Cancer is definitely an illness that takes a toll on one’s health. 

The diagnosis of cancer is not an easy one. Although we don’t know everything about cancer, with the advancement of medicine and technology, we have discovered how certain genes, chemicals, toxins, and lifestyle can have impacts on developing and treating cancer. I am very happy to see how modern medicine has increased the survival rate in cancer patients.

Today I want to talk about the holistic perspective of cancer care in TCM. 

The idea of cancer is not new in TCM. In fact, there are countless recorded cases of invasive, abnormal, and aggressive growth in different parts of the body documented in many classic Chinese medicine books. Of course, back in those days, it was not yet named “cancer”.

When observing those malignant growth, the ancient practitioners observed patterns that affected a person:

The progress mimics the blazing wildfire that destroys everything in their pathway. Therefore, it was given the name of “heat-toxin”. When the heat toxin progresses with massive destruction, the human body would show a weakening of Qi, blood, and vitality. This manifests deficiency. Therefore, the general principle of treatment with TCM is the balance between heat-toxin and nourishment of the body’s vitality.

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and genetic therapy have great success in cancer care, but we can’t oversee the side effects from these treatments. Conventional cancer treatment targets the cancer itself, whereas TCM focuses on the systemic wellness of the person. TCM doesn’t focus on the cellular level in cancer care, but the overall wellness of the patient.

In almost all the aspects of TCM, the flow of Qi and blood, the balanced functioning of each organ, and the unobstructed meridians are what’s being focused. 

The formation of cancer is the stagnation of Qi, blood and nutrients. When these “goodies” are not properly used by every organ or system, it becomes waste. Instead, these wastes damage the normal functioning of the body and further depletes the Qi, blood and nutrients.

TCM also looks at the balance between the righteous qi and the pathogenic qi from an energetic perspective. The righteous qi provides the defense of the entity so that the pathogenic can’t invade or form inside. To fortify the righteous Qi, it’s important not to over exhaust or over supply. 

When one exhausts himself over time, the righteous, defensive energy depletes, and then the body can’t protect itself. Whereas when the body is over supplied with food or nutrients, it can cause stagnation. The stagnation then further obstructs the flow of Qi and blood. Just like a flood brings sludges in the river bed, and gradually it becomes a vicious cycle.

In the treatment of TCM, the balanced state of righteous Qi is the key for healing. If the righteous Qi is strengthened, the pathogenic Qi would have no place to stay. At the same time, the righteous Qi also needs to flow un-obstructedly inside the channels of our body.

Therefore, the principle of TCM treatment is about connecting the organ, balancing the function, and removing the obstruction. It’s never about cancer. It’s also about the patient.

Even though modern medicine and ancient TCM didn’t name or refer to cancer in the same language, the illness itself has existed the same through time. Utilizing both modern advancement in medicine and ancient wisdom in TCM is the key to maximizing the health of cancer patients.