Health and Medical Seminar at Fo Guang Shan – Treatment and Prescriptions for Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas Problems

A health and medical seminar regarding the treatment and prescriptions for liver gallbladder and pancreas problems was held in Fo Guang Shan’s Prajna Hall on 5th February at 7:00pm. This event was organised by North Island BLIA.

Surgical Professor Ji Cheng from Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University’s medical school, Surgical Professor Doctor Zhang Yu Juo from the National Taiwan University and wife, and Pharmaceutical Doctor Cai Jen Wei from Taiwan’s Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science were especially invited to host this seminar. Venerable Abbess Manshin, Taipei Economic & Cultural Office secretary Mr Zhou Zhi Jian and wife, and an audience of 60 attended this presentation.

This seminar entered on the silent lethality of liver, gallbladder and pancreas problem, which are ailments a lot of Chinese people suffer from. Doctor Zhang explained the common areas of symptom occurrences, how to detect one’s ailment, and probability of occurrence of cancer and treatment methods etc. Thus helping everyone to develop better understanding toward liver, gallbladder and pancreas problems. Doctor Zhang continued to dispel many misconceptions toward the subject:

1. Type B & C Hepatitis carriers come from their mothers being infected during pregnancy. So it cannot be easily spread to others.
2. Hepatitis C can be caught from blood transfusion.
3. Testing of liver’s functionality cannot detect cancerous conditions.
4. Normal results from foetus’s blood protein test does not indicate there is no liver cancer. But readings of abnormality also does not indicate there is liver cancer.
5. Liver will not regrow after being surgically removed.

Doctor Zhang also talked various treatments for liver cancer:

1. Surgical removal
2. Injection of alcohol
3. Radiotherapy, which can be applied as external beams or internal Brachytherapy methods.
4. Liver transplant
5. Freezing
6. Liver artery embolization

Doctor Cai cautioned everyone on the sheer number of drugs out there, for just pain killers drugs there are anaesthetic pain killers, steroid anti-inflammatory pain killer, and Central analgesic pain killer. So we definitely should not carelessly take medicines. Because food, medicine and our stomach will mutually affect each other, hence before taking anything we should think about the medicine's:

1. Name
2. Effects
3. Methods of application
4. Usage period
5. Usage instructions
Then we will not end up using the wrong medicine.

Doctor Cai also gave suggestions on liver health that are precise and to the point, with one main pointing being: “Do not supplement your liver, more supplement more worse the liver.” He also encouraged everyone to read Merit Time’s article “Should we use medicines to supplement our liver?”, which contains a lot knowledge on maintaining liver health.

Afterwards all the audience raised many good questions, to which Doctor Cai left 4 pieces of good advice for everyone: “Believe it”, “Find a knowledgeable, ethical medical practitioner and believe his words”, “Make our own body and mind comfortable”, and “All conditioned phenomena are impermanent, all dharma are without a self.” Thus completing the 2 hour seminar.

The Abbess thanked Doctor Zhang and his wife’s masterfully delivered seminar, she praised the Doctor’s courageous spirit of discovery, and his wisdom will surely yield more achievement in the medical field. Doctor Cai’s enthusiasm in life allowed him to bring spiritual healing and faith into one, thus leading a life that’s full of quality and miracles.