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How Sanjiu Chinese Medicine treat
cancer
Cancer is one of the major public health concerns in Canada and
it is the second leading cause of death among Canadians. It has
significant impact on patients' lives despite the fact that it is
curable at early stages. Often patients are confronted with many
challenges and the fear of dying. There is no doubt that mainstream
cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery are
regarded as the best available treatments. However, the potential
side effects of these treatments can be highly debilitating. Therapies
used by Western medicine to kill cancer cells is effective, but
they do not address the source of the problem.
Chinese medicine is particular effective in strengthening the immune
system and the preventing recurrence of the disease.
Often, patients are keen to have effective alternatives or supplementary
treatment especially during the recovery period after surgery, radiation
or chemotherapy. Many practitioners also help the patient by providing
facility and resources for them to obtain effective and reliable
alternative or supplementary treatment.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has 5000 years of history and has been
proven by time to be effective in curing many diseases. Many research
projects and studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness
of Traditional Chinese Medicine in cancer treatment. Unfortunately,
this correlation still has not been fully explored.
Joint treatment combining Western Medicine and Traditional
Chinese Medicine against cancer
Many researches worldwide believe that the best approach to fight
against cancer is obtained by means of a joint treatment combining
Western Medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine, in addition
to a suitable diet and therapeutic exercises.
To be able to adapt psychologically is also an important factor
for the patient to deal with this chronic and severe illness. The
philosophy behind Traditional Chinese medicine may help relieve
the anxiety.
Traditional Chinese Medicine's Perspective of Cancer
In Traditional Chinese medicine, there is no specific concept
for cancer but there is for tumors. Nutritive tonics and herbal
medicine were developed to alleviate pain and prolong life by strengthening
the body's defenses against tumor progression. Traditional Chinese
Medicine practitioners believe that the causes of tumor development
come in two folds. First, external factors include toxins and others
from the environment. Second, internal factors include emotional
stress, unhealthy diets, and damaged organs. Internal factors also
include stagnant blood, and a blockage or accumulation of qi (pronounced
"chee") - the vital energy said to circulate along the
meridians, or pathways, linking all parts of the body.
All illnesses, from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
is the result of energy imbalance, either in the form of an excess
or a deficiency of the body's elemental energies. Qi, the life force,
controls the bodily functions as it travels along the meridians,
completing an energy cycle every twenty-four hours. The flow of
Qi may be disrupted by a variety of causes including an imbalanced
diet, lifestyle, stress, suppressed emotions, or lack of exercise.
These factors cause imbalance in yin and yang - complementary forces
in dynamic flux - and also disturb the normal flow of Qi.
Cancer is the manifestation of an underlying imbalance, and a tumor
is the "uppermost branch" of the illness but not the "root".
Each patient may have a different imbalance causing the same type
of cancer, it may appear. When treating cancer, Traditional Chinese
Medicine practitioners attempt to identify the individual patterns
of Qi imbalance and prescribe treatments accordingly.
When treating cancer, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners
make diagnoses based on imbalances in yin and yang, qi, and blood.
Blood, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, refers to much more than
the fluid. Instead, blood is the process of nourishing the organism;
blood, Qi and moisture (fluids within the body) are intimately related
as they regulate each other. When formulating treatments, Traditional
Chinese Medicine practitioners are guided by 8 principles. In 4
sets of opposing principles, they are: yin and yang, chill and heat,
deficiency and excessiveness, lastly, interior and exterior. The
eight principles serve as the framework for the data gathered through
physical examination, tongue and pulse diagnosis, and observation.
Once the Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner forms a cohesive
picture of the pattern of disharmony, he or she can formulate a
treatment plan to restore balance.
The Components of Traditional Chinese Medical System
a. Herbal Medicine and Diet
b. Acupuncture and Acupressure
c. Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapeutic exercise - Qigong and
Taichi
I. Herbal Medicine and Diet
Decoction
The conventional method in taking herb medicine is to make a decoction
- a strong "tea" made by simmering raw herbs in water.
Herbs are used in combination in a formula, which may contain 10-15
herbs. Each formula is consisted of a chief herb, a few others to
assistant, and a courier herb taking - the medicine to the site
of the "lesion". Each herb in the formula has a different
role. In prescription, a practitioner adapts a basic formula with
proven effectiveness in treating a particular pattern of disharmony,
and adds other herbs to suit the patient's distinct characteristics.
The TCM practitioner has a choice of close to 6000 herbs, in addition,
a few mineral and animal components. There are about 400 commonly
used formulas. Traditionally, a specially glazed clay teapot is
used to make the tea. Since the decoction method is time consuming,
and the taste of the decoction is unpalatable to many, two alternative
methods were developed - pulverized herbs in capsules, and concentrated
Chinese herbal granules.
Concentrated Chinese Herbal Granules
Concentrated Chinese herbal granules are a representation of a new
generation of Chinese herbal products, and offer a safe and convenient
means of using herbs. They are extracts of herbs and carry the same
potency. Please refer to Single Chinese Herb Extracts - Manufacturing
Techniques and Quality Control for details regarding the extraction
process.
