He said it.

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For reasons known only to him, Craig Benson has come out of the closet on a subject that was essentially taboo during his two gubernatorial campaigns--his health.

First, to refresh your memory: When he first ran for governor in 2002, he acknowledged suffering from "a minor viral heart infection." That came in the wake of rumors raising serious questions about the health problems of one of the Republican gubernatorial candidates.

It's a very, very, very, very, very mild thing that I have, Benson said at the time. Fast-forward to August, when the former guv was seen on Fox 25 News in Boston praising the benefits of Tong Ren, an alternative healing method based on ancient Chinese practices, that cured him of what is now described as a potentially fatal heart ailment. In the report, Benson is described as a man who "a decade ago was diagnosed with a debilitating and often-lethal heart condition."

According to the Tong Ren Web site, sessions involve patients gathering in a room and rhythmically banging hammers on miniature white dolls that are used to train acupuncturists. The banging is meant to unlock "blockages" and restore "the natural flow of 'Chi' energy," according to the Tong Ren Web site.

Whether the patients sit or stand around a three-legged table is not clear. But Benson is obviously pleased with the outcome.

"I used to have a rapidly beating heart that you could feel all the time," Benson said in the broadcast. Now, he added, "I feel like I don't even have a heart inside my chest. It is so calm."

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Benson: A new man