Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
October 31, 2006, China Times, Special Report by Xia Nianci
He was once a hospital director and a renowned obstetrician-gynecologist. Before being diagnosed with cancer, he was busy every day making money. After transforming from a doctor treating gynecological cancers to a patient receiving a liver transplant, Wu Shenglong has now let go of everything and plans to create a sanctuary for cancer patients to recuperate and cultivate their minds.
A true man knows when to hold on and when to let go. Wu Shenglong, the president of the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Liver Transplant Patients Association, is a well-known figure in anti-cancer and health preservation who understands how to let go of everything and fully pursue the unity of body, mind, and spirit. He is currently establishing a cancer treatment center in Taitung that emphasizes the integration of body, mind, and spirit in anti-cancer therapy, hoping to create a paradise for cancer patients to heal and cultivate their minds.
Before collapsing from liver cancer, Wu Shenglong managed a nearly 400-ping (approximately 1,322 square meters) premium obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Fengshan City, Kaohsiung County, with facilities as luxurious as a boutique hotel. It was the largest of its kind in the area and topped the performance charts in Kaohsiung County and City for three consecutive years.
Life could only be described as "busy."
Wu Shenglong, who once delivered 12 babies in a single day, recalled that before falling ill, he was like a money-printing machine. He would start work as soon as he opened his eyes at dawn and often worked late into the night, with holidays frequently interrupted by emergency calls back to the hospital.
From the age of 28, when he became a chief physician, to 48, when he served as hospital director, his life was consistently described by the word "busy." The only time he allowed himself to relax was during late-night gatherings with friends, where he could unwind completely.
After moving from Taipei Municipal Zhongxing Hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department to Kaohsiung, marrying into a prominent medical family, and establishing his own clinic, which later expanded into a top-tier obstetrics and gynecology hospital, Wu Shenglong admitted that he spent a long time entangled in the pursuit of fame and money. However, he was not happy during that period. The turning point that allowed him to regain peace and tranquility came when he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
Despite contracting hepatitis C, he continued to work tirelessly until he collapsed beside the operating table.
He said that his youth was spent in operating rooms, where he contracted hepatitis C during surgery. To keep his surgical skills sharp, he flew to the United States to seek treatment from the doctor who first discovered hepatitis C. Shuttling between the U.S. and Taiwan for six months, he once believed he had successfully overcome the virus.
However, Wu Shenglong did not rest properly during his treatment in the U.S. He continued to work day and night, seeing patients, performing surgeries, and delivering babies. As long as there was money to be made, he was oblivious to the severity of his health crisis. Shortly after expanding his clinic into a large hospital, he collapsed beside the operating table.
He remembered that on July 4, 1999, U.S. Independence Day, while performing surgery on a cervical cancer patient, he suddenly felt severe abdominal pain and broke into a cold sweat halfway through the procedure. He endured the pain until the surgery was completed, after which his wife accompanied him to a friend's gastroenterology clinic. An ultrasound revealed the source of his pain: a 7-centimeter liver tumor.
Over the next five years, he underwent liver cancer resection, embolization therapy, chemotherapy, and was registered as a liver transplant candidate at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. During the five years he waited for a transplant, he tried health foods, organic diets, folk remedies, and practiced anti-cancer qigong daily. He even traveled to mainland China to seek out renowned doctors and mysterious qigong masters, but each hope ended in disappointment, leaving him emotionally devastated.
The turning point: from doctor to patient.
The ups and downs, the pain of gains and losses, finally led Wu Shenglong to his turning point. He became the 196th liver transplant patient of Dr. Chen Chao-long, the director of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Transforming from a doctor treating gynecological cancers to a patient receiving a liver transplant marked a significant shift in his life.Since the spring of 2003, he officially became a member of the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Liver Friends Association. During his time as a volunteer for cancer support groups, he deeply felt that "fame and wealth are like fleeting clouds." He loudly proclaimed that his life's mission should be to guide fellow patients in finding the right direction in their fight against cancer.
The first step on Wu Shenglong's anti-cancer journey was to announce his decision to give up his beloved clinical practice and hospital management. He stopped seeing patients, performing surgeries, and delivering babies at his own hospital. Instead, he joined the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, traveling to remote and impoverished areas to provide medical care, and visiting hospital hospice wards to comfort terminal cancer patients.