Common Types of Herbal Therapy
Fu Zhen Therapy
Fu Zhen therapy is an immune-enhancing herbal regimen, and it is
used as an adjunct to chemotherapy and radiation. The principal
herbs in the therapy strengthen the body's nonspecific immunity
and enhance the functions of T-cells.
Principal herbs: Astragalus, Ligustrum, Ginseng, Codonopsis, Atractylodes,
and Ganoderma
Herbal Antitoxin Therapy
Herbal Antitoxin therapy is a regularly used type of therapy with
proven effects in inhibiting tumor growth. Kelp and Pokeroot are
amongst the herbs known to dissolve tumors.
Principal herbs: Isatis Root, Heartleaf Houttuynia herb, Barbated
Skullcup Herb, Chinese Lobelia Herb, Honeysuckle Flower, Spreading
Heading Hedytis Herb, Glabrous Greenbrier Rhizome, Giant Knotweed
Rhizome, Vietnamese Sophora Root.
Blood Activating therapies
Blood activating therapy helps reduce coagulation and inflammatory
reactions associated with immune response.
Principal herbs: Sanchi, Frankincense, Hisute Shiny Buglewood Herb,
Daushen Root, Szechwan Lovage Rhizome, Red Peony Root, Safflower,
Peach Seed, Common Burreed Tuber, Zedoray Phizome, Chinese Angelica.
Cattail Pollen, Cowherb Seed.
Dietary
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs and food go hand in hand
in influencing the body's energy fields. A patient's diet must align
with medications taken for maximum benefit. Dietary supervision
in TCM is a sophisticated system that evaluates food according to
its properties and therapeutic value. Whole-grain products, beans,
fresh vegetables, and mushrooms are frequently recommended. Traditional
Chinese Medicine practitioners, on the other hand, advise patients
to avoid raw food, because it is too "cold"; white sugar
because it is too rich and would over-stimulate the pancreas and
liver; strong spices, for they disperse energy to the surface of
the body. Cancer patients are also advised to avoid coffee, because
it overtaxes the adrenals; cold dairy products, because they are
too congesting; shellfish and citrus, because they are too "cold"
and "moist".
II. Acupuncture and Acupressure
Acupuncture is another form of TCM therapy applied to change
the flow or quality of the life force, and to restore balance in
the body's energies. As mentioned earlier, Qi circulates in fourteen
major meridians, or energy channels, traversing the body from the
top of the head to the tips of fingers and toes. Each meridian is
connected to an internal organ. Specific points on each invisible
channel, when stimulated, affect the flow of Qi to that particular
organ and in other channels or associated organs. By stimulating
these points with extremely fine needles or through massage, acupuncture
unblocks or adjusts energy flow. Also, by inserting and manipulating
the hair-like stainless steel needles, acupuncture corrects the
imbalances of Qi - the underlying cause of the disease.
Acupuncture is applicable in the treatment of persistent pain,
arthritis, asthma, infertility, acute and chronic diseases. For
cancer patients, it serves to alleviate pain and to address the
associated loss of function. For instance, acupuncture helps improving
the ability to swallow for patients with esophageal cancer. Acupuncture
also reduces the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. As
complement of herbal medications, acupuncture has been employed
as a form of treatment for breast and cervical cancer in early stages.
In addition, acupuncture also helps relieve stress and pain following
surgeries.
III. Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapeutic Exercises
Another component of Traditional Chinese Medicine used in the
treatment of cancer is therapeutic exercise. It comes in two forms:
tai-chi and chi-gong. The purpose of both exercises is to enable
a person to regulate and direct the flow of Qi within his or her
own body. Students are taught to focus their Qi in a place two inches
below the navel, called the dan tian, or vital center. From this
center, Qi is said to emanate to distant regions of the body. Upon
practice, students can sense the presence of Qi at the vital center
in the form of localized warmth and can then direct the life energy
to specific parts of their body. For cancer patients, practitioners
prescribe exercises that specifically address the patients' illness.
The perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine on tai-chi and
chi-gong differs from that of Western Medicine in that Chinese Medicine
believes that these exercises energize the body's vital forces,
balances yin and yang, strengthens blood circulation, and improves
the patient's emotional and mental states. Western Medicine believes
that the exercises, like yoga, increase the absorption and utilization
of oxygen.
Through intensive practice of chi-gong, an entire set of beneficial
psychological and spiritual state emerges. In promoting emotional
well-being, chi-gong exercises help build confidence amongst patients
in their battle against cancer. Many cancer patients, who have practicing
chi-gong and tai-chi, reflected that having a positive attitude
plays an important role in battling against the disease.
We wholeheartedly support you in the battle of against cancer.
Please never surrender and remember that your friends, family, your
family practitioners, your health care team, and Sanjiu Chinese Medicine
Clinic are standing behind you.
(Note: it is recommended for patients to
consult their family doctors or specialists before they taking Chinese
medicine and associated treatments)
Please click the following two special programs which may help
you
Cancer Supporting Treatment Program
Cancer Survivor Preventive Maintenance Program
Click here
to learn more about Chinese Medicine to cancer and other diseases
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