2020/12/11
I became interested in studying Chinese medicine in 2007 after reading an article by Dr. Haixia Ni. This interest grew into a desire to make Chinese medicine my lifelong career.
The title of his article is "The Curse of Pandora's Box," and it is mainly about the danger of testing whether a tumor is benign or malignant via a biopsy. He begins
We use Pandora’s box in Western fairy tales as a metaphor.
.... Suppose there is such a black box in every human body. It is not allowed to be opened. Once opened, the person will die quickly...
Western medicine considers the presence of cancer cells and tumors in the body as a disease, and counsels that they must be quickly eliminated. Dr. Ni, however, believes that the existence of cancer cells is a natural phenomenon that accompanies the aging process. My opinion is that it is normal for people to have wrinkles, age spots, and physiological decline when they are old. One can say cancer is fatal, but physiological decline is similarly fatal. Old age, weakness, sickness, and death are the natural order of life. Western medicine has labeled cancer a disease to be combatted, and developed means to detect it at an early stage, but is this a blessing or a curse?
Dr. Ni emphasizes that the practice of using a biopsy to sample tumors may accelerate the growth and spread of tumors that have not yet caused symptoms. It is like opening Pandora's box. Once opened, deterioration begins. He continues with a case report.
A gentleman from Taiwan had a middle-aged wife with breast cancer, and he accompanied her to the Western hospital for treatment. After surgery to remove the tumor, she began a long course of chemotherapy. One day the husband was waiting for his wife and saw that the doctor was free. He approached the doctor and said, "There is a small lump on my tongue. It has been there for more than ten years and I have been ignoring it. Can you take a look at it for me?" After the kind Western doctor's examination, he was told to have a biopsy. After the the biopsy was performed (Pandora’s box was opened), it was found to be cancer, so Western medicine recommended surgery. After the operation, three more bumps appeared on his tongue. The man told the doctor that the tumor came back again, but the doctor didn't believe him. The doctor said that it was impossible and refused to examine the man. A week later, lumps grew in the man's throat, so he went to the hospital again. The cancer had metastasized, so he immediately began chemotherapy. He passed away after three months while his wife was still undergoing chemotherapy for her breast cancer. This is a real case in Taiwan.
According to Dr. Ni’s decades of medical experience, many patients wth cancer can lead a normal life under the care of Chinese medicine. Unfortunately, the prevalence of cancer screening and the practice of using biopsies to discern benign tumors from malignant ones leads patients into long courses of painful medical treatment, metastasis and recurrence, and early demise. He concludes
All the longest-living people in the world have been found to have various cancers in their bodies after their deaths and cancer was not the cause of death in these people. They died of old age. There is a reason for this. It is because the black box that exists in each of these people was never opened. They did not go to the hospital for physical examinations or cancer screenings. They lived calm and contented lives, without the shadow of cancer hovering over them.
Chinese and Western Medicines' Different Perspectives on Human Health
To Chinese medicine, the human body directly provides information about its health. A healthy body shows the basic signs of health. (I will write about these signs soon.) When the body is out of balance, the signs of health are missing. There is discomfort and symptoms are evident. Health can be improved by adjustments to schedule, diet, exercise, etc. The assistance of massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, etc., can also keep the body healthy. Simply put, to know one's health, equipment is not necessary. People have the ability to observe and perceive their own physical and mental health.
Western medicine probes the health of the human body mainly through instruments and numbers. When one visits a doctor, the doctor often looks at numerical data and imagry instead of directly examining the patient. When the patient feels unwell, but all the numbers are normal, the doctor will tell him that there is no problem. Western medicine places people's subjective feelings a distant second.
These different perspectives result in different focuses in medical diagnosis and treatment. Take the treatment of cancer patients, for example. Western medicine treatment focuses on tumor size and cancer cell counts. In order to eradicate cancer, chemical and radioactive poisons are used even though the whole body is harmed. Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on a person's quality of life, including eating, drinking, and sleeping. When the body has sufficient energy, it will control or eliminate tumors and cancer cells. These two systems of medicine inevitably go their separate ways, making it almost impossible to integrate or cooperate on treating disease. My teacher, Haixia Ni, is a firm believer in this rigid dichotomy.
My Grandma
When my grandma was nearing 70 years old, she had already had a chronic cough for 2-3 years. Although she was not as strong as before, she continued to sell vegetables and cook for her grandchildren as usual. Out of their concern for her cough, my aunts persuaded her to go to a hospital for an examination. She was diagnosed with lung cancer, hospitalized for surgery, and received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In just a week's time, Grandma could no longer walk. She was completely bedridden and couldn't get up. She needed someone's help to take a bath. Within 3 months of hospitalization, she passed away.
I sometimes think to myself that if Grandma hadn't gone to the hospital for a checkup, she would continue to cough until she passed away naturally. Maybe that would be longer, and maybe not, but at least she would have enjoyed a better quality of life, able to move freely and without medically-induced pain.
Choice of Medical Treatment Reflects Our Views on Life
I choose Chinese medicine not because I believe it is more effective, but because I agree with its principles. Modern Western medicine prolongs human life, but certain medical procedures violate the relationship between man and the natural body. It is important to me to live with dignity and to die with dignity. Therefore, medical treatment that respects the natural functioning of the body is close to my heart.
The goal of the Chinese medicine profession is to provide people with an alternative to mainstream Western medicine. I use thousands of years of collective wisdom from the East to provide care and support for the people who likewise choose a natural way of life. I hope that people can continue to live healthy lives, benefit from appropriate and effective medical treatment when they are sick, and maintain a good quality of life until it is time to rest in peace.
