Professor Diagnosed With Cancer Told He Had 3 Months to Live. 12 Years Later, He’s Healthier Than Ever

(Courtesy of Han Baicheng)

In 2008, Dr. Bor-cheng Han, a professor in the Department of Public Health at Taipei Medical University, was diagnosed with liver cancer and was expected to have only three months to live. But 12 years later, he says he is healthier than his pre-cancer days.

The 64-year-old professor has been sharing his cancer-fighting methods with the public. With his spirited smile and cheerful voice, it is not at all obvious that he was once a cancer patient who had two-thirds of his liver removed. How did he achieve this?

Life After Cancer Has Taken a Turn for the Better

Dr. Han previously lived a stable life while teaching at Taipei Medical University and taking care of his daughter. However, in April 2008, a large tumor of nearly 7 1/2 inches in diameter and 4 1/2 pounds in weight discovered in his liver shattered his peaceful life.

After his diagnosis of cancer, he underwent surgery to have the tumor removed. The attending physician did not recommend chemotherapy, believing that Dr. Han’s days were numbered.

Afterwards, his cancer metastasized to his lungs. It eventually went into remission and then reoccurred.

Dr. Han underwent two operations, 25 chemotherapy sessions and 12 radiotherapy sessions in total. Finally, after the second removal of a liver tumor of 1 inch in diameter, the cancer cells in his body gradually calmed down.

From the initial shock to the arduous treatment process, those days seemed to be stretched out by the pain. Those days were marked by anxiety, fear, uncertainty about the future, and despair. Dr. Han said he still remembers the days of trepidation after surgery, the shock when he learned of the cancer metastasis, the painful side effects of chemotherapy, and the fear he felt every time he read the test results.

“It’s hard for people, who haven’t had such an illness, to understand my feelings and thoughts during this difficult period of time,” Dr. Han said, adding that the advice he received from others to be open-minded was not helpful.

This great trial and pain also forced him to face his life anew. Dr. Han realized that in order to walk a good and stable path in his fight against cancer, some of his habits, notions, and laziness that he had developed over the years had to change. Today, 12 years later, he hasn’t experienced any cancer recurrence, and he is even in better health than before he had cancer.

Getting Rid of Negative Thinking and Improving Interpersonal Relationships by Apologizing

One part of the process of changing himself was to put aside his pride and take the initiative to apologize to his daughter.

Before cancer, Dr. Han was very strict with his daughter, and his scolding had made her very stressed, so their parent-child relationship was strained.

He said that if he didn’t solve this issue, his daughter might carry the trauma for the rest of her life, and he himself would also be unhappy. “Is there any benefit to this? No,” he thought to himself. To resolve the resentment, he could only apologize, so his daughter would be relieved. He explained, “This was not only to help her, but also to help myself.”

Negative emotions can create illness, and a blissful heart is an excellent medicine, but it is difficult for people nowadays to live a happy life. “One of the major reasons for unhappiness is that people have strained relationships with one another and are naturally in a state of negative emotions,” said Dr. Han.

He has discovered that high-level intellectuals are often very self-aware and have certain preconceptions about people and things, and it is more difficult for them to change than the average person. They have to have the willingness to admit their mistakes first, before carrying out their apologies. A genuine apology and change from the heart can help improve interpersonal relationships and allow for positive mental and emotional development.

Does apologizing first mean that you are wrong? He explained, “There is nothing wrong with being wrong. Do you have to be right? The biggest problem of modern people is that they always think they are right and they can’t stop arguing with each other, which is why they have so many problems.” By walking in another man’s shoes, you will find that everyone has their own stance and difficulties. Only if you can understand this will your relationships with others improve.

As Dr. Han gradually carried out self-reflection, saw things from his daughter’s perspective, apologized to her and then gave her space, the relationship between father and daughter became increasingly harmonious, and his daughter eventually started to confide in him. Nowadays, he and his daughter take turns cooking meals, and sometimes his daughter even prepares his lunch boxes.

Soaking Feet in Lukewarm Water With Coarse Salt to Calm Your Mind

Relaxing, calming your mind, and getting a good night’s sleep are also beneficial in improving your body’s self-healing power.

With all the daily stresses of life, it is important to find ways to calm yourself so that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves can be balanced, which then helps to improve the quality of sleep.

Soaking your feet in lukewarm water with coarse salt before bed, abdominal breathing, and meditation are all ways to help you relax.

