Treating Cancers with Acupuncture and Chinese Herb Formula
Tao Sun O.M.D. & L.Ac.
Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist Certified by NADA
The malignant tumor (cancer) is a common disease that seriously damages the health and lives of human being nowadays. Except the surgery, radiation and chemical treatment in the western medicine, the effect and function of the treating cancers with acupuncture and Chinese herb formula and the integrated treatment with oriental medicine attract more attention and concern among the medical circles.
The following is about how we understand and treat cancers from the point of view of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
TCM maintains the pathogens to form the malignant tumors consist of two kinds: the internal factor and the external one. The external factor consists of evil-wind, coldness, hotness, wetness, dryness and fire i.e. the physical, chemical and biological (virus) elements around. However, in the same evil surroundings not all of the people will fall sickness and the patients got ill are only a part of them , which means the internal factor is much stronger than the external one. The internal factors come from the defect of immune system, genetic factor, diseases gained, agedness, weakness and mental and spiritual problems. Because of the defects brought from innateness and postnatal lack of proper care , un-control of the spiritual condition e.g. chronic depression and sadness and irritation which reduces the function of the internal organs and causes the unbalance of Qi and blood and the both sides of Ying and Yang, the malignant tumors begin to form in the body as a result of the malfunction of the adjusting and controlling system of the cells that causes the acceleration of the cells' division.
As for the prevention of cancers TCM maintains that the internal factors is a key-point that can adjust the self function of the organs in the body, raise the function of the body's defend system and cure the different chronic diseases so as to prevent the pathological changes into cancer or the cells' canceration. Many patients with cancers concern very much about the rate of relapse after they take the treatment in the clinics and TCM pays much attention to the internal factor, which means to improve the internal conditions in adjusting the function of organs, Qi and blood and the balance of Ying and Yang so as to reduce the relapse rate and raise the cure rate. For example, bladder cancer is easy to relapse in short time even after a surgery but the treatment of it with acupuncture and Chinese herb formula indicates fewer relapse for several years because such a treatment can improve the body's physical condition wholly and partially dredging the meridian passages, adjusting the inhale, excelling the barrier of substance supersession and raising the immune system.
TCM has its own concept of pathology of cancers: 1. Due to energy-stagnation and blood stasis, which means "some stagnation and stasis formed and didn't go away" causes tumors because the energy system can't work properly.2. Retention of phlegm-wetness. According to TCM phlegm and wetness are the pathological factors that can flow to every corner and organs of the body and making mis-function of the organs, which causes different diseases.3. Too 1. much virulent heat-evil in the body. That happens in the early or middle stage in developing a cancer. A patient, weak with a chronic disease, has Ying-evil in his body. 4. Deficiency of vital energy and blood and violation of coordination of organs' function. The result from lots of research shows the cell's function of a cancer is much lower than a normal one, which means the patient with cancer has lower function of immune system and the ability to resist cancer is decreased too, which TCM drives into the scope of asthenia of Spleen and Kidney.
TCM's principles of treatment of tumor are: 1.Supporting the healthy energy. Because tumors exhausts Qi and Blood greatly and the deficiency of healthy energy causes the expanse of the Evil and vise versa. So supporting the healthy energy is very important in the treatment of tumors. But supporting the healthy energy can not simply explained in the way of nutrition of body ; it's adjusting the function of organs and keeping the balance of Ying and Yang and Qi and Blood.2. Activating blood circulation to dissipate the blood stasis. Such a treatment not only restricts and damages the cancer cells but also reinforces the immunity function, which is the key difference from the medication or chemical therapy that restricts and damages the immunity system while killing the cancer cells.3. Softening its solidity and dissipating the mass. To restrict the split of cancer's cells and dissipating the tumors.4. Clearing away heat & Toxic materials so as to expel the evil agent in the body to treat cancers.
The above-mentioned treatments are not independent and can be integrated or combined together according to the doctor's professional knowledge and experience. The usual ways to treat cancers with acupuncture and herb formula after their conventional treatment in Medical Doctors' clinics:
1. After surgery: because the surgery seriously damages Qi and blood acupuncture and Chinese herb formula can raise the body's function so as to support the healthy energy and dispel the evil one to recover as soon as possible.
2. Acupuncture and Chinese herb formula can support the chemical treatment of cancers. TCM considers that the radiation in chemical treatment is an agent to produces a heat-evil that damages Ying and exhausts Qi so as to hurt spleen and stomach; so, the patients need nourish Ying and benefit Qi so as to activate blood circulation and dissipate the blood stasis. Radiation treatment has several side-effects e.g. tiredness, less-appetite, reduce of blood picture, marrow- production inhibition.
However, TCM can open the channels, adjust the inhalation, overcome obstruction of substantial metabolism and reinforce the blood circulation, reproduction of blood cells and immunity system. Undoubtedly, using medication and chemical treatment also causes several symptoms: fatigue, dizziness, tiredness, loss of hair, no-appetite, incontinence of urine and feces, bad-reaction of digest system, nausea, vomiting and damage to immunity system and function of liver and kidney. But acupuncture and Chinese herb formula can reduce the side- effects. It has been long time already that acupuncture and Chinese herb formula help to treat cancer in early, middle stage and especially to help in relieving pain for the late-stage cancer and also help chemical treatment as a supplementary measure.
I myself have had some experience to treat skin-cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, cancer of prostate gland and upper respiratory tract and bladder cancer. 2. For example, the skin cancer mainly consists of scale cancer, original-place cancer and basic-cell cancer, for which I treat with electricity and heated needling combined with Chinese herb formulas that directly effect on the surfaces of the tumors. The function of my treatment is to dispel cold-evil, wind-evil, wetness-evil and poison, warm the meridians and open the channels, regulate vital energy and active the blood circulation.
The treatment function is not only for partial but to regulate the whole body so as to raise the immunity system. The special character of my treatment is to keep and maintain the rehabilitation ability from the body's function itself. No damage to the organs of the body and the tissue is in good condition and no scare left if it is healed. So such a treatment is better for the special areas like face and vulva. The pain caused by cancer has its characters: persisting for a long time and worsening continuously. In clinic, I help the pain-relief after the patient's regular chemical treatment; I select the points based on the basic theory of differentiating syndrom , combining with the prescription of acupuncture anaesthesia. Apparently acupuncture can raise SOD activity and dispel independent agents so as to improve the weakness of the body and raise the sensitivity of needling to stop the pain. In the treatment of pain-relief for patients with cancers of stomach, lung, breast, liver, pancreas and cervix, mainly I use scalp acupuncture therapy, which normally begins to work in five minutes. The effect of pain relief lasts from 4 hours ( liver cancer) to 21- 24 hours. The patients taking the treatment of pain-relief will fall asleep spontaneously in few minutes. But my treatment is not intended to replace the regular visits to your phsician or the conventional treatment for cancers.