“I quit my job as the director of a large hospital because
“Because I refused the path of becoming a doctor to make money.”

There is a doctor here.
He was born to an illiterate mother and a visually impaired father.
After experiencing his father's death in his second year of high school, he decided to become a doctor and graduated from the prestigious Kyoto University School of Medicine.
He rose to high positions as director and chairman of a large hospital, but resigned when he turned 60 and started a new life as a general doctor at a nursing home.

Why did he reject money and fame? Why, after witnessing the deaths of elderly people with tubes stuck in their noses and holes drilled in their bellies, did he cry out, "This is not right!"? Why did this book, which gained the reputation of "a book that deals with the true meaning of death and how to live today," become a sensational bestseller in Japan, selling over 500,000 copies?

According to research, all older adults want to end their lives naturally at home or in a nursing home (80%), but most end their lives in hospitals (80%), equipped with all kinds of medical equipment.
Then, they undergo the predictable process of being moved to a funeral parlor, an annex of the hospital, showing a poignant reflection on the fact that we are all trapped in the commercial capitalist system called the hospital.


But here are some completely different people.
The elderly people in the 'Self-Death Thinking Group' hosted by the author have all refused to die in a hospital and are dying peaceful natural deaths after undergoing practical training such as entering a coffin.
It explains true death with abundant examples such as bird burial, where Tibetans give their bodies to birds, and Scott Nearing's natural death at age 100.
So, where will you choose?

Professor Yoichi Ogushi of Tokai University conducted a study on 40,000 men and women and announced the results.
The world was shocked when it was announced that people taking high blood pressure medication had twice the incidence of cerebral infarction compared to those who did not take the medication.
This is because if you use medication to lower your blood pressure too much, blood will not be supplied to the brain properly.
This is why older people should not take blood pressure medication.

--- p.50

This is the tragedy of modern medicine, repeated millions of times over.
They are sent to their deaths with chemicals injected into their veins, tubes inserted down their throats, and surgically stitched scars in their flesh.
It rarely occurs to you that it shortens your life and worsens your quality of life.
It means becoming a 'lab rat' who obeys the orders of the hospital system and doctors.
--- p.71

As death approaches, breathing also worsens.
Breathing is the process of taking in oxygen from the air and releasing carbon dioxide produced inside the body.
If this process is not smooth, a state of oxygen deficiency occurs, meaning that carbon dioxide is not excreted and builds up in the body.
In a state of oxygen deficiency, a hormone called morphine is secreted in the brain.
Carbon dioxide also has an anesthetic effect, which also helps to prevent the pain of death.
--- p.94

After 14 days, my grandmother quietly passed away.
After the funeral, the family said this to me.
“It’s so peaceful for a human being to die.
“I am no longer afraid of dying.”
--- p.113

“Three of my close relatives passed away from cancer.
However, all three of them died before anything could be done because their cancer was discovered too late.
Thinking back now, I can't tell you how lucky I am.
Because I was able to die quietly, away from the 'hands that promote misery' of doctors and hospitals.
Honestly, I'm not afraid of cancer.
“Because I saw him leave peacefully at home, not in a hospital, and without any of the usual chemotherapy.”
--- p.166

However, as the number of cases of 'untimely cancer' in the elderly increased from five to ten, something came to light.
The fact is that if there is no pain when cancer is first discovered, there will be no pain even if it is left untreated.
If there was pain, the cancer would have been detected sooner.
However, in the case of cancer, cases of people visiting the hospital due to pain were surprisingly rare.
--- p.204

Looking back, I confess that when I was working in a general hospital, I told an elderly patient, “If you don’t get surgery, you’ll die.”
Sometimes, there are people who say, “I don’t mind dying, so I won’t have surgery.”
Then I tried to persuade him in a threatening tone, saying, “What are you saying? If you don’t get the surgery, you’ll be in big trouble.”
It's a scene that makes my face burn when I think about it now.

--- p.218

Unless they have dementia, most older adults can suddenly become aggressive, loud, and violent when their environment changes and they are hospitalized.
So, in hospitals where treatment is the priority, they have no choice but to respond by administering sedatives or tying up the limbs to ensure the patient's stability.
It is a bit tragic that the hospital that has always treated patients with respect is keeping that patient tied up.

--- p.295

I have witnessed many deaths up until I am now over 70 years old.
Those who treated the world as an enemy to be fought and defeated and lived greedily, most of them died in misery, wearing all kinds of equipment.
Those who realized that it was time to leave and let go of their greed, most of them said goodbye to the world on a white bed as if taking a nap, with their family seeing them off.
So, where would you choose?

--- p.298