In 1971, when thoughts of using the mind to assist in a patient’s healing was in its infancy, a 61 year old man with throat cancer went to see Dr. O. Carl Simonton, a Texan radiologist. 

The radiologist was reluctant to apply radiotherapy for several reasons - firstly the chance of survival was very low (doctors gave a 5% chance of survival after 5 years), and the patient was already having difficulty swallowing. In addition, the patient was perhaps too weak for an effective response to radiotherapy - his weight had dropped dramatically, and he had very little energy.

Unusually for the time, Dr. Simonton encouraged the patient to add to any radiotherapy with a visualization. And that visualization turned out to involve the healing ability of snow.

Whilst one case study does not provide evidence of healing meditation, we record it here to add to our database of healing meditations that have been tried - on the chance that others may find them useful. What follows, then, is the recounted instructions given for this meditation.

The Snow Visualization

The patient is asked to visualize their illness (in this case, it was cancer), as vividly as possible.

Using any mental image that appeals to them, they are asked to visualize their immune system, as the white blood cells successfully attack the illness (here, cancer cells), and sweep them out of the body, leaving only healthy cells behind.

As white blood cells are ‘white’, like snow - and cancer is often visualized as black - the man in this example envisioned his immune cells as a powerful blizzard of white particles, covering the tumor like snow burying a black rock. (Presumably he also envisioned a way for the visualization to also remove the ‘rock’ as the doctor suggested, leaving only pure ’snow’ particles.)

Importantly, the patient was told to repeat the visualization at intervals throughout the day. Quite quickly, the tumor seemed to be shrinking:

In a few weeks it was definitely smaller, and his response to radiation was almost free of side effects; after two months, the tumor was gone.

A nice coda to this story is the man, once free of cancer, decided he would also like to be free of his arthritis in his legs so he could do more stream-fishing. Within a few more weeks the arthritis was cleared up, and the man remained free of both arthritis and cancer for the full 6 year follow up period.

If you would like more information as to how to find your own personal healing imagery, there is a helpful video here.

Revealingly, Chopra’s full book title is “Quantum Healing: Exploring the Fronteirs of Mind/Body Medicine”, and it is this byline which is a more descriptive of the contents. It could equally be called “<<Ayurveda>> : Healing the Body and the Mind”, because what it does is look at how the body is intimately linked to the mind - in much more fundamental and physiological ways than merely “affected by it” - and how bringing these two into balance can ‘end the war’ between them that is the cause of disease.

Deeprak Chopra is perhaps the leading candidate for alternative health ‘guru’, however in this book it is his attention to scientific medicine, facts, and understanding that is equally communicated as Eastern approaches. A practicing Western as well as Ayurvedic doctor, the two disciplines uncertainly circle each other in the author’s words, and in the 200-odd pages. However the core of the book is that the body - and the patient - heals themselves, and Chopra deflects any credit for cures from him (as doctor) to the patient. Getting the patient to realize this is the whole of his message for healing.

I can highly recommend this book. One of the things it first does, is lay out the sometimes drastic consequences Western medicines can have on the body; setting up a chain reaction of bodily failures (most usually including the immune system), which can have catastrophic effects - much more serious than the simple “side effects” we are sometimes warned about. An alternative that ends, rather than escalates, such conflicts is the aim of this book. It is a true ‘nonviolence’ philosophy for healing.

More serious, then, than even the bodily effects of a chemical attack on disease is the psychological effects. Encouraging fear, the patient often further fuels the discord between ‘themselves’ and their bodies, making true peace and recovery more difficult to find.

The treatments Chopra mentions in the book (recounted in many case histories from his clinic in Lancaster, Massachusetts) are often a change of diet, Ayurvedic herbs, meditations (which we will publish in future articles), and specific daily routines, including basic yoga exercises. Western treatments are sometimes encouraged, sometimes discouraged. Here ‘Western treatments’ also includes blood and other tests - which importantly are recognized for the effect these have on a patients’ total well being.

The unifying theme is to bring, every day, a ’settled, restful state’ as a foundation for true healing. Chopra says:

In Ayurveda, a level of total, deep relaxation is the most important precondition for curing any disorder. The underlying concept is that the body knows how to maintain balance unless thrown off by disease (later he mentions other stresses); therefore, if one wants to restore the body’s own healing ability, everything should be done to bring it back to balance.

