The Fountain of Youth Within

In Japan, Dr. Nobuo Shioya has as much star appeal as a Robbie Williams or a David Beckham in Europe. But he did not get such clout through a hit record or prowess on the football field - though for his age, he is a stupendous golf player. The physician managed to win the Japanese Golf Championship - 92 years after his birth in 1902! Two months after is 100th birthday, won his 9th Seniors Golf Tournament title. At the age of 82, the newspapers started calling him "Dr. Uncanny," because he could still drive a golf ball 200 yards (a good 180 meters). Fifteen years later, he humbly confessed, "Since then, I've been able to hit it even farther." On television, Nobuo Shioya was able to win his third "Age Shoot" at the age of 94 - i.e., hit all 18 holes of a golf course within 94 strokes (corresponding to his age in years).

Nobuo Shioya gained renown among spiritualists throughout the world from the books of Masaru Emoto, the scientist who photographed water crystals to demonstrate how feelings and thoughts modify the basic structure of water (see Facts are Facts print edition no.1, page 46). In fact it was Shioya who in 1999 led the ceremony at Biwa Lake, Japan, before a gathering of several hundred participants, where they prayed for world peace and purification of the lake waters - successfully, as substantiated by the images of the water crystals.

The Power of Visualization

Future generations will not be remembering Nobuo Shioya because he was an excellent golf player, but instead because he taught people how to heal themselves, both physically as well as spiritually.

"The power of natural healing, which is instilled in every human being from the time of birth, is much stronger than people realize," said the Japanese physician in his book, Dr. Shioya's Fountain of Youth (available only in the Japanese original and German translation). "It has the power to vanquish any disease that exists. Still, in order to access this natural healing power, and to illicit an adequate result, you have to believe in it deep in your heart of hearts. Through the power of visualization, a person has the power to create a "miracle" from within.

"The placebo effect is likewise stimulated by thoughts and visualization, and its degree of efficacy also depends on the strength of guided imagery. Some people succeed and some do not, although they try equally as hard. However much you believe, or not believe, is the difference between success and failure. People who are very lucky, and whose wishes are fulfilled often have a guided imagination twice as powerful as others.

"Through guided imagery and visualization, one can access the inexhaustible powers of the universe. The Chinese call it chi; in India, it is referred to as prana. This power can be integrated into your consciousness. Allow me to illustrate this with a metaphor: To light a sheet of paper on fire with the use of sunlight, it is not enough to let the sun shine on it - you need a convex lens as well. This concentrates the light, and if you aim the focus - the burning point - directly on the paper, it starts to burn.

"Instead of the lens, we use guided imagery and visualization, or rather, the creative power of thoughts, and proper breathing methods. Sunlight is available in abundance, but because it is dispersed, the paper does not burn. The inexhaustible power of the universe is likewise everywhere, but as long as it is not concentrated through the lens of notional and figurative thinking on one point in the body, beaming on a specific goal, then the power is not being targeted to actualize thought. An important aspect of unlocking this infinite power is correctly placing the focus, namely, at the center of the body.

"And what happens if we take that same piece of white paper and cover it in black ink? The paper starts to burn much quicker than if it had been left white. This is because the color black absorbs light much better than white. The act of 'covering with black ink' is analogous to prayer. Perhaps now you can understand why it is so important not just to ask for your wish, but to heighten the power of that request by affirming its certain fulfillment.

"If you are recovering from a serious illness, you should not say, 'Please, heal me,' or 'I wish I were healed.' If you want success at business, it won't happen by saying 'Let there be success,' or, 'Please, make me a success.' The key lies in the affirmation: 'I am healed,' or 'I am a success.'"

Nobuo Shioya knows what he is talking about. In his book, he describes how the sole power of thought made it possible for him to walk without a cane. For him, the pains in the hip and leg joints that typically accompany the aging process disappeared into thin air. He likewise dispelled the clouds of an increasingly forgetful mind:

I Don't Want Alzheimer's!

"One day I decided I would cure myself of this absent mindedness. I kept repeating over and over, 'My brain cells are rejuvenating,' and I sent the thought to my brain cells, saturating them. Through thought and feeling, I visualized the shape of the cells in detail, and clearly imagined their living function. The results set in a short time later.

"I am no longer at a loss for words, but instead can directly access the words that I need. It's no longer exhausting to converse with other people, and I can also hold my lectures without assistance.

"70% of human brain cells are unused, and there is a theory which states they have no purpose whatsoever. That is not true. The human body is analogous to the universe, and there is not one thing that is useless. So it cannot be that 70% of the brain's cells are ineffective. It is much more likely that each individual brain cell indeed functions, using only 30 % of its power. The remaining 70% are inactive.

"What would happen if you now imagined: 'My brain cells are rejuvenating, they are unfolding all of their capabilities to the fullest,' and, using the proper breathing technique, inhale fresh oxygen and energy into the body? The inactive 70% would similarly become active. Our bodies possess a vast number of capabilities that are in a state of suspended animation. If people could tap the source of these powers and use them in their daily lives, then human potentiality would extend beyond the infinite."

Experience the Power of Self Healing

Nobuo Shioya's insights were borne of his own suffering. He was very frail as a child. In fact, his parents didn't believe he would survive. His childhood was marked by severe illness, yet while he was a schoolboy, Shioya began trying out various breathing techniques that would improve his condition. Because he experienced the suffering of his own afflictions, he felt compelled to help others who were suffering in pain, and therefore became a physician. He studied western medicine and integrated it with his knowledge of eastern healing arts. His own case history made obvious to his own eyes how important correct breathing is for health. While still a young physician, it so happened that he came down with tuberculosis. He cast all of the medical advice he was given to the wind, and began intensive abdominal breathing, which, instead of being gentle on his body, placed extreme demands on his lungs.

