And then just over two years ago – I was 60, and it was while I was in the gym, I felt this massive heart palpitation. So I went to the doctor and had all these tests done and he told me I’ve got Atrial Fibrillation (this means the right atrial of the heart just flops about and doesn’t pump blood. There is a risk of blood clotting in the chamber and increased risk of stroke. The worst thing is the condition makes you very tired (lack of oxygen pumped round), but the drugs you have to take ALSO make you tired! So it’s a double whammy – yay!

Actually, I’d had palpitations before that when I was watching an exciting film on the television. I’d just thought it was the film and didn’t realise I had a problem coming on. All that back-packing with a full ruck-sack at my age, – completely over doing it, not giving in, being macho, giving 100% etc., etc. Now I know it can bring on Atrial Fibrillation. I also now know that being fit, does not mean you are also healthy. Oh, and I also now know what ‘age appropriate’ means!!!!

So, once I’d been diagnosed I started looking into what I could do to help myself. I’ve always been interested in Eastern philosophy – even built a tea-house in my garden and grew Bonsai trees. And years ago, when I was in Portsmouth, I started martial arts – karate etc. I’ve no idea where it came from, but I’ve always been interested in the philosophical and historical side of martial arts and Japanese culture etc.

I started a Tai Chi class near where I live about six or seven years ago, and although that particular class was a bit too ‘airy-fairy-let’s-feel-the-energy-and-hold-hands’ for me, it did lead me to more serious classes where I learnt to practise Tai Chi properly. Even when I practised karate as a young man I knew about Daoism, but it never figured in my thinking. However, since I have become ill I have studied the subject and am slowly assimilating the concepts into my life.

I got into Nei Gong practice (the philosophical art of change) after diagnosis as, although it is primarily about enlightenment and self-improvement it is also very much about health. Damo Mitchel is one of the key writers about Nei Gong and anyone interested can find gallons about him on the internet. I have all (5) of Damo Mitchel’s books, actually, and a small selection of books from ‘Energy Arts’ (Bruce Frantzis). I also have books on Zhan Zhuang (one by Master Lam is now out of print but I found a second-hand copy on the net). I also research websites on Tai Chi, Zhan Zhuang etc., and they often have related articles; some really good, some not so good!

As I said, I practise Nei Gong for my heart. This is not a set of things you have to do; it’s a process one goes through. In short you are seeking to return to the Dao, although in practice you don’t get there!! However, even if you just work on the first steps you gain huge health benefits, both mentally and physically. There are many ways to work on the process and I personally use predominately Tai Chi, and Zhan Zhuang as I find the two arts complement each other really well. However, I also use many other techniques – such as yoga, stretching, sung, longevity breathing and qi gong. And, I try to live a healthy lifestyle according to Daoist principles (I say ‘try’ because I find it’s nice to cheat now and then!).

Also, since diagnosis, I met this acupuncturist (Ben) at a Tai Chi work-shop. I asked Ben if he could do anything for my condition and he said he thought so. Although Ben is a Daoist and trains under Damo Mitchel, it is not so much that he is a Daoist, but rather that he uses Daoist principles in his practice. One of the great things about energy meridians (where acupuncturists stick their needles) is that they can be opened by individuals. One of the ways is through Tai Chi, another is by actually massaging the point you want opened. So, for example, to help with my heart problems I regularly massage my forearms down the ‘heart meridian’ and in particular on the acupuncture points. This allows for a more free flow of energy. (There are several sites which show the meridian points and a good book is ‘Heavenly Streams’ by Damo Mitchel (Singing Dragon).

I’ve been going back to Ben for regular treatment since then. I have acupuncture once a month and it makes me feel better. Last January it made my heart go back into rhythm – it was a tangible, noticeable thing that it clicked in. For me acupuncture does the same as Tai chi – i.e. opening the Meridians to let the energy flow, only it’s more focussed.

Obviously, everyone is different but what I am doing makes perfect sense to me and although my consultant said the condition will get worse with time and my age, for the moment what I am doing seems to be working. The doctor has now been able to cut my medication by 20% which is wonderful for me as I have a sense of empowerment and control in my life again.

Pauline, my wife who is a nurse in the NHS, has always been sceptical of my ‘self-help’. And she is completely flummoxed that my medication has been reduced, saying, that what has happened shouldn’t be happening. Like the consultant, she says my medication should be upped as I get older.

My belief is that… while I am grateful for the drugs that help me, pharmaceutical companies don’t give a toss about me or my health, they are there to make money. I feel that a lot of the NHS is set up to treat my symptoms rather than the cause of my problems. And, I believe that the body’s natural default is to heal itself. So, it seems logical to me that I should do what I can to aid that healing process rather than either ignoring it, or worse still, making it more difficult by an unhealthy lifestyle.