The lukewarm water with coarse salt simulates seawater. When the feet touch seawater, it calms the mind. When soaking feet in water, you should also let your mind rest and avoid talking, eating, watching TV, and using cell phones.

Dr. Han pointed out that people generally use hot water to soak their feet, but the rise in body temperature will make emotions run high. Furthermore, the habit of watching TV while soaking feet does not help calm the mind.

In addition, relaxation also has a major premise: you must be aware of your own tension and have the idea of “I want to relax.”

Only then can you find ways to relax. For example, it is important to give yourself five to ten minutes to empty your mind, which is very important according to Dr. Han.

Cooking for Yourself and Your Family With Benevolent Thoughts

Another large change in Dr. Han’s life after cancer is that he started cooking for his family. This has become one of the four most enjoyable things in life for him. When he cooks for his family with benevolent thoughts, he believes that the food he makes will be more delicious and energizing.

In the famous “Emoto water crystallization experiment,” when water receives a good message, beautiful crystals can form. Similarly, cooking in a wonderful mood is not only beneficial for your health and that of your family, but it also generates good energy for the food. When your family is satisfied with the food and you feel happy, a positive cycle can be formed. “There are many elements of happiness to be found at the table,” Dr. Han said.

If you can’t cook often, then you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself. For instance, spouses in a double-income family are likely to both leave work late, so they can communicate with each other first to arrange a flexible and comfortable cooking schedule and plan.

Cancer-Fighting Diet With Wholesome Foods

The content of a cancer-fighting diet is especially important. However, constantly calculating the number of servings of vegetables and fruits, the number of grams of nutrients or the calories to eat a day is difficult for the average person.

Dr. Han explained that if the diet becomes too complicated, then it is easy to “generate stress, instead of maintaining good health.”

He has only one major principle when it comes to his diet: first check if he is eating too much food that he should not eat, gradually reduce the amount, and then eat as much nutritious food as possible.

Foods to avoid: sugary drinks, snacks, biscuits, processed foods, refined starch, bad oils, and red meat.

Eating too much processed food not only causes cancer, but may also cause other chronic diseases. For example, the cakes and snacks that many love contain too much trans-fat, so they are the foods that we should avoid.

Foods to consume: grains, vegetables, fruits, spices, and good oils.

We should use whole grains, such as brown rice and quinoa, as staple foods. Vegetables and fruits should have as many colors as possible. To reduce sugar, fruits with low sweetness should be the choice.

And the following foods are more effective in preventing and fighting cancer:

Vegetables: Cabbages, Chinese cabbages, beetroots, spinach, kales, asparagus, white cauliflowers, broccoli, and onions have a good effect in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.

Spices: Garlic, green garlic, green onions, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, and clove powder are all rich in antioxidants, which have excellent anti-inflammatory effects.

Proteins: Plant-based proteins include long-podded cowpeas, tofu, lentils, and peas. Animal-based proteins include eggs, white meat, and organic dairy products.

Oils and fats: In addition to nuts, you can also add olive oil, mustard seed oil, flaxseed oil, and other good oils containing unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids to your food.

The homemade meals shared by Dr. Han on his Facebook page often include salad. He said that eating salads allows you to eat good oils, nuts, and a variety of vegetables at the same time. And you can sometimes add chicken breast chunks to your salad for more protein.

In addition, the portion size of each meal can be simply estimated: a quarter of vegetables, a quarter of fruits, a quarter of grains, and a quarter of proteins and oils.

“The more simple and varied the diet, the better,” he said, adding that the body naturally responds to a serious and consistent high-quality diet.

Regardless of the method of fighting cancer, Dr. Han, who has walked the path, emphasized the importance of determination, belief in oneself, implementation, and persistence.

The following are some of the foods that Dr. Han consumes every day to fight cancer:

Three to five cups of green tea or lemonade, and one cup of sprouted soybean milk. The sprouted soybeans contain more amino acids, which are easier to absorb and less likely to make you bloated than regular soybeans.

Mix one tablespoon of turmeric powder and half tablespoon of black pepper with a little bit of olive oil, and add the mixture to salads, vegetables, soups, and mixed rice meals.

Eat garlic, green garlic, green onions, onions, cabbages, cauliflowers, enoki mushrooms, and other foods rich in polysaccharides. And also eat seaweed and kelp to help with intestinal tract movement and remove wastes, including heavy metals, from the body.

Eat fresh strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, raspberries, and other berries with antioxidant content and low sweetness.

Appropriately supplementing probiotics to regulate the intestinal microbiome and to enhance intestinal immunity and health.