[Fat Bear Science Popularization] What concerns do cancer patients have when seeing a Chinese medicine doctor?

Can cancer patients take Chinese medicine? Will it affect chemotherapy?

Many people with tumors usually have many questions when choosing TCM treatment. So, today we will talk about the most common questions when TCM treats tumors.

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Wang Wei

Director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Oncology Treatment Center of the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University, Director of the Teaching and Research Section of Traditional Chinese Medicine Oncology, Doctor of Medicine, and Master's Supervisor.

He is good at treating middle and late stage malignant tumors with traditional Chinese medicine, and providing rehabilitation conditioning and prevention of metastasis and recurrence for patients after surgery and after radiotherapy and chemotherapy; he is good at treating poor appetite, low white blood cell count, nausea, vomiting, fever, sweating, cancer pain, cancer pleural effusion and ascites after radiotherapy and chemotherapy with traditional Chinese medicine.

Clinic hours: Monday to Wednesday morning

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Yang Yang

Chinese medicine doctor.

He is good at combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine to treat malignant tumors such as lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and intestinal cancer.

Clinic hours: Saturday morning

Can cancer patients take Chinese medicine?

Tumor treatment stage

Reduce toxicity and increase efficacy

Strengthen the body and eliminate evil

Convalescence

Consolidation and maintenance treatment

Precancerous lesions

Strengthen the body and eliminate evil

Traditional Chinese medicine can be used throughout the various stages of tumor prevention, tumor treatment, and tumor rehabilitation. In different stages, the role of traditional Chinese medicine is also different. In the process of tumor treatment, traditional Chinese medicine intervenes as early as possible, intervenes in advance, and participates in the whole process to achieve twice the result with half the effort. In the stage of tumor treatment, traditional Chinese medicine can "reduce toxicity and increase efficacy" in conjunction with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other treatments, increase the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, reduce the toxic and side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and postoperative complications, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and other symptoms; it can also "strengthen the body and eliminate evil", control the tumor, and achieve survival with tumors. After conventional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted drugs, that is, in the rehabilitation period, the consolidation and maintenance treatment of traditional Chinese medicine can enhance the immune function of tumor patients, improve the quality of life, and reduce the incidence of recurrence and metastasis. In the period of precancerous lesions, traditional Chinese medicine can "strengthen the body and eliminate evil", change the physical state, and prevent the disease from becoming malignant.

TCM "Six in One"

Tumor management model

TCM Syndrome Differentiation and Prescription

Chinese medicine diet

TCM psychological counseling

Chinese Medicine Five Elements Music

TCM Exercise Guidance

TCM Meridian Health

Of course, in addition to oral decoctions, Chinese medicine also has ointments, pills, powders and other dosage forms. At the same time, in addition to Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine also has external treatments such as acupuncture, moxibustion, acupoint massage, leg baths, as well as psychological counseling, diet, exercise, music and other non-drug therapies. Wang Wei, director of the Chinese Medicine Tumor Treatment Center of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Chongqing University, innovatively proposed the "six-in-one" tumor management model of traditional Chinese medicine. It is an organic integration of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and medication, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation and diet, traditional Chinese medicine psychological counseling, traditional Chinese medicine five elements music, traditional Chinese medicine exercise guidance, traditional Chinese medicine meridian health care and other methods, and the comprehensive application has significant clinical efficacy. Therefore, Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are not contradictory, the two complement each other, and cancer patients can also take traditional Chinese medicine for treatment.

Will taking Chinese medicine damage the liver and kidney function of cancer patients?

"Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered 72 poisons in one day, which he solved by finding tea."

——Shennong's Herbal Classic

The "Shennong Bencao Jing" records: "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and encountered 72 poisons in one day. He got tea to solve them." It can be seen that Chinese medicine is toxic. The traditional theory of medicinal properties and modern pharmacology differ in the understanding of concepts such as toxicity, poisons, and toxic Chinese medicines. Many studies have found that Chinese medicine ingredients, effective components, or compound decoctions may cause liver damage, bringing the risk of adverse reactions during treatment. However, Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, and the combination of monarch and minister. As long as the medicine is used properly, the toxic and side effects of Chinese medicine are minimal. On the contrary, the misuse and abuse of Chinese medicine to regulate the body will not only not have a health-care effect on the body, but may also cause the toxins in the medicinal materials to cause the liver to detoxify due to the wrong use of medicinal materials, resulting in liver diseases and irreversible major damage. Therefore, here we remind cancer patients that when choosing to undergo Chinese medicine treatment, they must go to a regular specialist hospital to consult a Chinese medicine doctor for a consultation and prescription, and must not take medicine indiscriminately based on hearsay.

As long as the medicine is used properly and not abused to regulate the body, the toxic and side effects of traditional Chinese medicine are minimal.

