A CLOSER LOOK AT THE INTEGRATED TCM CANCER TREATMENT IN CHINA
By Stanley Cua, PhD

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to treat cancer in China longer than the chemotherapy that has been used in western countries. Since there has no statistics on the treatment of cancer with TCM, we do not really know if chemotherapy is better, but recent reports on the comparison between pure chemotherapy and integrated TCM show that integrated TCM is better than pure chemotherapy. Integrated TCM is a combination of TCM with conventional western cancer therapies such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

If integrated TCM is used with the western alternative cancer therapies, the efficacy may be even better, although there has no such combination in practice. It is hope that with the introduction of integrated TCM to the coming 31st Annual Cancer Convention hosted by Cancer Control Society in Los Angeles, some open-minded hospitals and clinics in Tijuana will include the TCM in their protocols, and that some hospitals in China will include western alternative therapies. Many westerners usually think of TCM in terms of acupuncture only, they do not realize that herbal treatment is the major part of TCM, and the theory of TCM is much more than acupuncture.

Lorraine of Cancer Control Society asked me what were the herbs used in Dr. Huang's presentation in the coming Annual Cancer Convention of her experience in integrated TCM to treat cancer. I could not answer her over the phone because TCM is not like Essiac tea or Hoxsey formula in which there are definite herbs for all types of cancer. The herbs in TCM for cancer treatment must have most of the following functions:

(Translated literally from a Chinese book "Notes on Treating Cancer with TCM" ISBN 957-8230-09-5 (1999), Taiwan printing, phone (02) 28351147, fax (02) 28338131 and 28314378)

Seven strategies in TCM cancer treatment are as follows:

(1) Dispel internal heat and eliminate toxins
(2) Soften hard lumps and dissipate aggregation
(3) Facilitate water distribution and dispel phlem
(4) Circulate blood and dissipate blood clots
(5) Manage "chi" circulation and reduce pain
(6) Enhance immune system
(7) Reduce diarrhea or excessive water loss

One of the more recent books on TCM cancer treatment that has a very comprehensive classification of herbs into such functions is 實用臨床抗腫瘤中藥 (李佩文主編 ISBN 7-5381-3346-1), the title is literally translated as “Chinese Herbs Used in Practical Clinical Applications". The book is in Chinese language, it includes many herbal formulations used in actual clinical practice and their references.

List of Herbs Accoording to 6 Functional Classifications

Below are lists of primary and secondary choice herbs that are commonly used in various types of cancer from an experienced Chinese cancer treatment specialist.in the book 常用抗腫瘤中草藥(駱和生，周岱翰), the title is translated literally as "Commonly Used Chinese Herbs Against Cancer".

It will also be informative to list some of the medical reports in China on the response and survival time of various types of cancer treated by TCM alone or integrated TCM for those who are not familiar with TCM. Below are some reports in breast, lung, liver and stomach cancer. It can be seen that response of the cancers of the digestive tract, such as liver and stomach, to the integrated TCM is better than the conventional alone, since these types of cancer are very prevalent in China. Chinese doctors have accumulated extensive experience in treating them.

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The book shown on the right that I recently acquire summarizes the integrated therapy in the 1990s (mostly from 1990 to 1996) in China. Although this book cannot really summarize the reports of such a large population, it gives a bird's-eye view of the efficacy of pure TCM and integrated TCM. The cover of the book and the information on the publisher's email addresses are shown in the picture.

Brave-Souls.com

Stanley Cua
Contact Email: pinacua@aol.com

Disclaimer: Brave-Souls.com does not in any way give professional medical advice. This is a support website for cancer patients who wish to contact cancer survivors for advice, resources, or friendship. Resources available at this website are for recommendation only. Thank you for visiting. Please contact Stanley Cua with any questions or concerns at: pinacua@aol.com

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