| The
language of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may at first
sound strange to the patient who has been diagnosed with cancer.
Once it's explained however, because symptom description is based
on terms that describe the energy of the body, the TCM description
makes sense. The energetic language can be a welcome addition to
the library of medical oncology terms that the cancer patient is
becoming familiar with.
In TCM, every disease process is considered to
be the result of imbalance in 8 opposing principles which, when
in perfect harmony, keep the body healthy: yin/yang, heat/cold,
excess/deficiency, interior/exterior. The Oriental Medicine doctor
is guided by these 8 principles of opposites.
Learning About the 8 Principles of Traditional
Chinese Medicine Diagnosis
Keep in mind that there is no "right"
or "wrong" to any patient situation - we are only looking
for the underlying cause of the disease so that we can return the
patient to balance, and health.
Yin/Yang:
Yin is the patient with the barely audible speaking voice, meek
demeanor, or unable to make eye contact; Yang is the patient who
is aggressive, demanding or loud.
Heat/Cold: Heat is the patient
with sweating, a red face, or an elevated temperature; Cold is the
patient with cold hands and feet, cold skin, or wearing a sweater
on a hot day.
Excess/Deficiency:
Excess is the patient who has constant sputum or phlegm, painful
distended belly, headaches that seem to make the head expand; Deficiency
is the patient who is weak, has slouched posture, or is extremely
pale.
Interior/Exterior:
Interior is the patient who has chronic condition, an emotional
imbalance, or a disease from the inside; Exterior is the patient
who has a viral or bacterial illness, or a poison from outside the
body.
Taking a Closer Look at Treatment for Two
Patients With Cancer
Because a diagnosis in TCM is individualized,
two patients with the same cancer can have two different TCM patterns,
leading to two different treatments. M.L. is a patient who has recently
been diagnosed with breast cancer, for which she has undergone a
double mastectomy and is undergoing chemotherapy. She has a calm
belief that her cancer will go into remission, but she is severely
fatigued, pale, and has spontaneous sweating. J.B. also has a recent
diagnosis of breast cancer, has also undergone a double mastectomy
and is also undergoing chemotherapy. J.B. has hard and rope-like
arm veins where drugs were administered, has a ruddy complexion,
is extremely angry at having cancer, and is intensely worried about
passing the BRCA1 to her daughter.
Both patients would be diagnosed with an Interior
condition but M.L. shows signs of imbalance of Yin, Deficiency and
Cold (although she also has some “false” or chemotherapy
induced heat). J.B. would be diagnosed with a Yang, Excess and heat
imbalance.
How Treatment Plans Differ
The treatment plan for each patient includes acupuncture,
moxibustion, herbs and exercise. However, that’s where the
similarity ends. Since the two patients are found to have very different
underlying imbalances in the 8 Principles, the acupuncture points
used in treatment are very different. In addition, M.L. has an oncologist
who is concerned about her extremely low white blood cell count,
so he has advised against needles. For M.L. acupuncture points are
stimulated at different times with either finger pressure, a cold
laser, micro current application, or heated herbs. (J.B. gets a
standard shallow needling insertion technique on her acupuncture
point prescription.)
J. B. is not convinced that the herbs won’t
interact with the chemotherapy that is keeping the cancer in remission
so, instead of a Classical Chinese Formula she
includes foods that, according to TCM, have the healing
properties she would get from an herbal formula. (M.L. takes Classical
Chinese Formula’s which change as her symptoms change.)
Each patient has a session of Meridian Exercise
at each treatment. While M.L. works with a personal trainer who
guides her through QiGong meditation, stretching and acupressure,
J.B.’s trainer puts her through a fast-paced routine that
incorporates yoga, QiGong and strength training.
Many of the patients at Heavenly Bodies Clinic
are happy to share their acupuncture experience with others. If
you are considering adding acupuncture to your cancer-care regimen
and would like to talk to one of our patients, send
us an email with the basic information regarding your health,
your diagnosis and questions you have about Traditional Chinese
Medicine.
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