Cancer

Cancer is a disease process featuring the abnormally rapid division of cells and/or the disruption of normal programmed cell death in one or several regions of the body. It has been made to be a very scary diagnosis, but this disorder is very much treatable and curable, so long as it is properly handled. It is first important to understand that cancer is not a pathogen which invades from without the body, but one which is an improper behavior of the body itself. This means there is nothing to fight off or attack or kill. You do not heal cancer by killing the cancerous cells nor by destroying tumors; cancer is healed by regulating cell function and correcting the imbalances in the organ which generated the cancerous behavior to begin with. Although this is a complex disease pattern and one which can’t be fully explained in this article, I will provide the general ideas behind diagnosis and treatment strategies.

The first problem with cancer is rapid cell division and growth, often leading to tumors. This feature of the presentation indicates heat. Heat causes things to move faster and to develop more quickly. More heat means less inertia in a system. The second pathogenic factor leading to cancer development in most cases is blood stasis and/or phlegm stasis. If heat is present systemically this won’t generate tumors; plenty of people have a ton of systemic heat but do not develop cancer. The secondary factor of extreme stagnation of the fluids generates a terrain in which heat is trapped locally within an organ or organ system. This stagnation gives rise to what is called toxic heat and this is the environment which can lead to: Tumor development, tissue damage, bleeding, ulcers and fistulae, etc.

Depending on the affected organ or tissue of the body treatments vary in terms of herbs, acupuncture, drugs, chemo/radiation, lifestyle changes, etc. In most cases, however, the primary treatment strategy will involve breaking up blood stasis and resolving toxic heat. Underlying patterns must also be taken into careful consideration and the treatment will be different for every person. For some people chemotherapy and/or radiation will be the most appropriate primary treatment. This style of treatment is extremely toxic for the body, however, and it is not appropriate for those who have deficiencies of yin and blood.

Historically, the application of toxic substances in the treatment of cancer has been quite popular. In Chinese medicine it is not uncommon to see the prescription of scorpion, centipede, snake, and other insects which have a toxicity about them in order to generate a response from the body to resolve that toxicity. This is very much a homeopathic style of treatment, treating like with like. When a toxic substance is introduced in low doses the body mobilizes to resolve that toxin and in this process will also resolve the toxicity of a tumor. It effectively uncloaks cancerous progressions to the immune system and stimulates the body to correct this (programmed cell death for the defective cells). Chemotherapy works in the same way. If someone is yin deficient or blood deficient they will respond poorly to this style of treatment, however, with many of the signs seen as side effects of chemotherapy and radiation such as: extreme gastrointestinal disturbance, headache, hair loss, fatigue, bleeding, rashes, tissue damage, etc. It is important to be assessed by a medical professional to determine your candidacy for these styles of treatment.

For those who have extreme underlying deficiencies and are not good candidates for aggressive treatment styles the primary treatment strategy often involves, in addition to tonifying those underlying deficiencies, the use of immunomodulating substances in fairly high doses to strengthen the immune function and provide the body with the resources to recognize and correct irregular cell function. The most popular immunomodulators are fungi, and indeed the first course of treatment for many types of cancers in countries like Japan, Korea, and China often involves a rigorous dietary regimen and high doses of medicinal fungi like: Reishi, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Maitake, Agaricus blazei, Chaga, and Cordyceps.

Most of the dietary regimens and home remedies for cancer work by clearing large amounts of heat from the body. This can be seen in therapies which eliminate all sugar and flour and essentially are composed entirely of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. Similarly the baking soda remedy for cancer involves clearing large amounts of heat with a very common household substance which happens to be very effective at draining heat through the urine. Similarly again is the home remedy utilizing very large doses of the water soluble vitamins - B & C - which provides the body with anti-oxidants which clear heat. The perfect treatment strategy is going to be different for each person, but often it involves a combination of pharmaceuticals, herbal treatment, and home treatment such as dietary changes. For those who choose to undergo chemo/radiation treatments, the use of herbs together with this can be extremely helpful to reduce or eliminate the common side effects. Often the most concerning side effect is hair loss and weight loss. These symptoms are more pronounced the more blood deficient a person is. Some people have chemotherapy and do not have any side effects; these are patients with very strong resources. For those who have deficiencies, herbs can provide resources for the body which will prevent the development of these side effects without interfering with the treatment regimen.

There are a large number of emerging drugs which are very effective in the treatment of cancers apart from chemotherapy, many of which are utilizing a completely different treatment strategy than chemo and which have none of the traditional side effects. The options for treatment are stronger than ever, and utilizing all of your available resources within both the allopathic and holistic medical systems is the best course of action. The most important thing is to educate yourself regarding your diagnosis and the treatments available. There is no reason not to be completely informed about every option in this day and age given the resources available online. Take charge of your treatment plan and do not jump into a treatment regimen which you are not completely comfortable with.