Dr. Jingduan Yang mostly sees patients who have failed to respond to conventional modern medical treatments and who seek him out because other treatments didn’t work. Modern medicine focuses primarily on the structure and the chemistry of the human body, but “without appreciation of human energetics,” Yang said.

Yang is an acupuncturist and a psychiatrist with a focus on mental health, well-versed in both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. He is the founder of the American Institute for Clinical Acupuncture, the Yang Institute of Integrative Medicine, and the Tao Clinic of Acupuncture. He is also a founding board member of the nonprofit International Network of Integrative Mental Health, which is dedicated to improving public access to integrative medicine treatments.

Based in Philadelphia, Yang first discovered Shen Yun Performing Arts over a decade ago. The New York-based classical Chinese dance company shows a China before communism through music and dance, and Yang has been recommending this performance to patients for the last 14 years. Often, they end up becoming repeat audience members.

“Sound, light, color, movement in our environment has strong impact on the balance of our human energetic system that keeps us functioning, mentally and physically,” he said.

On the surface, what the audience experiences is the best of traditional Chinese culture through performing arts, the doctor said, but what they experience holistically is much more.

“What they did not see, but experienced, was the energetic shower that facilitates the movements and balancing of the quality of our bodies’ energy,” he said. “Nothing I do can match up with what Shen Yun does for my patients.”

“Therefore, I hold that physical health comes from behavioral health, behavioral wellbeing comes from positive emotional balance, and one’s belief system helps interpret the significance and meaning of our life experience, and our thoughts,” Yang said.

“What makes Falun Dafa a unique spiritual practice is that it focuses on the teaching, not the teacher, on the universal value, not the territorial limitation. I do not have to choose between being a Buddhist or a Christian, being a Taoist or a Muslim,” he said.

Falun Dafa teaches three universal principles: truthfulness, compassion, forbearance. “Anyone who practices these values will find themselves much more positive, happier, and relaxed. These minimize their reactions to daily stressors, consequently eliminating one of the most fundamental causes of illness: stress!” he said.

“That is the reason I literally ‘prescribe’ Shen Yun to everyone who cares about their health,” he said.

The direct and physical effects of the virus on those with pre-existing health conditions and those who are healthy have proven to be very different, Yang said.

“To battle the immediate damage to the vulnerable population, vaccination seems to show short term benefits,” he said. Unfortunately, he said, public mandates and top-down efforts have focused only on the short term battle, involving vaccines and lockdowns and expensive drug development.

“However, the key is still the health of the hosts.”

“I always believe, as a physician well-versed in both Chinese and Western medicine, we human beings should never be afraid of any virus or bacteria.” With a healthy body and mind, Yang said, there is no reason for fear.

“Attending Shen Yun adds to our well being and ability to fight the virus,” he said.