27-Year-Old Chinese Man Dies From a 54-Day Water Fast as Prescribed by Qigong Master

A 27-year old Chinese man died at a rehabilitation health center after not eating for 54 days. The 'health treatment' of consuming only water for supposedly 70 days was prescribed by his Qigong master, Liu Shanglin.

Qigong is an ancient Chinese health method, more than 5,000 years old, combining rhythmic breathing and mental concentration with slow, graceful movements. As a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is often called Chinese yoga.

Dr. Roger Jahnke, author of 'The Healing Promise of Qi,' said, 'Qigong is not exercise - it is a dynamic meditation. Doing repetitions is not the focus, it is the conscious application of three intentful corrections - lengthen the spine, deepen the breath, clear the mind, or visualize healing.'

The young Chinese man, known by his surname Li, left his home and moved to a private facility to follow the teachings of Liu Shanglin in 2017, shared his family. Li was told to go on a 70-day water fast for his health to improve as he struggled with mental problems.

Water Fast

Water fasting has proved to have clinical effectiveness in rebooting the body. According to Dr. Alan Goldhamer, who supervises therapeutic fasting for his patients, led a study showing the benefits of water-only fasting.

He founded the TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California, where their typical fasting regimen included diet, sleep, exercise, and fasting. His water fast study focused on patients with hypertension or high blood pressure.

174 participants had two to three days to pre-fast on fruits and vegetables before transitioning to a water-only fast for about 10 to 11 days. Then, they had a refeeding period of about one week to a low-fat, low-sodium, vegan diet.

Dr. Goldhamer said that water fasts may last from any time between five and 40 days. 'The idea is to fast as briefly as possible, but as long as necessary, to accomplish your desired goals.'

One of his most recent studies this year shows how medically supervised water fasting can potentially stop tumor growth. The study focused on a woman with obesity, hypertension, and inflammation in her kidney and ureter. After a 13-day water fast 11 days of a plant-based diet after, the golf-ball tumor in her stomach shrunk by almost 50%.

Weight-Loss Treatment

One of the staff at the Chinese rehab center, who remains anonymous, shared that Li didn't have any problems. He just talks to himself a little bit sometimes. He was quite heavy. He was about 180 kilos (397 pounds). The teacher then asked him not to eat and said it was good for his health.'

Mr. Liu told reporters that the water fast treatment usually lasts five to seven days and it was Mr. Li's decision to extend his own diet. After almost two months, Li died of starvation.

Liu Shanglin was detained by local police in the Heilongjiang province, who owns the Riyuexia Elderly Forest Rehabilitation Center. A family member shared that Mr. Li paid over $700 for the recent treatment for wanting to lose some weight. The investigation is still ongoing, according to local authorities.