Escaping the Convalescent Hospital by Dr. Wu Tao-Wei Those readers who are Caucasians should not think that I am only interested in the health of Chinese and Asian Peoples because what I write directly affects you, too. Recently, I had the awful experience of visiting an American convalescent hospital to pay my respects to and old and dear friend of mine. He was in the process of dieing of cancer. I say that he was "in the process of dieing of cancer" because diseases are not, as Western physicians seem to believe, an on-or-off affair. They do not appear or disappear like turning a light bulb on or off. They are a gradual process of growth and decay. The disease process usually begins small and unnoticed but slowly becomes large and impossible not to notice. And so it was with my friend, Chung-Pin. According to the latest statistics, the cancer death rate for Asian-Americans is climbing faster than for any other ethnic group. But the Western scientists are not facing this problem honestly. They want us to believe that it is our fault as people that we get sick and that they can help us. Both of these are lies. Cancer is not a disease that Asians bring with them to America. It is a disease that they catch after they arrive. So, there must be something about this country that creates a disposition toward getting cancer. My friend, Chung-Pin, immigrated from Taiwan although his family came from Fukien. The first thing that I warned him about when he arrived was to avoid American fast food and to eat only Chinese food. But he wouldn't listen. He wanted to be an American so much! He watched American TV shows, ate at MacDonald's, fed his family everything that he saw advertized on television and, in general, ate all the garbage that most Americans regularly consume. His two, little daughters learned English by watching TV cartoon shows with all of the usual commercials. And soon, they demanded (like only cute little girls can demand) all of the sugared cereals and chocolate drinks and white bread sandwiches with luncheon meats that they saw advertized. And they refused to eat with chopsticks, prefering a fork and spoon just like American kids. I warned him about the studies done on Japanese women who had very low breast cancer rates in Japan but after immigrating to America, they developed this disease just like American women. But he laughed and said that he wasn't a woman so he didn't have to worry. Chung-Pin changed his diet from Chinese to American food. American food is manufactured for no other reason than to make a profit. It is not made for feeding people but rather for feeding the bottom line in a profit ledger book. The same group of Jews who monopolize the food industry, also monopolize the medical and pharmaceutical industries. And in this, there is a profit-taking conspiracy among them. I explained this to my friend but he accused me of associating with right-wing extremists who were prejudiced against God's Chosen People. You see, my friend was a Chinese Christian. He went to church every Sunday. His wife sang in the Christian choir. (She really has a beautiful voice to this day, singing Christian songs in Chinese, of course.) And he believed that Jesus protects Christians from all evils. I argued with him that our Heavenly Father (Tien Fu) gave Mankind intelligence with which to discern Good from Evil and that it is our duty to use that gift to keep us from harm rather than relying upon divine intervention. But my friend quoted the Bible, saying that "it is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him but what goes out of it." I told him that although that saying was true in the days of Jesus when ALL food was natural food, it was no longer true today. But he countered with the usual Christian argument that God is perfect and what He said in ancient times was true forever. He claimed that the times could change but the word of God never changed. And so, what could I do? Chung-Pin was a Chinese who did not practice Tai Chi Chuan, or Qi Gong or Meditation but prefered a foreign god to his own, ancient cultural knowledge, instead. He contracted cancer and died. I stayed with him until his mind was no longer able to form words. I did not attend his Christian funeral. But in my visits to him, I observed first hand the American convalescent hospital system in action. It tries to be a good system. It attempts to provide care for the sick, the feeble and the elderly. But it is a very sad place where most of its inmates are only there waiting to die. It is staffed by low-paid immigrants and illegal aliens. It is designed to make a profit from state and private medical insurance as well as from whatever funds the patients have in their families or savings accounts. And it is designed for people whose families are unable or unwilling to take care of them in their illness or old age. Seventy-seven percent of California nursing homes fail to meet federal standards of patient care. So, when you walk into one of these places, don't be surprised with the thick smell of urine and excrement. The turn-over rate for employees ranges from an average of 78 percent per year to as high as 296 percent, according to government statistics. Thus, there is little patient care provided by experienced help. That is, when any help at all is provided. And who do you find in these nursing homes? Mainly white people. These people have not created families whose children honor the responsibility of caring for their parents. My friend was placed in a nursing home becasue his medical problems were too complicated for home care and his wife had to work to support their house payments and children. So, I ask, is a nursing home in your future? Or are you being careful with your health and are you raising your children with the understanding that Life contains both youth and old age? It is the duty of children to support and to aid their parents in old age. Just as the parents nurtured the children and raised them to adulthood, so too is it the duty of children to care for their parents. Yes, this is Chinese philosophy. But isn't it logical and good sense for all people everywhere to understand? ---------------------------------------------------- Second Publication Rights Granted as long as the following is credited: First Published in the Chinese Swaztika Newsletter, for free subscription send blank eMail to: