26. Retired Government Official Overcomes Muscular Atrophy

　　I am a seventy-year-old man, a retired government official. I started practicing Falun Dafa in December 1995.I would like to share with you the boundless power of Falun Dafa, as it has manifested in my recovery, so you might know the truth.

　　Before I took up the practice of Falun Dafa, I had extreme muscle atrophy on the right side of my body. I was unable to independently take care of myself on a daily basis. Furthermore, I suffered from coronary heart disease, essential hypertension, neurosis, arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol, pharyngitis, protrusion of the lumbar inter-vertebral disc and other diseases. My wife jokingly commented,” Except for the female diseases, you have them all!”

　　I lived on medicine. My medical expenses were the highest in my company, and treating my illnesses cost the government a lot of money. I have had the muscle wasting disease since I was young. It became progressively worse over the decades.　From my right arm to my right leg, my muscles gradually shrank. The muscles in my right arm shrank to the point where my scapula and my shoulder were dislocated, and my shoulder joint was only connected by skin. Even some nurses didn't dare to look at it. My arm was weak and skinny.I couldn't even pick up a chopstick or a match from the table.　My arm would be stiff if the temperature was 13 or 14 degrees Celsius (between 55 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit).　The color of my right hand and right foot was pale and my right ankle wouldn't bend. My right foot was about two sizes smaller than my left, and my lower right leg was thinner than the left one by ten centimeters.　Even the right side of my face and neck had shrunk. My head and body leaned toward the right side.　When I walked my foot would kick out to the right.　Currently, the disease that caused my condition is considered by medical science to be incurable. According to the disease pathology, if the muscle shrinkage spreads to the organs, the afflicted person will die.

　　The disease caused tremendous difficulties in my life.　Sometimes after showering, I would see how my body was becoming deformed in the mirror, and I would feel hopeless.　As time went by my health steadily worsened; more and more I suffered from depression.

　　Just when my situation seemed to be the most hopeless, fortune smiled on me, and I began practicing Falun Dafa, which saved my life.　Having acquired a copy of the main book of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, I read it repeatedly with fond admiration. I felt that I had really attained a treasure, and I also persisted in practicing the exercises.　In the beginning, my movements were not accurate due to my condition, but instead of being upset, I worked hard to do the exercises according to Teacher's instructions. I concentrated on cultivating my heart and mind, and strictly required myself to think and act within the cosmic characteristics of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance”. I firmly believed in Teacher's Dafa, which eliminated the uncertainties that I had held for so many years. During the course of cultivation, I gradually understood why I had been suffering through diseases and tribulations, and I knew that if I wanted to avoid them and attain happiness, I must practice cultivation and return to my true self.

　　After　practicing　cultivation　for a　couple　of　weeks, miracles began to happen.　Near the end of December 1995, I found that my right foot was bigger, my ankle was stronger and the skin color was no longer pale, but fresh and rosy. My shrunken body began to improve from the lower parts upward. Muscle tissue was actually regenerating on my right side from my lower leg to my back and chest. After about a month, the muscles of my knee, hips, chest and ribs were completely recovered. My right hand regained normal coloration, the muscles grew strong and my hand was no longer cold all the time. My shoulder muscles also became big and strong. By the end of March 1996, my dislocated shoulder and scapula were almost fully　recovered. My deltoid muscle and other muscles recovered and my right arm began to function normally. The muscles in my face and neck also recovered. My head no longer leaned to the right and I was able to stand up straight. Due to the power of Falun Dafa, my body improved every day and the functional capabilities of my right hand and foot steadily improved. I was moved to tears every time I saw new improvement in my body or touched my growing muscles.

　　Before I had started practicing Falun Dafa I weighed 63.5 kilograms (140 pounds).　In only 94 days my body gained 6.5 kilograms　(14.3　pounds) of flesh, and by March 18, 1996, I weighed 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds). Before I began to practice Falun Dafa, I went to the Shenyang Medical University Hospital in Jilin Province, the Beijing Medical University Hospital, the Beijing Friendship Hospital and the Shenyang Military Hospital to seek a cure, but no known treatment could cure my illness. I had also tried other qigong practices, but they didn't work either. For decades, I didn't even dare to dream that I might recover from my illness.　However, after practicing Falun Gong for only a hundred days, my body had changed miraculously, which proves how great Dafa is and how great the Teacher is. These are the facts.

　　Everyone knows that when people get older, their physical state deteriorates, and they are not as strong as younger people. They easily become ill and always feel cold, but my physical condition is not like that anymore. My weight has increased, and my coronary heart disease, essential hypertension and other illnesses have all gone away.　Since practicing Falun Gong, I don't need to take pills or go to hospitals, and my face is shiny, my complexion is rosy, my eyes are bright, my mind is clear and I am energized;　These are results which can't be achieved by regular exercises.

　　I know for certain that the improvement in my health is due entirely to my cultivating Falun Dafa.