Modern people hear that cancer is discolored. While many cancer patients receive western medicine treatment, they seek the assistance of traditional Chinese medicine and fight cancer through both Chinese and Western ways. Why?
After radiotherapy or chemical therapy, cancer patients will mostly have various problems, such as mouth rupture, numbness of limbs, stomach pain and flatulence, constipation or diarrhea, and low immunity. Some patients are too serious to finish the treatment. Chinese medicine assistant treatment of cancer can improve the immune function of human body before operation, relieve the side effects and discomfort of cancer treatment during operation, and maintain the stability of patients’Qi and blood status and immunity after operation.
Seeing the Causes of Cancer from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Qi: Qi in traditional Chinese medicine is a very delicate substance with strong vitality in human body, and it is one of the basic substances constituting human body and maintaining human life activities. Qi operates continuously, promotes and regulates the metabolism of human body, and maintains the life process of human body. When the movement of Qi stops, it means the end of life. But for cancer treatment, Qi refers more to the body’s immunity. Therefore, a small number of cancer cells will enter the blood circulation, the human body presents the state of Qi deficiency or Qi depression, the immune function decreases accordingly, the number of immune cells against cancer cells decreases, the line of defense breaks, cancer cells can take advantage of the opportunity to replicate and proliferate into organs and tissues.
Blood: Qi and blood are closely related in traditional Chinese medicine. Blood is driven by Qi. If Qi deficiency or Qi depression represents Qi blockade and affects blood flow, it will further cause blood deficiency and blood stasis. It is difficult to remove body waste, and it is easy to form cancer.
Phlegm turbidity: Cancer and allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, obesity or thyroid diseases are chronic diseases. When the body has been in a chronic inflammatory state, accumulation of phlegm in the body is also one of the causes of cancer. Therefore, Chinese medicine suggests eating less hair products to reduce inflammation, including high-sugar food, shrimp, wine, bread, pig scalp, bamboo shoots, taro, duck and so on.
Body fluid: that is, body water. Metabolism of body fluid is closely related to Qi. Qi not only promotes blood, but also manages the metabolism of water throughout the body. Whether water is excreted from stool, breath or skin, energy is needed to promote it. Gas deficiency affects water metabolism and abnormal accumulation of water in the body. For example, people with deficiency of lung, spleen and kidney qi may have fewer urine during the day and frequent urine at night. Coke (digestive system) in stagnation of water and dampness is also one of the causes of cancer.
Common side effects of cancer treatment
At present, Chinese medicine has a good effect on the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer patients.
Side effects of chemotherapy:
The most common side effects of chemotherapy in patients are mainly concentrated in the gastrointestinal system, prone to nausea, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, oral ulcer, taste changes and so on. This is because chemotherapeutic drugs first affect the gastrointestinal system, which is called “mid-Jiao” in traditional Chinese medicine. Large intestine, small intestine, spleen, stomach, liver and gallbladder all fall within this scope. Patients may have gastroesophageal reflux, stomachache, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting and other symptoms. In addition, headache, insomnia, depression, cancer-related fatigue, hand and foot numbness or tingling are common side effects. In addition, the mechanism of most chemotherapeutic drugs is to inhibit cell replication. Although they can inhibit cancer cells, they can also affect normal cells. Side effects of bone marrow suppression are also common. Many patients suffer from leukocytosis, low immunity, and even can not complete the course of chemotherapy, and must be interrupted. At this time, Chinese medicine can be used to supplement the kidney qi or kidney essence drugs, enhance the physical strength of patients, improve bone marrow hematopoietic function, such as Cordyceps sinensis, Ziheche, pilose antler, and so on, the effect is good.
Side effects of radiotherapy:
Radiotherapy mainly affects the metabolism of water in human body (especially mucosa). Many patients receiving radiotherapy will have obvious sequelae of dry and astringent oral mucosa, even severe oral ulceration, skin like sunburn. At this time, Yin-nourishing drugs can be used to nourish the skin and mucosa of patients, including Scutellaria baicalensis, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Ophiopogon japonicus, etc. It can improve dry mouth and skin burning, and can be used for internal or external use. For example, patients with head and neck cancer can use Chinese herbal medicine before receiving radiotherapy, first applied on the head and neck skin, reduce skin discomfort, after irradiation, then applied again, or semi-applied with raw aloe vera, also has anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effect.
Drug Acupuncture and Moxibustion
There are three main opportunities for TCM-assisted cancer treatment, the first is preoperative recuperation and immunity enhancement; the second is during or after radiotherapy and chemotherapy to alleviate adverse reactions; and the last is post-operative recovery of physical strength. As mentioned earlier, the process of chemotherapy is prone to cause discomfort symptoms of mid-Jiao, i.e. gastrointestinal tract discomfort, or the suppression of hematopoietic function of bone marrow, which will prevent the smooth continuation of chemotherapy. At this time, Chinese medicine can regulate Qi and blood, nourish kidney qi, increase the ability of blood cell regeneration, so that the course of chemotherapy can not be interrupted due to adverse reactions.
Most patients with head and neck cancer need radiotherapy, which is easy to destroy salivary glands and cause dry mouth, eating and speech difficulties. Nourishing Yin Chinese medicine can improve the function of salivary secretion at this time. If taking Chinese medicine is difficult, it can be replaced by acupuncture.
Chinese medicine is quite effective in improving the symptoms of Zhongjiao and edema and other side effects of cancer treatment. Some patients with liver and kidney function deteriorating sharply after chemotherapy, or insomnia, pain and other discomfort symptoms related to autonomic nerves, can also play a mitigating role after the treatment of Chinese medicine acupuncture and moxibustion.
In addition to helping to reduce adverse reactions during operation, Chinese medicine assistant therapy can also adjust immune function according to the situation before operation. Clinicians will give Qi-tonifying drugs such as Astragalus membranaceus according to the condition of the disease, which has significant effect. In addition, for patients with cancer after operation, Dangshen, tangerine peel, Atractylodes macrocephala can be given to adjust their appetite, or add aroma with a little Patchouli fragrance to enhance the appetite of patients. Help to restore physical strength.
Maintenance on weekdays to avoid recurrence
Cancer is not caused by a single cause. The formation of cancer may be caused by the accumulation of heredity, environment or lifestyle. If the treatment does not improve these factors, the treatment effect is limited and easy to recur.
In addition to improving the deficiency of Qi and blood, TCM treatment of cancer should also deal with psychological problems, such as sadness and depression, which can form Qi depression and affect health. And specific emotions are related to specific cancers, such as breast cancer and thyroid cancer, which are most related to stress. In fact, it is not difficult to find that many breast cancer patients have perfect personality. They should do everything best and bear a lot of pressure. Emotional squeezing can cause liver depression and liver Qi depression, which will lead to cancer. Besides diet, they should exercise more on weekdays, including Qigong and Taiji. Boxing, Baduanjin and so on are very helpful to improve the circulation of Qi and blood, and should maintain adequate sleep, preferably early to bed and early to rise, and sleep before 11 p.m. is the best. In addition, abdominal breathing, yoga, meditation and meditation can help calm the nerves of self-discipline, improve anxiety, relieve stress, and can learn to do it often.
Cancer usually evolves over a long period of time. We should keep in good health in peacetime. We should avoid staying up late, eating imbalance, overwork, depression and exposure to carcinogens. We should pay attention to health care, enhance immunity, and the body naturally has the ability to fight cancer. If you want to use traditional Chinese medicine, you must be treated according to the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine. Different prescriptions should be given according to individual constitution. You should not listen to hearsay or make up a mess. It will not only hurt your money but also your health.