I always think, in general, that if the consultant/doctor says something will get worse as you get older – and that is what you believe, then that is what will happen i.e., it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. My view is that I’m not having any of this, and that as my heart is still there and there’s nothing missing – even though it’s not working properly, I can fix it. If I’d had a leg chopped off, well, that’s another matter.

I use all sorts of different practices – some of which might be really surprising to people. If I said to you let’s go for a jog or a bike ride etc, you’d know it was cardio vascular exercise. But if I said let’s just stand still (Zang Zhaung), people in the West would question its benefits. The other evening I stood at the top of a hill near where I live overlooking St Michael’s Mount and watched the sun going down. I stood in my posture for 15 minutes. Yes, there was more to it than just standing and I was doing other things – practising internal techniques, but, actually, just being present in the moment and actually watching the sun gradually sinking, doing my thing, was lovely. So, now, I try and do this every day when I can.

Talking about health I’m also concerned about the negative effects of having a mobile phone stuck to your ear all the time. Many people now talk about electro-magnetic pollution and I believe it’s a real problem. We are made of atoms (energy that fluctuates at a set frequency) – and we are surrounded by devices that produce magnetic fields which have a negative effect on us. In the Netherlands they organise field trips to the forest (away from the city – and without electrical devices), and the people report back that they feel great – and wonder why. Don’t get me going on that one …..!

I also believe in the placebo effect – (in fact, I’ve got a little heart-shaped, rose-coloured stone). I will try anything and, if something’s working, why not. The body has amazing healing properties, and, in any case, we renew ourselves all the time. I think the Chinese, especially, know a lot about this sort of thing.

In the West we knock the idea of mind over matter, but in the East it is seen as a powerful concept. So I am doing my thing – doing all that I can to improve my condition by trying to give my body the best possible conditions to heal itself. If I had a broken bone – if left, it would heal itself. The natural tendency is for the body to try to heal itself. But if you don’t give your body the right conditions – it will just assimilate new problems and they will become your new normal.

As I mentioned earlier, Nei Gong is about the principle of change. It takes in the fact that when we are born as babies we are flexible and pliable. And in the same way a young tree can bend with the wind – while an old tree becomes brittle and snaps easily – so the practices of Nei Gong are about reversing a lot of stuff that happens to us in life. So when I’m in the gym, I don’t do weights and stuff like that anymore, but functional movements and balance which I should be able to do anyway. As I’m getting older I’m getting stiffer, practice keeps me pliable.

Damo Mitchel argues that people think as they get older their joints wear out. But he thinks this is nonsense and that our joints are there to last a lifetime. He thinks that if we looked after our joints they would last a lifetime. He says – rightly or wrongly (although it sits well with me) that, mechanically, we don’t do things properly. His argument is that – from an evolutionary perspective, our joints are not supposed to be load-bearing, they’re supposed to be there to allow us to move, so his exercises are about joining the body up and moving properly. He believes we abuse our joints and need to relearn how to move properly – as animals do.

Many people’s aches and pains are about body misalignment – and how, over the years, they start to walk in a certain way – probably to avoid pain. Then this certain way of walking becomes their new normal and very quickly they assimilate their problems which can create new ones.

It is just so important to allow the body to completely and utterly relax – which certainly during the day, and actually during the night too, rarely ever happens. I’m talking about being positively proactive in relaxing and making the muscles in the body relax – so that they feel as if they’re just falling off the bone. I use a lot of breathing and other relaxation techniques and when I first get up in the morning I also do a lot of moving about to realign my joints – the gateway of the bodies’ energy flow. I also do bending and stretching yoga exercises and when I started off it was awful as I was the proverbial ‘stiff as a board’ but, over the period of time I’ve been doing it – it really does get easier. Anybody can do Nei gong – you don’t need a uniform, you don’t need a hall, you don’t need anything – you just do it.

And as I said before, I feel excited and empowered by what I’m doing to help myself. Not just with my heart condition, but with other annoyances – like I’ve got trouble with sinuses, a stiff shoulder and so on. So, can you undo what’s been done? Well, obviously everyone’s different, of course, but for me, definitely, if you’ve still got the body part – I believe you can make things better – you just need to unblock it and work out how. I know I will die one day but while I’m alive, I don’t want to be uncomfortable.

Most people don’t want to hear about this stuff and get bored when I talk about it so, mostly I just shut up and get on with it. Yes, life can be difficult but you have to do the best you can with yours – at the very least. I know what I am doing regarding my own life works. I used to be an engineer – so, for me, things need to be tangible and have explanations so I know why they work. I look at people who I know are in pain and see the ‘funny’ way they are walking – and just think, maybe you could do something to change that …….