There is no doubt that tumors need to be treated in a comprehensive way. But it also brings confusion about patient choice. Especially the problem of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, some people say that western medicine chemoradiotherapy hurtful drive life, some people say that traditional Chinese medicine deceptive invalid, do not chemotherapy? Is pure Chinese medicine feasible? How does Chinese medicine treat tumors? How to choose Chinese medicine and western medicine?
Often will encounter such consultation “my kinsman got * cancer, already was terminal, western medicine says to have no way, can use Chinese medicine to save him?”
Still often have a patient to ask: can I have to do chemotherapy, take Chinese traditional medicine only?
Friends and colleagues often ask, “can Chinese medicine cure tumors?”
Methods of Chinese medicine to treat tumors
Currently, the research on tumor of traditional Chinese medicine can be divided into two directions. One is the emphasis on traditional methods, inheritance of syndrome differentiation and treatment, square syndrome.
The former method is based on the pharmacological research of natural science and is easy to be accepted by modern people.
The latter is mainly based on the experience of traditional doctors, which is not easy to learn and master, and there are still various groups, the effect is difficult to be recognized, a time around whether Chinese medicine is scientific and whether to cancel Chinese medicine from this.
Therefore, at present, there are two methods or ideas in the clinical treatment of tumor by traditional Chinese medicine.
One is the use of anti-tumor Chinese medicine, which has some evidence of anti-tumor efficacy, in the hope of eliminating or inhibiting cancer cells. The commonly used clinical plants such as hyloglossus alba, hemicranthes, arsenic and toad venom all come from this area.
Another method is to focus on the symptoms of patients, signs and manifestations, analysis of the pathogenesis prescription drug, improve the symptoms of patients. Most TCM oncologists use two methods consciously or unconsciously in their clinical practice, which is more important and which is less.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
Traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine provide rich resources for anticancer drug research. In Chinese and western medicine colleges, pharmaceutical colleges, medical research institutions and domestic and foreign drug research and development institutions, a large number of personnel and resources have been invested in the research on the anti-tumor mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine, and many papers, patents, awards and other achievements have been produced. A successful case represented by arsenic – arsenic trioxide – leukemia has been born.
However, the number of successful cases is still too small, and many studies remain in the laboratory. What’s more, the anti-tumor traditional Chinese medicine studied in the laboratory needs to be purified and the effective components of the effective parts need to be found, while the clinical use of raw materials is far from the dosage and toxic and side effect components. Even if it works in the lab, going back to the clinic may not have the same effect. There used to be a famous herbal pharmacy in Shanghai, which often USES a variety of “anti-cancer herbs”, but the effect is not good, but may damage the liver and kidney function of patients.
According to the traditional Chinese medicine treatment of tumor not only focus on the local tumor, pay more attention to the patient disease caused by systemic symptoms, functional changes. In response, a growing number of modern medical researchers believe that cancer is a systemic disease. In modern society, the occurrence and development of tumors are often associated with inflammatory response, immune function, emotional psychology and so on. The treatment mode of tumor has changed from local treatment to comprehensive treatment.
It is true that Chinese medicine has “prescience”. Traditional medicine, which was born in the backward era of material and technical conditions, can only understand the disease according to the external performance of patients, and link the various manifestations of the patient’s whole body with local diseases to increase the operability of diagnosis and treatment. Meanwhile, TCM attaches great importance to “health preservation” and changes in patients’ lifestyle, which is of great value for tumor treatment and tumor rehabilitation, as well as cancer prevention.
However, there are two problems with traditional Chinese medicine in treating tumors. First of all, does regulating and improving the patient’s systemic symptoms have any effect on the tumor itself? In other words, cancer is a systemic disease, but treating a systemic disease doesn’t mean it’s worth it. After all, most patients come with the hope of a cure. Secondly, is it true that TCM improves the symptoms of patients? Symptom is a subjective feeling, difficult to evaluate, and affected by too many factors, especially vulnerable to the influence of doctors, induction.
There is no distinction between the two approaches. Both aim to cure and save lives.
For patients seeking medical care, there should also be a balance and a clear purpose. There is no doubt that tumors need to be treated in a comprehensive way. But it also brings confusion about patient choice. In the mud-sand environment, do not rule out a doctor pulled into the basket is their own dishes, with their own recruit toss to the ineffective then talk about comprehensive.
As a TCM cancer practitioner, I can only tell patients that it is very difficult to treat patients who have lost the chance of radical treatment such as surgery by relying on one method, including traditional Chinese medicine. It is necessary to stress the comprehensive treatment of Chinese and western medicine. As tang zhaoyou, an academician of zhongshan hospital, says, “western medicine is the administration of administration, while traditional Chinese medicine is the administration of administration”. To adopt TCM treatment, it is more important to adjust the symptoms of the whole body, improve the immune state, and promote the body’s natural defense function. At the same time, some anti-tumor TCM can be supplemented when the patient can afford it. And there is a very important point, can not wait until the late time to think of traditional Chinese medicine. Early treatment and adjustment of systemic condition can improve prognosis.
