Rekindling a Patient’s Hope between East and West
As a multicultural society, Hong Kong harbours its fair share of medical
practitioners from every corner of the world.
Conventional medicine may still hold sway in the mainstream, but
complementary approaches, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and
naturalistic therapy, have met growing acceptance. For patients in the oncology department, TCM
promises stopgap relief in the midst of surgery, chemotherapy, or
radiotherapy. But more importantly, it
offers an improved quality of life and kindles hope amongst patients.
Patients afflicted with various cases of
neoplasm - tumours, in short-are flocking to TCM’s rescue in recent years. Dr. Zhiguang Tao, Lecturer of Clinical
Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist
University, notes that
these patients largely fall under two categories. ‘The first category opts for a two-pronged
approach, with conventional medicine at the forefront and TCM on the side, and
often comes under post-surgery cases when the body is recuperating and fending
off relapses or metastases (i.e. cancer spreading to another part of the body);
this approach helps relieve the side effects of chemotherapy. The second category is older or weaker tumour
patients who are too frail for surgery or chemotherapy, in which case treatment
leans heavily on TCM.’
The etymology of cancer
Whereas conventional medicine simply takes
cancer at face value - a malignant neoplasm involving unregulated cell growth -
TCM traces the diagnosis all the way back to the Song Dynasty, with a gross
description of anatomical pathology which emphasised its unyielding and
obdurate nature. Dr. Tao claims that a
consensus exists amongst conventional medicine and TCM practitioners with
regard to the causes of cancer, but whereas the former describes it as a
localised pathology due to cell mutations, the latter posits it to be a
systemic disorder. Various causes from
diets to fatigue and other external and internal factors may all come into
play; TCM catalogues six climatic pathogens and seven emotional conditions that
may cause internal impairments,leading to an accumulation
of toxins and so on.
‘The
six pathogens stem from the excess of normal climatic phenomena, namely the
qualities of wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire; the seven emotions
refer to affective responses, such as joy, anger, anxiety, contemplation,
grief, fear, and fright. Fatigue could
mean either overexertion or an excess of idleness: TCM stresses moderation, so
both extremes are just as likely to take its toll on our bodies.’ Is there a way for us to target these
causes? ‘When it comes to pathogens or
emotional trauma, we can keep our distance from toxins like tobacco and
alcohol, and change our diet for the better - heavy on veggies, quit bingeing,
and have regular meals that are moderately seasoned. As for fatigue, apart from daily exercises, a
well tempered sex life will go far stamping out anxiety, depression, or anger
issues.’
A holistic change
The recognition that cancer stems from cell
mutations necessitates a localised treatment regime in conventional medicine,
and the focus on destroying cancerous cells through surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy
or molecular targeted therapy affects healthy cells in the process, disrupting
patients’ quality of life. TCM
approaches, with its blend of herbal medicine, acupuncture, and exercise
(qigong), focus on overall conditioning and maintenance instead.
‘TCM prescribes medicine in compound
formula which reinforce insufficiencies and reduce excesses, striking a new
homeostatic balance, encourageing the metabolism, and clearing a phlegmatic
constitution. This improves the
patient’s overall health and shifts the balance from within, making conditions
less favourable to malignant cell growth: tumours sometimes stabilise or even
shrink in size, improving life expectancy as a result. Acupuncture stimulates circulation;
moxibustion gives the system a boost; qigong exercise helps manage the
psychological as well as the physiological in that relaxation practice takes
your mind off things. This state of
mind, together with a strengthened physical constitution, is sometimes seen as
integral to the treatment of all diseases in general.’
The traditionalist’s broad strokes
Dr. Tao states that there is something to
be said for both conventional and TCM approaches when it comes to treating
tumours, and he believes that TCM’s strength lies within its focus on overall
regulation and individuation. ‘TCM practitioners focus on regulating the
patient’s body, and as a result is more focused on the ‘afflicted person’,
taking care to preserve the patient’s spirits and strength in order to improve
the quality of life and build up resistance.
Individuation (or personalisation) is another feature of TCM, and
prescriptions are customised per the patient’s constitution and somatotype.’
Dr. Tao concludes by noting that medicines
of various effects are combined in compound decoctions, complicating herbal
therapy to such an extent that it remains poorly documented by modern
pharmacological methodologies. Whereas
conventional targeted therapy interferes with a narrow range of specific
molecules, TCM herbal therapy takes a broader approach and may be able to
pinpoint a higher number of these specific targets, which may improve
therapeutic outcomes.
