Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are two different systems. Western medicine believes that cancer is incurable, while traditional Chinese medicine believes that cancer can be cured unless it reaches the bone marrow. So how does traditional Chinese medicine treat cancer?
【Causes of Cancer】
The causes of cancer can be roughly divided into four categories: emotional stress, organ imbalance, improper diet, and external factors. Internal factors include emotional disturbances and organ imbalances, while external factors are related to dietary imbalances and the invasion of external pathogens. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes a holistic view and believes that cancer is a localized manifestation of a systemic disease, closely related to the body's immune system. The "Huangdi Neijing" has already explained the etiology and pathogenesis of certain tumors, stating that "when pathogenic factors gather, the body's qi must be deficient." Therefore, in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, more attention is paid to internal factors.
Cancer is more common in the elderly and in those with spleen and kidney deficiencies. Its onset is mainly due to long-term effects of emotional disturbances and diet on the body, leading to imbalances of yin and yang, qi and blood in the organs, deficiency of righteous qi, invasion of external pathogens, or the accumulation of phlegm, dampness, and stasis. Furthermore, the development of tumors further depletes the righteous qi, causing imbalances of phlegm, dampness, qi stagnation, blood stasis, and heat, forming a vicious cycle that makes cancer difficult to cure. The "Ling Shu: The Origins of One Hundred Diseases" states, "A strong person does not accumulate, but weakness leads to accumulation." This suggests that the occurrence of cancer is mostly based on a foundation of deficiency, especially deficiency of the spleen and kidneys. The "Essential Readings of Medical Masters on Accumulation" states, "When accumulation occurs, it is because the righteous qi is insufficient, and then pathogenic qi takes over." The "Complete Works of Jingyue" states, "People with insufficient spleen and stomach and those with weak and imbalanced conditions often have accumulation diseases."
【Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Cancer】
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the onset of cancer is a manifestation of yin-yang imbalance in the body. Therefore, in treatment, it advocates "careful observation of the location of yin and yang and adjusting accordingly to achieve balance." The treatment principles emphasize:
1. Dual-regulation
Regulating the body's qi, blood, yin, yang, deficiency, excess, cold, and heat in a bidirectional manner, and incorporating this dual-regulation throughout the theories, methods, prescriptions, and medicines.
2. Whole-body regulation
Traditional Chinese medicine aims to treat the body as a whole, using various methods to regulate and control the overall functions of the body, striving for harmony. The basic treatment principles include "prioritizing harmony, promoting smoothness, and ensuring stability." Traditional Chinese medicine places great emphasis on mental therapy, self-regulation, emotional adjustment, and emphasizes using three parts medication and seven parts nurturing, similar to the psychological therapy in Western medicine, which is particularly important in the treatment of malignant tumors.
3. Functional regulation
In the treatment of diseases, traditional Chinese medicine aims to restore and enhance the functions of the body's own tissues, mobilizing the body's internal anti-disease capabilities.
These principles and basic methods play a vital role in the treatment of cancer patients.
【Main Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Cancer】
Cancer is a complex disease involving multiple systems and organs, with alternating cold and heat, deficiency and excess. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of malignant tumors focuses on syndrome differentiation and treatment, with supporting the body's righteous qi and reinforcing the foundation as the basis, and using methods of clearing heat and detoxification and using toxic substances to counteract toxins as commonly used compatibility methods. The main treatment methods include:
1. Supporting the body's righteous qi and reinforcing the foundation
This method aims to regulate the body's yin, yang, qi, and blood, as well as the physiological functions of the organs and meridians, in order to enhance the body's immune response. Commonly used Chinese herbs include astragalus, codonopsis, polygonatum, ginseng, white atractylodes, dioscorea, licorice, etc. Blood-tonifying herbs include Chinese angelica, cooked rehmannia, chicken blood vine, cooked rehmannia, white peony, Ligusticum wallichii, cinnamon, Eucommia bark, etc. Yin-nourishing herbs include Ophiopogon japonicus, Ophiopogon japonicus, adenophora, raw rehmannia, tortoise shell, tortoise plastron, pollen typhae, anemarrhena, Eclipta prostrata, glossy privet fruit, etc. Yang-warming herbs include prepared aconite, cinnamon, deer antler, psoralea, Epimedium, dodder seed, Chinese dodder, Morinda officinalis, etc.
