Master Helen Liang and “Qigong for Cancer”

I met Master Helen Liang in person a few times. Last time was in May during an International Wushu Sanshou Dao Association celebration banquet. With her porcelain skin, radiant smile, silky long black hair, and slender figure in a pretty dress, she was easily mistaken for a carefree teenager except what was wrapped inside was deep trauma, strong resolve, powerful martial prowess, and a caring heart.

Born into a family with generations immersed in martial arts and healing arts, Helen started her training of both internal and external martial arts at age 4. She won multiple tournaments and added more medals to her family’s glorious history. At 13, she immigrated to Canada to join her father Grandmaster Shou-Yu Liang, who was invited to teach and left for Canada early. Helen continued the learning, practicing, and competing and earned a few more gold medals at the International Wushu Tournaments. Even though she was an immigrant, she exceled in school and got a good job at a bank after she graduated from college. Helen’s future looked brighter than ever. Then, the most unimaginable tragedy erupted. A botched wisdom tooth extraction caused her high fever for days. Then, she was diagnosed with cancer. She went through chemotherapy for three months. But the fever remained ragingly high. That wasn’t the worse part yet. One day, the doctor told Helen and Grandmaster Liang that she only had three weeks to live unless she went through a bone marrow transplant and the success rate was dismally less than 5%. She admitted that she had no concept of what death meant and she did not know how to make a decision. Later, she wandered around the hospital and witnessed the suffering of the other patients. She bravely decided that she wanted to die with family surrounding her instead of in an institute. She went home with her dad. They went to the beach, as well as gardens, and practiced Tai Chi and Qigong for hours. Helen said that she was lucky and her family found a highly skilled Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor in Bejing who prescribed herbs over the phone. The medicine was extremely bitter and gave her diarrhea. Strangely, the fever was gone. Actually, the medicine was detoxing her body and expelling the toxins. Three weeks passed, three months passed, and one year passed. Helen’s problem was gone and her body became strong. She stopped taking medicine, but never quit practicing Tai Chi and Qigong. She learned various forms of Qigong exercises and meditations. Based on her experience, she modified some of them to tailor to her needs. More than two decades later, she is 45 and looks healthy and radiant.

According to the US National Cancer Institute, as of January 2016, it is estimated that there were 15.5 million cancer survivors or 4.8% of the population in the United States. The number of cancer survivors is projected to increase by 31%, to 20.3 million, by 2026. According to estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2012 there were 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer deaths worldwide. By 2030, it is expected to grow to 21.7 million new cancer cases and 13 million cancer deaths. The future burden will probably be even larger, concluded the IARC.

Clinically proven, Qigong can help cancer patients to deal with various side effects from cancer treatments. In China, studies even show how Qigong treats cancer. Master Helen Liang claims that she is not a medical doctor but she wants to share her knowledge with anyone who is combating cancer or trying to prevent being a cancer victim. There are three primary points of Helen’s Qigong Methodology: 1. Learning how to oxygenate the entire body at a cellular level; 2. Relieving Qi stagnation from the body at a cellular level; 3. Increasing blood and oxygen circulation without “burning” energy. Through a series of gentle exercises and simple stretches along with deep breathing, it can increase cancer recovery, boost the immune system, reduce pain, and improve sleep quality. In her newly published DVD “Qigong for Cancer: Beginner Exercises for Healing and Prevention”, Master Helen teaches 15 simple exercises for “Lungs & Large Intestine”, “Spleen & Stomach”, “Heart & Small Intestine”, “Kidneys & Bladder”, “Pericardium & Entire System”, “Liver & Gall Bladder”, “Qi Channel Stimulation”, and “Relaxation Technique”. Unlike western medicine, which deals with local problems, Chinese medicine is holistic and treats the entire body. Designed based on the theory of TCM, Qigong is holistic in nature. Helen suggests a healthy person or patient practice all movements 9 times each day and a cancer patient can add extra iterations based on his/her needs. For example breast cancer patients can do more sets of “Lungs & Large Intestine” and “Heart & Small Intestine” exercises.

Master Liang stated that during her recovery, she realized that the mind is powerful. Things come and go. No need to dwell on them. No need to think whether they are positive or negative. She just calmed her mind and focused on breathing. After all, a noisy mind can be troublesome. A silent, accepting and breathing mind can improve health. Living in the 21^st century, human beings’ health is impacted by environment, food, air, water, life style, family, and work greatly. Our bodies are changing constantly. The key is how to keep everything balanced. Helen mentioned that sometimes that she overworked without much rest and her body ran down. Not to mention some of the poison resulted from the chemo still lingers around and keeps her on her toes. That’s why she persistently practicing Qigong. I highly recommend this DVD to all.

Below is a sample of Master Liang’s “Qigong for Cancer Healing and Prevention”.

(Edited by Doc Luecke.)

Related Articles:

• Highly recommended: “Qigong in Cancer Care”
• Learn Guolin Qigong for Cancer In China
• Exciting news on Tai Chi and Cancer Survivors | Examiner.com
• IIQTC Brings Qigong and Tai Chi to Veterans | Examiner.com
• Zhineng Qigong can decrease depression for cancer patients and survivors | Examiner.com
• Cancer Support Community provides free Qigong classes to patients and caregivers | Examiner.com
• Qigong relieves a panic attack faster than any medication | Examiner.com
• Managing Stress with Qigong | Examiner.com