How TCM Treat Cancer
Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective of Cancer
In Traditional Chinese medicine, there is no specific concept of cancer,
but there is of tumors.
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All illnesses, in the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
are a result of energy imbalance, either an excess or a deficiency
of the body's elemental energies
Nutritive tonics and herbal medicines were developed to alleviate
pain and prolong life by strengthening the body's defenses against
tumor progression
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Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that the causes of
tumor development come in two folds. First, external factors include toxins
and other environmental factors. Second, emotional stress, unhealthy diets,
and damaged organs are internal factors. 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, in the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, are
a result of energy imbalance, either 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 or lifestyle, stress, suppressed emotions, or lack
of exercise. These factors cause imbalances 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, not the "root".
Each patient may have a different imbalance causing what, on the outside,
look like the same type of cancer. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners,
in treating cancer, attempt to identify the individual patterns of qi
imbalance, and prescribe treatments accordingly.
In treating cancer, Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners
make diagnoses of yin and yang, qi, and blood imbalances. Blood, in Traditional
Chinese Medicine, refers to much more than the material fluid. Instead,
blood is the process of nourishing the organism; it occurs in a mutually
regulating relationship with qi and moisture (body fluids). In formulating
treatments, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners are guided by 8
principles. In 4 sets of polar categories, those principles are: yin and
yang, chill and heat, deficiency and excessiveness, and interior and exterior.
The eight principles serve as the framework for the data gathered through
physical examination, tongue and pulse diagnosis, and observation of symptoms.
Once the Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner forms a cohesive picture
of the pattern of disharmony, he or she can formulate a plan of treatment
to restore balance.
The treating of cancer in Chinese Medicine can
be have three components
a. Herbal medication and Diet
b. Acupuncture and Acupressure
c. Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapeutic exercise - Qigong and Taichi
I. Herbal Medication and Dietary
The conventional method of applying herb therapy is to make a decoction
- a strong "tea" made by simmering raw herbs in water. Herbs
are usually taken as a formula, which may contain 10-15 herbs. Each formula
is consisted of a chief herb, a few assistant herbs, and a courier herb
to take the medicine to the site of the "lesion". Each herb
in the formula has a different role. In prescribing a medication, 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 Chinese herbal practitioner has a choice of close
to 6,000 herbs, and 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 therapies
Fu Zhen therapy
Fu Zhen therapy is an immune-enhancing herbal regimen, and 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 therapy with proven effects
in inhibiting tumor growth. Kelp and Pokeroot are among 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. It follows that a patient's diet must align
with medications taken for benefits to be realized. Chinese dietary supervision
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, 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 shun coffee,
because it overtaxes the adrenals; cold dairy products, because they are
too congesting; and shellfish and citrus, because they are too "cold"
and "moist".
II. Acupuncture and Acupressure
Acupuncture is another form of Chinese therapy applied to change the flow
or quality of the life force, and to re-balance body energies. As mentioned,
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 in the particular organ
and in other channels or associated organs. By stimulating these points
with extremely fine needles or through massage, acupuncture unblocks energy
or adjusts its flow. Also, by inserting and manipulating the hair-like
stainless steel needles, acupuncture corrects the imbalances of qi that
underlie the disease.
Acupuncture is applicable in the treatment of persistent pain, arthritis,
asthma, infertility, and acute and chronic diseases. For cancer patients,
it serves to alleviate pain and to address functional disorders associated
with the illness. For example, acupuncture improves the ability to swallow
for patients with esophageal cancer. Acupuncture also mitigates side effects
of chemotherapy and radiation. As complement of herbal medications, acupuncture
has been employed as a treatment for breast and cervical cancer in early
stages. In addition, acupuncture also helps release 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. A student is taught
to focus his or her qi in a place two inches below the navel, called the
dan tian, or vital center. From this center, the 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 the body. For cancer
patients, practitioners prescribe exercises that specifically address
the patients' illnesses.
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 conditions emerges. In promoting emotional well-being, chi-gong
exercises help build confidence among patients in their battle against
cancer. Many cancer patients, who have practicing chi-gong and tai-chi,
have noted that a positive attitude plays an important role in the curing
of the disease.
We heartily support you in the battle of fighting
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.
Sanjiu is proud to offer two programs to cancer patients. 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 help other cancer
diseases
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