Grandmaster Hong, the Natural Healing Research Foundation (NHRF), and Qi Centers welcomed more than 1,600 people to the 2010 Summer Respiratory Event, now recognized as one of Hawaii’s largest educational humanitarian events. With over 20 million Americans suffering from respiratory illness, and Native Hawaiians having the highest prevalence rate, this event offers a complementary approach for improving and preventing respiratory problems. The primary goal is to educate people on how to implement practical, yet powerful natural healing methods in order to strengthen the bodies’ natural defenses, avoid long-term drug use, and prevent further health problems.

Attendees participate in medical qi gong exercises introduced to open the lung meridian

Natural Healing takes into account the whole body when examining disease, not just external factors alone. The tools given at the Respiratory Events are to improve the immune system and balance and strengthen internal organ energies (specifically the lung, spleen, and kidneys). The lifestyle recommendations introduced at these events help reduce respiratory health problems, bring about health and revitalize the body. In conjunction with natural healing methods, Master Hong and the NHRF continue to stress the importance of consulting a doctor when afflicted with respiratory health concerns. This program is complementary to conventional approaches, and when used in tandem offers the best guarantee of health and prevention.

Most importantly, these events afford many individuals the opportunity to gain autonomy over their personal health. Each element of this approach to respiratory health introduced by Master Hong and the NHRF can be done anytime.

• Abdominal Breathing: To strengthen the lungs and large intestine, increase oxygen throughout the body, strengthen the diaphragm (which often weakens as a result of allergies and asthma), excrete toxins, improve immune function, and trigger a relaxation response in the body.
• Herbal Patching: Herbal patches are placed on specific acupoint areas of the body during these three yang days of the year.
• Medical Qi Gong Exercises: Directed movement, intention, and breathing to help open meridians (particularly the lung meridian) and balance internal organ energies.
• Herbal Supplements: With the addition of herbs to support the immune system, lung and kidney energies may be restored for the elimination and prevention of health conditions.
• Reflexology and Self-Massage: There are many reflex points on the body, that when massaged, can help move out blockages along meridians. When doing so, internal organ energies are balanced, reducing the severity of diseases and increasing immune system function. These methods introduced at the Respiratory Event are effective, easy to learn, and can be done at anytime.
• Healing Foods: Simple, easy, and practical recipes including local foods and other traditional healing foods appealed to all. On each of these three event days, it is recommended that those who attend and get patched, also avoid cold foods and consume yang foods to further strengthen the immune and respiratory systems. This year specific healing foods for boosting the immune system and nurturing the internal organs were featured, some included were: walnuts, daikon, almonds, kiwi, black mushroom, pears, mountain yam, sunflower seeds, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and honey.

Each of the Summer Respiratory events are held on the most yang days of the year. The days for these events are based on the natural energetic rhythms of the body, its internal organs, the environment, and the universe. Coordinating biological rhythms with medical treatment to optimize the effect on the immune and respiratory systems while minimizing undesired effects allows the body to optimally receive the benefits of herbal patching. Western medicine calls the study of these natural rhythms combined with treatment, chronotherapy*, however Traditional Chinese medicine has been exploring these rhythms for thousands of years.

Those who have participated in this event and integrated these practices into their life for three consecutive years show an 80% overall improvement of respiratory problems. The NHRF continues research in order to examine the extended improvements of those who regularly participate. When combined with conventional medicine gives more opportunities for improvement and prevention.