We will add more thoughts about this book in the coming weeks. Until then, we would be interested in your thoughts - have you read it? And what did you take away from it?

The Placebo Effect

We are all aware of the reality of the placebo effect. This is the very real affect that an dummy sugar pill can have in real healing for some patients, when told by their doctor that it will work. This effect is so accepted to modern medicine that all rigorous scientific studies must contain a control group on such dummy treatments, to guage whether a treatment is the cause of a result, or merely the perception of being cared for.

Whilst no-one argues the placebo effect is real, the implications of this have not yet been felt in most western doctor’s approaches to medicine. How often have you felt that your doctor emotionally believed in your ability to overcome any odds? It has been found that holding the hand of a patient under general anesthetic calms the body in times of stress and leads to better outcomes. When was the last time your doctor held your hand as they discussed your health?

The Nocebo Effect

What is perhaps even more disturbing than the lack of positive treatments not yet developed by western doctors, is the fact that just as the placebo affect occurs, so does its opposite - the ‘nocebo’ effect. In fact, this effect is widely acknowledged as fact in medicine. In the past, a surgeon may have expressed shock or said out loud how much worse the prognosis may seem to him or her during surgery - feeling safe in the fact that the patient was unconscious. In fact, it has been found that even unconscious patients are aware of every word said during surgery (just as they are aware that their hand is held). As a general rule, surgeons are told not to make any negative comments whilst performing their work.

Whether this has been successfully implemented in all hospitals is a moot point. One only has to remember one’s own experience when one is awake to see that there is still a long way to go. Just as a doctor can convince you that a dummy drug will work, they can also unknowingly convince you that a real drug will not work, if they do not like your statistical chances. A mere quivering in his voice, or lack of eye contact, may be enough to do the damage.

What to do?

If you have a doctor that you feel may be giving you a ‘nocebo’ effect, do not be afraid to change doctors. Such actions are now seen as not best practice, and other aspects of their treatment may be similarly out of date. Your doctor should be, in all cases, actively promoting and supporting your cure, not subconsciously leading you towards illness they are predicting.

Further Reading

Stay tuned for a future article that takes the implications of this reality a step further. If your doctor is able to convince you that you will not get well, could they also subconsciously convince you that you have a certain disease? While suffering from real symptoms that can lead to real and grave effects, could it be perhaps you are not ‘really’ ill, after all?

Have you had negative experiences with western doctors? How might have you been affected by a “nocebo” effect?

If you are a sceptic, recent convert, or just curious to try it out, Feng Shui is a unique way to approach a stubborn or unexpected health problem. It sits outside the conventional ways of treating disease in the west, but it is gaining many converts for its sometimes miraculous results.

It may be hard for a westerner to conceive of how moving a houseplant, or changing the positions of our beds, can affect something as ‘real’ as MS, diabetes, or other serious illnesses. One way to think of it is that we are intimately connected to our surroundings, indeed our bodies are exchanging molecules with chairs, trees, and television sets every second of our lives. Our home is also the most fundamental connection to the world around us - it is how we visualize ourselves and our place within it.

We are recent converts to the effect Feng Shui has on our health, after trying some basic cures. If you are interested in trying some basic techniques, why not try these steps:

Eastern Direction

• The major ‘direction’ fore health in Feng Shui is the east. If you were to draw a ‘noughts and crosses’ board, of nine squares (3 x 3) over your house plan - north at the top - the middle right hand side section would represent your eastern health ‘area’. It is this that we must place the majority of our attention.
• Take a look at this area. How does it ‘feel’? Does it feel cluttered, dusty, or stagnant? All of these are Feng Shui no-nos.
• How the eastern part of our house is will mirror how our bodies are doing also. Look for any broken, cracked, or worn out appliances, furniture, tiles or other house components. These should be repaired immediately.
• In Feng Shui, dust (and clutter) are almost symbolic of illness. Do a thorough sweep of your eastern quadrants, clearing all dust, grime, clutter, and unused things to make a fresh start. Move furniture to get to hard to reach areas.
• As well as applying this study to the eastern section of our house, the same rules apply to the eastern section of our whole property (including our gardens), and our most important room - our bedroom. Draw an accurate 3 x 3 grid over these plans too, and treat both areas with the same care and attention as your house quadrant.