Will taking Chinese medicine affect chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy may cause liver and kidney damage, leading to symptoms such as decreased white blood cells, low platelets, hair loss, nausea and vomiting, and loss of appetite. Correct Chinese medicine treatment will not only not increase the burden on the body and affect chemotherapy, but will also play a role in "reducing toxicity and increasing efficacy", increase chemotherapy sensitivity, improve clinical efficacy, and improve the toxic and side effects produced during chemotherapy.

Can cancer patients receive acupuncture and massage?

Acupuncture and massage are external treatments in traditional medicine and an important part of traditional medicine. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been used to treat tumors for a long time in my country. Acupuncture therapy is divided into acupuncture and moxibustion, and massage is a natural therapy. These therapies need to be combined with clinical data such as the patient's medical history, course of disease, four examinations and laboratory tests, and comprehensive analysis is required to select appropriate acupoints, meridians, etc., and treat according to syndrome differentiation.

A large number of experiments have shown that acupuncture can improve the body's immunity, inhibit tumor growth, improve patients' clinical symptoms, and has a certain therapeutic effect on malignant tumors. Acupuncture has been accepted and applied clinically by foreign researchers. Acupuncture has a certain effect in improving digestive tract reactions, improving bone marrow suppression, relieving cancer pain, relieving dysphagia in patients with esophageal cancer, and strengthening the body to fight cancer.

Acupuncture therapy and various moxibustion therapies can be used throughout the course of cancer patients, such as moxibustion, moxibustion, and Tianjiu. Treatment can be performed on Dazhui, Neiguan, Zusanli, Tianshu, Sanyinjiao, Guanyuan, Qihai, Hegu, Mingmen, etc. to maximize the body's disease resistance potential, relieve various clinical symptoms of patients, reduce their pain, improve their quality of life, and prolong their survival.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, tumors are mostly caused by factors such as deficiency of body's positive energy, invasion of evil toxins, internal injury of emotions, and improper diet. Traditional Chinese medicine massage therapy has the functions of strengthening the body's positive energy, dredging the meridians, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, regulating the qi and blood of the internal organs, increasing the body's disease resistance, and preventing the occurrence and development of tumors. In addition, massage methods are not restricted by time and place, have no toxic side effects, can prevent and reduce adverse reactions of tumor patients, improve patients' tolerance to chemotherapy, and improve patients' quality of life.

How to avoid certain foods for cancer patients

There is no concept of "irritating foods" in medicine. It is just a rumor and misunderstanding among the people.

Cancer patients often ask: "Can I eat irritating foods?" and "Do I need to avoid certain foods when taking Chinese medicine?" In fact, there is no concept of "irritating foods" in medicine. It is just a rumor and misinformation among the people. In ancient times, people's living conditions were limited, and they would occasionally eat high-protein foods such as fish, shrimp, and eggs. The body was not easily affected, so allergies would occur. Over time, the term "irritating foods" came into being. Cancer is a wasting disease, and cancer patients need to supplement their nutrition and increase their body's immunity. At present, no research has found that foods such as eggs, chicken, and fish have a clear relationship with the growth of patients' tumors, so if patients are not allergic to high-protein foods, they do not need to avoid them.

Nutritional supplementation is the key, but foods that have been listed as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization must not be touched, such as pickled, smoked, grilled, fried and other foods. In addition, tobacco, alcohol, betel nut, etc. have been listed as Class I carcinogens by the World Health Organization. Not only cancer patients need to abstain from them, but healthy and sub-healthy people also need to be cautious when consuming them. For example, there are 69 carcinogens in tobacco, such as nitrosamines and formaldehyde, most of which are present in the tar and smoke produced by its combustion, among which the most important carcinogen is nitrosamine. Long-term tobacco smoking may lead to the occurrence of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer and other cancers, and studies have found that whether it is first-hand smoke or second-hand smoke, it will increase the risk of cancer.

Are Chinese herbal medicines better the more expensive they are?

Cancer patients often choose to take Chinese medicine tonic after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. According to the property classification, Chinese medicine tonics can be divided into warm, hot, cold, and cool; according to the efficacy, Chinese medicine tonics can be divided into qi tonic, blood tonic, blood circulation, and yin tonic. Ginseng is a relatively common precious medicinal material. It is hot in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and has the effect of replenishing qi. Astragalus is warm in nature, sweet in taste, and also has the effect of replenishing qi, but its price is much lower than ginseng.

Choosing the right one is far more important than choosing the expensive one. Chinese medicine emphasizes syndrome differentiation and treatment, and Chinese medicine tonics also need syndrome differentiation and tonic. Patients should be supplemented according to what they lack and what is suitable for them. They cannot be supplemented randomly. The effects of medicinal materials must complement the needs of patients to achieve certain effects and purposes.

Text/Fat Bear Photos/Internet (Please contact us to delete) Review/Chinese Medicine Tumor Treatment Center

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Chongqing Science Popularization Base/Chongqing Health Promotion Hospital

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