately affect me. From Qi Gong/Tai Chi exercise practice, I felt better and my mood improved. I decided to change my attitude: if I have a breath, I will live happily and full; if I can move my body, I will move it daily; if my brain is still functioning, I will nourish it daily and not exhaust it; if I encounter difficulty, I will use my positive attitude to overcome it.  So far, I have achieved and continued to maintain my happiness.  I believe anyone can achieve happiness if he/she choses to, and practices using a positive attitude to overcome any difficulty.

Step Five: Follow the Taoist Principles: 
Less is More; 
The Simpler, the Better
With Balance and Moderation, nothing can go wrong
Many people make life complicated; I was one of them in the past.  Think a moment about our daily life: How much do we need to live?  Our endless desire, in many cases, causes way too much stress, which leads to disease, cancer, and death.  When we are able to follow the principles, not only is the stress much less, but our health improves, and our inner peace will be restored. That is what I call “reaching the quality”.  You have time and energy to enjoy life, you have time and energy to create anything you want, and you have time to exercise your body, nourish your mind, and be in peace with yourself and with others. There would be no turbulence in your life if you were always balanced. 
 

Dr. Aihan Kuhn