Although the performance of his obstetrics and gynecology hospital declined significantly after his departure, he had already come to view wealth and status as transient. Fame and fortune no longer tempted him, and he even generously allowed the hospital to provide free deliveries for impoverished mothers, benefiting many female migrant workers without labor or health insurance. He told his staff, "Even if the hospital can't continue to operate and has to close, I don't care." Because he had truly mastered the spiritual practice of complete detachment.
No longer involved in hospital affairs, he woke up at 6 a.m. every day to practice qigong and tai chi at Chengcing Lake. After breathing in the fresh air, he would engage in "talk therapy" with fellow cancer patients, sharing experiences. In the afternoon, he attended various spiritual training courses, and in the evening, he relaxed by reading, writing, and listening to music, going to bed promptly at 10 p.m. His life was regular and simple, yet he felt fulfilled and happy.
Dietary principles: More fruits and vegetables, no meat
Although he had received a new liver and was reborn, he still lived like an ordinary person. He said that because he took anti-rejection medication daily for his organ transplant, he was concerned about potential kidney damage from long-term use, which also weakened his physical strength. Like the bunny in the TV commercial with only half the battery life of a normal person, he continued to search for better ways to fight cancer.
For example, in terms of diet, before his organ transplant, he followed a raw food diet, but he felt its limitations. After the transplant, he abandoned the raw food diet and switched to a more convenient, light diet. His dietary principles were to eat more fruits and vegetables, maintain balanced nutrition, and prefer steaming and boiling over frying and grilling, without adding seasonings. He avoided meat entirely, occasionally eating fish.
For meals, breakfast consisted of sweet potatoes, multigrain rice porridge, and fruit. Lunch and dinner were multigrain rice, boiled or cold vegetable dishes, and fruit. If he felt his energy was low, he would cook fish for the next meal.
Throughout his journey, Wu Shenglong deeply realized that mainstream Western medicine, exercise, diet, and spiritual emptiness must all be combined to achieve a state of unity in body, mind, and spirit. The future establishment of the Taitung Cancer Anti-Cancer Center aims to support cancer patients in walking their anti-cancer journey with ease, fulfilling Master Cheng Yen's expectation for him to "do more for the people."
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ C……1805+112006103100366,00. html
Dr. Wu Shenglong Receives New Liver, Commits to Holistic Cancer Fight
He was once a hospital director and a renowned obstetrician-gynecologist. Before being diagnosed with cancer, he was busy every day making money. After transforming from a doctor treating gynecological cancers to a patient receiving a liver transplant, Wu Shenglong has now let go of everything and plans to create a sanctuary for cancer patients to recuperate and cultivate their minds.
A true man knows when to hold on and when to let go. Wu Shenglong, the president of the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Liver Transplant Patients Association, is a well-known figure in anti-cancer and health preservation who understands how to let go of everything and fully pursue the unity of body, mind, and spirit. He is currently establishing a cancer treatment center in Taitung that emphasizes the integration of body, mind, and spirit in anti-cancer therapy, hoping to create a paradise for cancer patients to heal and cultivate their minds.
Before collapsing from liver cancer, Wu Shenglong managed a nearly 400-ping (approximately 1,322 square meters) premium obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Fengshan City, Kaohsiung County, with facilities as luxurious as a boutique hotel. It was the largest of its kind in the area and topped the performance charts in Kaohsiung County and City for three consecutive years.
Life could only be described as "busy."
Wu Shenglong, who once delivered 12 babies in a single day, recalled that before falling ill, he was like a money-printing machine. He would start work as soon as he opened his eyes at dawn and often worked late into the night, with holidays frequently interrupted by emergency calls back to the hospital.
From the age of 28, when he became a chief physician, to 48, when he served as hospital director, his life was consistently described by the word "busy." The only time he allowed himself to relax was during late-night gatherings with friends, where he could unwind completely.
After moving from Taipei Municipal Zhongxing Hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department to Kaohsiung, marrying into a prominent medical family, and establishing his own clinic, which later expanded into a top-tier obstetrics and gynecology hospital, Wu Shenglong admitted that he spent a long time entangled in the pursuit of fame and money. However, he was not happy during that period. The turning point that allowed him to regain peace and tranquility came when he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
Despite contracting hepatitis C, he continued to work tirelessly until he collapsed beside the operating table.