2. Regulating qi and promoting blood circulation
Many tumors have blood stasis as the essence, often accompanied by symptoms such as masses, stabbing pain, purple lips and tongue, varicose veins under the tongue, skin discoloration, and rough pulse. Commonly used herbs for regulating qi include Bupleurum, August tree bark, saussurea, tangerine peel, green tangerine peel, bitter orange peel, aurantium fruit, rose flower, sandalwood, betel nut, agarwood, fructus amomi, su geng, xuan fu hua, magnolia bark, magnolia vine, rhizoma cyperi, and fennel. Commonly used herbs for promoting blood circulation and dissolving blood stasis include salvia, frankincense, myrrh, peach kernel, safflower, red peony, bidentate achyranthes, cyperus, dragon's blood, pteropus, leech, pangolin, curculigo, polyporus, cornus officinalis, etc.
3. Strengthening the spleen and nourishing the kidneys
The development of tumors is a progressive process that often leads to damage to the spleen and kidneys. Supplementing and nourishing the spleen and kidneys and supporting the righteous qi are conducive to the recovery of the righteous qi and resistance to pathogenic factors. This is also beneficial for radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgical treatment, as it improves the body's ability to fight disease and adapt. Commonly used spleen-tonifying herbs include ginseng, codonopsis, white atractylodes, poria, astragalus, dioscorea, coix seed, licorice, etc. Commonly used kidney-tonifying herbs include aconite, cinnamon, deer antler, Cistanche, epimedium, dodder seed, eucommia, Cynomorium, wolfberry, glossy privet fruit, polygonatum, Ligusticum wallichii, etc.
4. Resolving phlegm and dispelling dampness
Phlegm and dampness are pathological products and pathogenic factors. When phlegm congeals and dampness accumulates, it forms lumps and masses that are often painless and long-lasting, gradually increasing in size and number. The main cause is the phlegm nodules, so the treatment should focus on resolving phlegm and dispersing masses. Commonly used herbs for resolving phlegm and dispelling dampness include trichosanthes kirilowii, soapnut, pinellia, elsholtzia, semen hoveniae, areca nut, tangerine peel, patchouli, perilla, cattail pollen, peilan, raw coix seed, siler, rhubarb, ephedra, asarum, cyperus, hornet, earthworm, papaya, pubescent angelica root, etc.
5. Nourishing yin and clearing heat
Heat toxin is one of the causes of cancer. Prolonged heat can deplete yin fluids. In addition, complications such as fever can further damage yin fluids. Commonly used herbs for nourishing yin and clearing heat include raw rehmannia, ophiopogon, dwarf lilyturf, sandalwood, scrophularia, dendrobium, tortoise shell, turtle plastron, bamboo shavings, lily, polygonatum, glossy privet fruit, etc.
6. Clearing heat and detoxifying
Malignant tumors, especially in the middle and late stages, often have symptoms such as fever, enlarged masses, local burning sensation, pain, thirst, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating, and rapid pulse due to heat, stasis, and toxins. Commonly used herbs for clearing heat and detoxifying include Hedyotis diffusa, dandelion, eupatorium fortunei, smilax glabra, dandelion, forsythia, isatis root, viola, andrographis paniculata, sophora flower, seven-leaf one-stem flower, sophora root, scrophularia, rhubarb, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, andrographis, coptis, phellodendron, sophora flavescens, Houttuynia cordata, etc.
7. Softening hardness and dispersing masses
Tumors are often tangible masses. In addition to treating the root causes by supporting the righteous qi, regulating qi and promoting blood circulation, strengthening the spleen and nourishing the kidneys, resolving phlegm and expelling dampness, nourishing yin and clearing heat, and clearing heat and detoxifying, it is also necessary to soften hardness and disperse masses to eliminate the masses. Commonly used herbs for softening hardness and dispersing masses include turtle shell, pear stem, rhizoma gualou, atractylodes, August tree bark, seaweed, loofah, earth dragon, oyster, earthworms, kelp, etc.
8. Using toxic substances to counteract toxins
Cancer is a chronic and malignant disease, with toxins accumulating in the body as its root cause. To counteract these toxins, toxic substances are used to attack the pathogenic factors due to their strong and aggressive nature. Commonly used herbs for using toxic substances to counteract toxins include scorpion, beehive, whole scorpion, leech, ginger, centipede, toad, earthworm, honeysuckle, constant grass, rhizoma coptidis, rhizoma phellodendri, radix dichroae, rhizoma cyperi, radix et rhizoma rhei, etc. The characteristic of using toxic substances is that the effective dosage and toxic dosage are very close, so caution must be exercised in clinical application for the treatment of tumors, and the effective dosage should be carefully controlled and used within safe limits.
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