Servant of humanity

A childhood trauma inspires a healer to take away the agony of others

When Zhi Gang Sha was 5 years old, an injection of penicillin caused an allergic reaction, leaving him in a coma.

"My neighbor was an acupuncturist. He put a needle in my nose, and I was awakened," said Sha.

The near-death experience led him on a journey of healing. Since childhood he has had a deep interest in helping others overcome chronic pain and illness. "Our purpose in life is to serve others ... to make them healthy and happier."

Skeptics might have their doubts, but in the naturopathic fields of healing, there are explanations.

An acupuncture point located below the nose is called Renzhong, or human center, according to Elizabeth Chen Christenson, a medical doctor and associate clinical professor at the Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Hawaii's John Burns School of Medicine. The area, between the mouth and nose, establishes a connection between heaven (yang) and Earth (yin).

"When the harmonious interaction of yin and yang is lost and they begin to separate, there is a loss of consciousness -- death being the ultimate manifestation of this separation," she added.

In our fast-paced society, the quick fix is often desired as a solution to illness. But elevated health-care costs and the harmful side effects of medications have many people considering alternative treatments.

A quick fix can make symptoms go away, but true healing integrates physical, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being, according to Sha, author of "Power Healing: The Four Keys to Energizing Your Body, Mind & Spirit" (HarperSanFrancisco, 2003, $32).

Sha has been featured in the PBS documentary "Power Healing with Master Sha" and last month released another book, "Soul Mind Body Medicine" (New World Library, paperback, $15.95). He resides in Canada with his wife and children.

He visited Hawaii last month, sharing self-healing techniques at various venues. More than 250 attended his two-day workshop at UH. Sha plans a return visit in July.

He emphasized that people should go to doctors when they are sick, but need to take responsibility for their own well-being. "America is depending too much on doctors. People don't realize that they have self-healing abilities. They just need to open their heart and soul. These are 5,000-year-old time-proven techniques."

Sha thinks of himself as a simple doctor from China. "I am often called master or grand master, but I prefer to call myself a servant of humanity."

Power healing techniques Dr. Zhi Gang Sha teaches techniques that vibrate cells, balancing the matter inside the cells with the energy that surrounds them. Here are the four keys to power healing. Body Power Definition: The use of special hand positions for healing. For example, with the "One Hand Near, One Hand Far" technique, one hand is held 4 to 7 inches from the area of illness while another is placed 12 to 20 inches from the lower abdomen, to move energy from the area of illness to the lower abdomen, a storehouse of energy. Benefits: Increased power in internal organs, better quality of life, more effective immune system. Sound Power Definition: The chanting of vibrational mantras to stimulate cell expansion and contraction. Sha uses the numbers 3396815 -- pronounced "sahn sahn jow lew bah yow woo" in Mandarin to clear energy blockages. Other healing sounds are used for specific ailments. Benefits: Increased energy and stamina, strengthened immune system, karma cleansing and an improvement of the cellular condition of the body. Mind Power Definition: A "mind over matter" technique that uses creative visualization to help heal. The technique involves visualizing a beam of light, your ancestors or God blessing you. Benefits: Boost in energy and a balance of energy in the body. Soul Power Definition: Requesting that the souls of the body, organs and cells heal themselves with affirmations. For example, to heal digestive problems, communicate with the stomach: "Soul of my stomach, can you help yourself recover and restore health?" Chanting follows -- and three "thank yous." Benefits: Sha says sickness indicates a dark spot on a person's soul. "If you heal the soul first, the mind and body can follow."

Peter Bower, a former YMCA executive, experienced the power of energy healing after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had become lethargic, eating or sleeping most of the day, he said, too weak to move from bedroom to living room.

"It took me a while to realize that I had some choices, that there were some alternatives."

After four appointments with Sha and attending his workshops, Bower said he has been able to engage in normal activity six to seven hours a day.

"I've learned a lot. We tend to make things so complex. They (healing techniques) are so simple and they keep health costs down. It makes a lot of sense."

In an appearance at the UH medical school, Sha spoke before more than 80 professionals, including school faculty, anesthesiologists, surgeons, medical doctors, naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists and massage therapists.

"Dr. Sha's work has elevated medicine to include the spiritual aspect of human experience," Christenson said. "Medicine has always been afraid to venture into this area. People have always associated spiritual work as religion.

"We are not talking about worship; we are talking about life force. There are various names to express the concept of the energy that flows and gives life, such as qi, prana, pneuma, the essence, spirit and soul. It does not matter what you call it, the idea is that you are going beyond just working the body, beyond the concept of just thinking, beyond the emotion and moving to something that actually gives life."

Christenson noted her favorite quote from an ancient Chinese medicine text: "If the body is sick, the mind worries and the spirit grieves. If the mind is sick, the body and spirit will suffer from its confusion. If the spirit is sick, there will be no one to care for the body and mind."

AT THE AGE of 6, Sha saw a tai chi grandmaster in the park, where he grew up in Xian, China, and begged the master to teach him. "At first he said I was too young," said Sha. Still, his training began, on weekends.

By age 10 his interests had deepened, and he learned qigong. In 2002 he was named "Master of the Year" at the Fifth World Congress on Qigong. Over the years, he has also mastered the art of Shaolin kung fu, I Ching and feng shui, in addition to becoming a medical doctor and a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, an herbalist and an acupuncturist.

In his late 20s, Sha became personal physician for many of China's top government officials and also treated officials in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan, after studying under master Zhi Chen Guo. He learned the medical science of Zhi Neng, which combines principles of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine with energy and spiritual healing.

Sha explained that all sickness occurs on a cellular level -- due to energy and spiritual blockages. "When a cell contracts, the cell makes chi (vital energy)," he said. Too much chi can cause depression, inflammation, tumors or pain. Insufficient energy also causes disease.

Donna Schmidt met Sha at a "Soul Study" class on Maui in 2001.

"My German and Korean ancestry led me to live my life out of a strong sense of duty and a relatively fierce work ethic. My drive and ambition had served me well yet left me depleted, angry and depressed," she said.

With two small children and a new business, Schmidt was worn out. "I faced each day with a sense of dread, sheer exhaustion and chronic depression. All of my best efforts to create a good life had painted me into a corner where I felt there was no way out."

The techniques she learned from Sha provided instant relief, she said. "While I am still the same person, the work has taken me through a process of purification of the soul, mind and body." Schmidt continues to study under Sha as an assistant teacher-in-training.

When Norma Galapon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, she chose to have a lumpectomy instead of the suggested mastectomy. "I prayed a lot, went to faith healers and took lots of vitamins," she said. "When I had the healing with Dr. Sha, I felt something was taken out. My breast feels soft now, where it was hard, and I feel no pain."

Sha said believing that his techniques work is a plus but not absolutely necessary. "If you want to know is an apple is sweet, you just need to try it."

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