He said that his youth was spent in operating rooms, where he contracted hepatitis C during surgery. To keep his surgical skills sharp, he flew to the United States to seek treatment from the doctor who first discovered hepatitis C. Shuttling between the U.S. and Taiwan for six months, he once believed he had successfully overcome the virus.
However, Wu Shenglong did not rest properly during his treatment in the U.S. He continued to work day and night, seeing patients, performing surgeries, and delivering babies. As long as there was money to be made, he was oblivious to the severity of his health crisis. Shortly after expanding his clinic into a large hospital, he collapsed beside the operating table.
He remembered that on July 4, 1999, U.S. Independence Day, while performing surgery on a cervical cancer patient, he suddenly felt severe abdominal pain and broke into a cold sweat halfway through the procedure. He endured the pain until the surgery was completed, after which his wife accompanied him to a friend's gastroenterology clinic. An ultrasound revealed the source of his pain: a 7-centimeter liver tumor.
Over the next five years, he underwent liver cancer resection, embolization therapy, chemotherapy, and was registered as a liver transplant candidate at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. During the five years he waited for a transplant, he tried health foods, organic diets, folk remedies, and practiced anti-cancer qigong daily. He even traveled to mainland China to seek out renowned doctors and mysterious qigong masters, but each hope ended in disappointment, leaving him emotionally devastated.
The turning point: from doctor to patient.
The ups and downs, the pain of gains and losses, finally led Wu Shenglong to his turning point. He became the 196th liver transplant patient of Dr. Chen Chao-long, the director of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Transforming from a doctor treating gynecological cancers to a patient receiving a liver transplant marked a significant shift in his life.Since the spring of 2003, he officially became a member of the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Liver Friends Association. During his time as a volunteer for cancer support groups, he deeply felt that "fame and wealth are like fleeting clouds." He loudly proclaimed that his life's mission should be to guide fellow patients in finding the right direction in their fight against cancer.
The first step on Wu Shenglong's anti-cancer journey was to announce his decision to give up his beloved clinical practice and hospital management. He stopped seeing patients, performing surgeries, and delivering babies at his own hospital. Instead, he joined the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, traveling to remote and impoverished areas to provide medical care, and visiting hospital hospice wards to comfort terminal cancer patients.
Although the performance of his obstetrics and gynecology hospital declined significantly after his departure, he had already come to view wealth and status as transient. Fame and fortune no longer tempted him, and he even generously allowed the hospital to provide free deliveries for impoverished mothers, benefiting many female migrant workers without labor or health insurance. He told his staff, "Even if the hospital can't continue to operate and has to close, I don't care." Because he had truly mastered the spiritual practice of complete detachment.
No longer involved in hospital affairs, he woke up at 6 a.m. every day to practice qigong and tai chi at Chengcing Lake. After breathing in the fresh air, he would engage in "talk therapy" with fellow cancer patients, sharing experiences. In the afternoon, he attended various spiritual training courses, and in the evening, he relaxed by reading, writing, and listening to music, going to bed promptly at 10 p.m. His life was regular and simple, yet he felt fulfilled and happy.
Dietary principles: More fruits and vegetables, no meat
Although he had received a new liver and was reborn, he still lived like an ordinary person. He said that because he took anti-rejection medication daily for his organ transplant, he was concerned about potential kidney damage from long-term use, which also weakened his physical strength. Like the bunny in the TV commercial with only half the battery life of a normal person, he continued to search for better ways to fight cancer.
For example, in terms of diet, before his organ transplant, he followed a raw food diet, but he felt its limitations. After the transplant, he abandoned the raw food diet and switched to a more convenient, light diet. His dietary principles were to eat more fruits and vegetables, maintain balanced nutrition, and prefer steaming and boiling over frying and grilling, without adding seasonings. He avoided meat entirely, occasionally eating fish.
For meals, breakfast consisted of sweet potatoes, multigrain rice porridge, and fruit. Lunch and dinner were multigrain rice, boiled or cold vegetable dishes, and fruit. If he felt his energy was low, he would cook fish for the next meal.
Throughout his journey, Wu Shenglong deeply realized that mainstream Western medicine, exercise, diet, and spiritual emptiness must all be combined to achieve a state of unity in body, mind, and spirit. The future establishment of the Taitung Cancer Anti-Cancer Center aims to support cancer patients in walking their anti-cancer journey with ease, fulfilling Master Cheng Yen's expectation for him to "do more for the people."
Source: http:/ / news. chinatimes. com/ C……1805+112006103100366,00. html