Cancer from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In TCM, there is no concept or specific term for "cancer." TCM views life as sustained by the continuous circulation of qi and blood. If this circulation is disrupted, qi becomes stagnant and blood obstructed, forming an accumulation at a certain location—this is what we call a tumor.

Western medicine does not recognize the principles of yin and yang or the dynamics of qi and blood, so it does not fully understand why tumors develop in the body. Its approach to treating tumors tends to be more direct and forceful.

In the business model of Western medicine, cancer treatment is a significant revenue source. Cancer, a concept developed by Western medicine, is promoted intensively, as well as the idea that untreated cancer inevitably leads to death. Consequently, people react to a cancer diagnosis with severe fear, sometimes going as far as exhausting their savings on hospital treatments. Surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation often drain both qi and blood, leaving the body's vital energy depleted, which can quickly lead to death. Many people who die from cancer treatments have even donated their bodies to the hospitals that treated them.

In reality, many cancer patients are casualties of the treatment itself.

When the circulation of qi and blood is hindered, it doesn't necessarily lead to immediate death. If there is still enough qi and blood to break through the blockage, the tumor can dissipate, and the patient can recover. If the blockage remains, qi and blood will find an alternate path, similar to a river changing course, enabling continued nourishment of the body, albeit less efficiently. While this adjustment incurs a higher metabolic cost, it does not bring immediate death.

When qi and blood become weak, the ability to clear these obstructions diminishes, and qi and blood accumulate around the mass, causing it to grow, which is known as "spread." Imagine a stone in a river: if the water flow slows, debris will gather around the stone, forming a larger blockage. But if the river flows swiftly, debris cannot settle. As long as qi and blood remain robust, even with a tumor, death is unlikely. This explains why some people with tumors can live for decades—because their qi and blood are still strong.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), cancer, often perceived as a “terminal illness,” is considered a manifestation of “extreme yin and cold energy” that deeply penetrates the internal organs, leading to a decline in vital functions. TCM approaches cancer treatment by using “Yang-Raising Therapy” to transform a constitution characterized by cold and yin energy, thereby dispelling the disease.

As long as the patient still has some yang energy, even if it is weak, methods to boost vital energy—such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, therapeutic exercises, and dietary treatments—can help raise the body's yang energy to resist the yin energy. By gradually eliminating this “extreme yin energy,” it is possible to overcome cancer.

However, once Western medicine intervenes with its “three major battles” (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation), the patient's yang energy and life force are often entirely depleted, and the body's natural recovery mechanisms are irreparably damaged, making further treatment impossible.