The Elements

• In Feng Shui, individual elements either hurt or promote the part of one’s life represented by each section. For the health zones above, which have the element wood, water is particularly beneficial (as trees require water to survive). Pictures of gentle water or healthy trees are excellent here, whilst ictures of dead trees, or death or danger in any form, should be removed. Blue and black (representing water), as well as green (representing wood) are excellent colors to decorate with. However, dried plants, skeletons or shells are not conducive to good health - as these are from dead, not alive, bodies.
• The most beneficial thing in this area is obviously real, healthy, abundant indoor plants in this area. Their health will mirror your own, so take good care of them!
• The ‘enemy’ to the wood element - and to our health - is metal. For this reason, you should remove as many metal objects from your eastern quadrants as possible. All knives, metal benches and appliences, swords, and other sharp or metallic things should go. It is not always possible, but white (representing metal) should also be minimized in this area.

Poison Arrows

• Another important health consideration in Feng Shui is the effect of “poison arrows“. Particularly facing the front door or bedroom windows, a poison arrow is anything sharp, long, or representative of a spear or arrow pointing at your door. Remove any such item, or if it is unmovable (such as an external tree, telegraph pole, or church steeple), protect yourself with a feng shui mirror that you sometimes see on people’s front doors (this deflects the negative energy).
• Similar to poison arrows is the dangerous no-no of sleeping with our feet pointed at our bedroom door. It is said that this ’sucks’ the energy out of us as we sleep. Repositioning our beds will help.

Take note of any changes that occur after you make definite Feng Shui shifts as mentioned above. If you see responses, sometimes immediately after making changes, you’re on the right track. Don’t be suprised if a solution to your health problem comes up on the TV, or overheard in conversation, soon after making such a shift.

Take greater care at pivotal times, such as opening test results, or before seeing a doctor. With Feng Shui, you are actively creating your reality.

There are more advanced Feng Shui cures, that involve more individual and complicated astronomical and birthdate calculations. If you are serious about finding a Feng Shui ‘cure’, read books or consult a qualified Feng Shui professional.

If you want to take this further, there are excellent Feng Shui books (see Amazon), websites (try TaoismToday.com on for size), and professionals out there that can make a real shift in your health reality.

Have you had any experience with shifting your health using Feng Shui?

Part 1

Part 2

A lecture from Buddhist master Yu Tianjian, the only living Master of Hanmi Buddhism, explaining a simple , 3 part healing meditation technique. It aims to push toxins out of your body, increase energy, reduce worries, and increase your health.

It uses a mantra “Ah Wa Hum/ Hung” (phonetic only) chanted a few times. You may notice some body warmth or vibrations from doing this. The advice is to chant this mantra ‘in your heart’ - verbally, and silently throughout the

The hand gesture (mudra) is to touch the ring finger to the thumb on the left hand, and leave it facing upwards. (The right hand simply can relax, with your palm facing up or down).

Visualize that you are sitting on a lotus flower. The lotus flower is slowly changing into a red color. It is becoming redder and redder as you chant. You feel that the central part of the lotus flower under you begins to emit a reddish yellow light. The light is shining through your body, to the top of your head, at the crown. The reddish yellow light fills from your crown to your toes, radiates outwards, turning into an orange color.

You feel that your body is changing into an orange color as you meditate, glowing with this light.

Practice every day for 10 -15 minutes a day. It will fill you with more energy, and the toxins will begin to be pushed out of the body, and illness and pain will disappear. You may experience perspiration during this mediation.

It is cautioned that you don’t suddenly cool yourself with a fan, air conditioner, shower or bath - merely dry yourself with a towel, and allow yourself to cool naturally.

As you do this meditation, look out for not only changes in your health, but also for words and answers that may arise in the world around you. People have reported that their ‘prayers’ have been answered - through a chance discovery in a book, on TV, or in conversation - in the form of new knowledge as to the cause of or cure for their illness.

Please post any corrections, thoughts, or experiences with this meditation.

Feel free to discuss this meditation here.

One of his patients featured chose a fire boat - for its steady, benign, powerful nature to act for her own effective healing process overcoming breast cancer.

This introductory video into his work provides some pointers as to how you too can find your own healing image.

Please post any corrections, thoughts, or experiences with this meditation.