Comfort For Terminal Cancer Patients -- TCM

[Guest guest]

I'm thinking TaMara is referring to a doctor of Traditional Chinese

Medicine.

 

Michelle

 

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Traditional (TCM) views cancer as a slowing or

stoppage (stasis) in the flow of Substances in the body. In

particular, cancer is understood to have underlying factors that

allow cancer to develop. For example, factors such as Qi Stasis,

Blood Stasis, and Phlegm, are responsible for masses and abnormal

cellular growth. These three types of stasis are thought to result

from a variety of factors including emotional disharmony (which is

said to cause stasis in the body), improper diet and exercise, and

External Pathogenic Factors (which may remain in the body and cause

stasis).

 

Traditional Categories of Cancer

 

The type of stasis underlying a TCM understanding of cancer depends

upon signs and symptoms and the Zang Fu Organs affected. This stasis

is then examined in terms of the body's overall energetic features

and the state of the Zang Fu, the Substances, and the Meridians.

 

In terms of understanding the role of Stasis of the Fundamental

Substances, patients with cancer tend to display the following:

 

Qi Stasis: Distending pain, a mass that seems to appear and

disappear or change in size, easy frustration, and irritability or

other emotional reactions. The tongue is a dusky color, and the

pulse is wiry.

 

Blood Stasis: Sharp, stabbing pain and masses fixed in origin. The

tongue has distended sublingual veins, and the pulse is choppy.

 

Phlegm: Soft masses, a subjective sensation of heaviness or

sluggishness in the body, and expectoration of a copious amount of

phlegm. The tongue has a greasy coating, and the pulse is

slippery/wiry.

 

Because cancer may cause other disruptions in the body's energetics,

these signs and symptoms may be subtle and may only give an

indication of the TCM cause underlying the disease.

Traditional & Cancer Treatment Side Effects

 

While there is some preliminary evidence that the combined use of

conventional medicine and TCM may extend the life of cancer

patients, Traditional does not treat cancer

effectively and should not be used as a primary treatment modality.

Cancer patients who wish to use TCM along with conventional therapy

should speak to their physicians and their TCM practitioner, so that

a team approach to managing symptoms can be implemented.

 

TCM plays an auxiliary role in cancer treatment. It treats side

effects of conventional therapies, helps control pain, and helps

keep the immune system strong.

 

Many conventional therapies for cancer have side effects. For

chemotherapy, common side effects include the following:

 

Nausea

Inflammation of the mucosa in the mouth and esophagus (stomatitis

and esophagitis)

Fatigue

Low neutrophil (a type of white blood cell) count.

 

Common side effects of surgery are pain, discomfort, and lengthy

recovery time. With radiation therapy, common side effects include

inflammatory reactions in the areas being irradiated, dryness,

thirst, and fatigue.

 

While new drugs and approaches are being developed to help overcome

these side effects, TCM may provide useful complementary treatment

by focusing on specific symptoms. For example, a prostate cancer

patient undergoing radiation therapy and suffering from burning

urination and frequent nighttime urination (nocturia) is evaluated

and treated for nocturia. In other words, while the underlying cause

of cancer from a TCM perspective might be a combination of Blood

Stasis and Phlegm, the role of TCM is to support conventional

therapy and make the patient more comfortable by focusing on the

cause of the nocturia. This ranges from a diagnosis of Damp Heat to

Kidney Qi Deficiency.

 

Acupuncture

 

Acupuncture is most effective in treating pain, fatigue, and nausea

caused by oncology therapies. For pain, traditional points such as

Large Intestine 4 (He Gu) and Stomach 44 (Nei Ting), which have

analgesic effects, may be employed along with acupuncture points

that specifically affect local areas or Meridians. Examples would

include the use of Spleen 8 (Di Xi) for pain in the lower abdomen

and Gallbladder 34 (Yang Ling Quan) for pain in the ribside. Nausea

may be treated effectively by the use of points such as Pericardium

6 (Nei Guan) with acupuncture needles, electrical stimulation, or

massage. Fatigue may be treated with points such as Large Intestine

10 (Shou San Li) and Stomach 36 (Zu San Li). In all cases, a careful

differential diagnosis should be undertaken.

 

Herbal Medicine

 

Herbal medicine, like acupuncture, treats symptoms based on a

careful differential diagnosis. Specific herbal substances may be

used for particular conditions regardless of the overall energetic

evaluation. For example, the herb Huang Qi (Astragalus) in

sufficient dosages may help prevent fatigue and raise the neutrophil

count to allow chemotherapy to continue. Herbs such as Sha Ren

(Cardamom seeds) and Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger) are useful in

preventing nausea. Herbs such as Ji Xue Teng (Caulis Ji Xue Teng)

show a potent effect for raising white blood cell counts.

 

Qi Gong

 

Qi Gong has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness in

strengthening the immune system; fighting fatigue, depression, and

side effects of cancer treatments; and inducing a sense of well-

being. Cancer patients undergoing oncological intervention should be

encouraged to participate in Qi Gong exercises within their

tolerance level, particularly in group practice sessions, to

maintain a gentle exercise program and reduce stress and fatigue.

[Guest guest]

This is so interesting to me. How would one find someone who does TCM?

 

Julia

 

Graber Girl By Julia

Julia Graber Cregger

[Guest guest]

Hi Julia,

Here's a good place to start. Lots of cool links.

http://acupuncture.8k.com/acupvil.htm

 

Where I live, we have a directory of alternative practitioners and

lots of resources, but not all places are like that. The manager at

your local vitamin store might provide a good referral.

 

There's probably an online directory in one of those links too or you

can do a google search for a directory of doctors of TCM.

 

Hope this helps some Julia,

Michelle

[Guest guest]

Thank you Michelle. I'll check on this.

 

Julia

 

Graber Girl By Julia

Julia Graber Cregger

[Guest guest]

Ugh...

 

>TCM plays an auxiliary role in cancer treatment. It treats side

>effects of conventional therapies, helps control pain, and helps

>keep the immune system strong.

 

I found the graphic descriptions of the ways in which allopathic

medicine wants us to view and use the gifts of TCM as nothing more

than an enabler very disturbing. When I think of people submitting to

radiation burns, or getting weaker and weaker from their chemotherapy

pills, I get pretty angry. Seems like modern day blood letting to me,

and attempting to institutionalize TCM as something to help folks go

through it sits very poorly with me.

 

-Josh