In China, self-proclaimed 'slap therapist' Hongchi Xiao has been arrested on murder charges after two people died during his controversial therapy sessions. Xiao, who claims to have developed a self-healing method, is now under investigation following these tragic incidents.
Claiming to have learned the long-forgotten self-healing method 'paida lajin' from 'kung fu masters' and 'hermits,' Hongchi Xiao has become known worldwide for his peculiar therapy method. His followers describe him as a 'revolutionary.'
He claims to have learned techniques from kung fu masters, hermits, farmers, and fishermen in the remote mountains of China. Believing that 'Western' medicine has side effects and that people can actually heal themselves, he states, 'We are our own best doctors,' and considers this ability a valuable gift. In the practice of paida lajin, individuals slap certain parts of the body to activate 'energy channels' and stretch limbs and joints to promote energy flow.
Danielle Carr-Gomm, a 71-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes, stopped taking her medication and turned to this practice. It was revealed that the woman groaned in pain before taking her last breath.
Xiao had previously caused the death of a six-year-old child with Type 1 diabetes, convincing the family not to administer insulin injections to the child. Convicted and imprisoned in Australia for manslaughter, Xiao interpreted the child's severe illness as 'part of the body's self-healing process.'