"I did something else 'abnormal,'" remembered Nobuo Shioya. "I used my guided imagination and clung to the idea that a lung disease was not going to get the best of me. I continuously imagined that the lungs were healed, and I had this completely unfounded but immensely powerful self-confidence within the depths of my heart that my mission in life was to work as a physician. And heaven would certainly not stop someone who pursues his mission with all his might! About a year later, the fevers stopped, and at some point, the tuberculosis symptoms disappeared completely."

Thanks to his positive outlook on life, even though times were extremely difficult economically, Dr. Shioya successfully built up a flourishing practice, not the least because of his progress in the field of remote healing drew more and more patients from all over Japan. The doctor discovered that the complaints from his patients disappeared much faster if he imagined his patients as completely healthy.

What to Nobuo Shioya had long been a reality, thanks to his personal experiences, was proven as fact by Japanese scientists in one study under stark experimental conditions: a Chi-Gong master concentrated in Peking on a water glass that was standing in laboratory in Tokyo, and by using the power of thinking, directed his chi energy into the water. Upon examination, the scientists determined beyond a doubt that the electric conductivity of the water had changed.

If water can be modified across great distances merely through the power of thought, then remote healing can no longer be dismissed as an inexplicable "miracle."

Still, to some doctors it would border on miraculous if cataracts or prostate disorders were to disappear on their own, without surgical intervention. But this is exactly what happened to Dr. Nobuo Shioya's own body.

Cataracts and Prostate Trouble

"Around the age of 85 I noticed how my sight was deteriorating. By the time I was examined by a doctor, the lenses of my eyes were actually clouded over. I was advised to have surgery on the 'cataracts' diagnosed. 'Are there no other methods of healing besides an operation?' I asked. No, there are none. - So I stopped seeing this doctor.

"Instead, I did my daily breathing exercises and developed the conscious image wherein my cataracts would heal, that they were already completely healed! That is what I envisioned over and over.

"In the meantime I noticed my sight gradually returning. And when I allowed myself to be examined by another doctor this time, he said that minor symptoms of cataracts were visible, but these were only in the initial stages. But they weren't really in the initial stages - they were well on their way to being healed! Of course I did not allow myself to be operated on, and now the cataracts have completely disappeared.

"Shortly after that, I began to be plagued by prostate enlargement. I could only urinate with difficulty, and constantly felt like I had a full bladder. So I proceeded the same way as with the cataract, and envisioned the prostate as completely healed. But this did not lead to any good results, and the symptoms started getting worse. When I turned 90, I could hardly urinate any more.

"After going around in circles trying to understand why my methods had not worked, I finally recognized the reason: The strength of the guided imagery, and the means by which I called forth this vision, were not adequate! It became clear to me that the power of the guided imagery able to heal cataracts was insufficient to heal prostatitis.

"So I intensified the guided imagery even more. I convinced myself that I was healed, and concentrated on a vision of the urine being expelled in full strength and with a full stream. And what happened then? The next morning there was a dribble as thin as a cotton fiber, which became increasingly thicker - and after a week, I was completely healed."

100 Years in the Best of Health

"Everyone wants to live a long life, but no one wants to get old. This sentiment hits the nail on the head. Because it is possible for everyone, same as me, to live a long life, and to maintain physical fitness. On the basis of my medical knowledge, I am convinced that the human being has a physiological life span of up to one hundred years. And there is no reason why one cannot enjoy each and every one of these years in complete health," writes Nobuo Shioya, who asserts from his own experience that he has become ever younger and healthier since the age of 60. "Body and mind can be rejuvenated by the power of thought. This is what I have written; however, it is naturally impossible for the condition and cells to become younger in actuality. We don't make ourselves younger through the power of imagination, but rather return ourselves to a target state of health.

"If, additionally, we draw sufficient oxygen into our bodies through proper breathing, our resistance to disease increases, and the life expectancy of the individual cells is extended. I believe that a person can protect themselves from 90% of the symptoms of senility by the creative power of thinking, and proper breathing.

"This is precisely how one also prevents cancer: cancer is a symptom generated by diseased changes to cells. Diseased cells multiply uncontrolled, and inhibit the functions of healthy cells. I believe that the causes lie in a chronic deficiency of oxygen.

"Or to put it better: I not only believe it, but in fact I know it, because all around me I have seen people sick from cancer, and through my methods, they have stopped the further spread of cancer cells, or even lowered their numbers. That is a prime example of the fact that a sufficient supply of cosmic life force called chi, and oxygen is not only a defense against cancer, but can also be a true means of healing.

"Of course, even the psyche can have a strong influence on the occurrence of cancer. It has been proven that a positive, optimistic attitude, laughter, and humor strengthen the immune system."

Many readers of Dr. Shioya's book, which has been on the Japanese market for more than a decade, have confirmed that his methods had a successful effect even on osteoporosis, stroke and heart disease. At the age of 103, he is himself in excellent physical and mental health, still has all his own teeth, and the blood pressure of a young man in his prime. If all old people were as healthy, we would not be dealing with today's wildly out-of-control healthcare costs.

In addition to a basic positive disposition, it only costs a few minutes each day to maintain your own health through proper breathing. Through this, one takes in five times the amount of oxygen than with superficial breathing. The effects are irrefutable:

At the age of 74, Nobuo Shioya took part in a trekking tour on Mount Everest. At first, given his age, no one wanted to take him along at all, because it was feared he would get altitude sickness and perhaps even die from it. Most of his fellow travelers were between twenty and thirty years old - only one was 52. Still, Shioya was the only who did not come down with altitude sickness: indeed, the "old geezer" wound up tending to and taking care of the youngsters!