8. Doctor In Taiwan: Most Of My Illnesses Are Now History

　　My name is Lai Jiandeng and I am 53 years old. I am an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist and I started practicing Falun Gong in March 1997. I have suffered from illnesses throughout my whole life. I fought other people for self-interest, and my health declined by the year. In the past decade I hit rock bottom--then I found Falun Dafa. Now, my life has changed completely.

　　I've studied Western medicine and have a certain understanding of the treatment and recuperation process of certain diseases. When I was young, I suffered from various conditions. In the years right before I practiced Falun Gong, I was afflicted with a stomach ulcer, stomach bleeding, a stiff back, inflammation of the eye, dizziness and sciatic nerve pain. These problems took turns making me miserable. Treatments could only suppress the symptoms temporarily, but could not prevent them from recurring.

　　It was the day before Tomb Sweep Day (a holiday for worshipping ancestors) and the beginning of a long holiday when the eye inflammation first came on. My eyes were red for two days, and all of a sudden my eyeballs suppurated from inside. They swelled up and were extremely painful. I could barely open my eyes. Pus had filled my eyes and it was as if someone had plastered my eyes over. I cannot describe the intense fear I had of losing my sight, because the next thing that would usually happen was my eyeballs would fester and I wouldn't be able to see. I immediately went to an eye doctor, who injected medication directly into my eyelids. The injections are usually administered into the muscle, under the skin or into blood vessels, but I was given injections directly into my eyelids and into the tissue around the eyeballs. Sometimes I had shots twice a day. The condition subsided after about two weeks.

　　That was only the beginning of a nightmare. The problem came back every spring. The injections only suppressed the surface symptoms and could not treat the underlying cause. Each relapse would last a month or so and I had to get injections around my eyes, otherwise it would be difficult to control the symptoms.

　　After more than a decade, I was extremely afraid of this　disease,　because　over　time　I　could　develop　kidney problems even if I didn't lose my sight, and I could end up living on dialysis. This disease was also accompanied by ankylosing spondylitis [chronic inflammation of the spine], and my spine started to hurt more than 20 years ago.　After I had a car accident over ten years ago, my back hurt terribly on top of other complications that already existed. In the winter my spine hurt when I moved, when I lay still, when I rolled over and when I got out of bed. When I sat in a car, I could not tolerate the slightest jarring. I had to push myself up with my hands to alleviate the pain, and it also hurt when the car accelerated. My spine would hurt so much that I would well up in tears when the car would hit a pothole or come to a sudden stop. I was scared to death of going out in a car. Even when I walked at home, I could not walk steadily due to my back pain, and the pain was there no matter what position I was in.

　　My mother was on her deathbed when I first saw the Falun Dafa books, so I didn't have the desire to read them then. After my mother's funeral I picked up the book Falun Gong, and suddenly realized that Falun Dafa was what I had always sought after, even though I had no idea that I was looking for it.

　　The next summer, my stomach ulcer pain began to subside and then disappeared. The unbearable pain in my spine was also reduced a year later.　The inflammation of my eyes came back several times. I did the meditation exercise since I could not do the other exercises involving movement. Eventually the dizziness went away.

　　Most of my illnesses are now history.　I am now healthier than I have ever been. I have truly experienced something profound and supernatural. As a doctor I know about illnesses and it's easy for me to obtain medication. I took pills in great quantities, but the pain was still there. Now I understand that only cultivation can help a person become truly and completely healthy.

　　Falun Dafa has given me guidance in life. It helped me to reduce anger, conflicts, and other bad feelings. I am able to see my shortcomings, and through cherishing the chance to practice Falun Dafa, I will diligently improve myself.