肿瘤的中医治疗

Treatment of cancer by Chinese Medicine

从西医目前对于癌症的研究看，肿瘤细胞也是一种人体细胞，只不过是癌症细胞属于不能够由幼稚细胞持续分化成成熟的人体细胞而已。一旦人体细胞成熟，细胞就会停止分化，细胞个数就不会增加。而肿瘤细胞停滞在成熟以前的细胞分化阶段，所以保持着持续的由一个细胞分化成两个细胞，两个细胞变为四个细胞的过程，也就是所谓的肿瘤的生长和肿痛体积的增大。所以，肿瘤就有由于某种原因导致了体内细胞不能够完成从幼稚细胞分化到成熟细胞的过程。从这个意义上讲，肿瘤细胞就如同一个不懂事的坏孩子在作坏事。我们是应该关心这个孩子，教育和引导这个孩子进入正常的成长过程，还是将他杀死或者将他踢出社会？

Based on the medical research, cancer cells are also a kind of normal body cell that stopped on the middle way towards to the mature into normal mature body cells. Normally, once a young body cell develops into mature stage, it would not differentiate from one cell to two, from two to four and from four to eight…. The cancel cells, because something wrong, cannot finish or complete the mature course, so that it stays in the differentiating phase to increase the numbers. From this point of view, the cancer cell behaviors as a bad body, who do not follow the common rule of family or of community, and does bad things to its surrounding environment. For us as a mature person, should we take care the need of the boy towards to the good behavior to obey the social bylaw, or should we “kill” him or kick it away from our family and society?

正由于肿瘤细胞也是人体的正常细胞的一种，所以人体的免疫细胞就不能够分辨出肿瘤细胞，也就不能够启动清除肿瘤细胞的机制。也正由于这个原因，化疗就很难只针对肿瘤细胞而不伤害正常细胞，这也就是为什么化疗的副作用几乎是不可避免的。

Just because the cancer cell is kind of normal body cell, our body defense system, the immune system, cannot recognize it to clear it off the body. For this reason, a chemotherapy is hardly only working on the cancer cell but not on the normal body cell. So, the side effects of the chemotherapy is unavoidable.

中医认为肿瘤本质上属于阴寒包块。是由于人体正气不足以化解体内的寒气所造成的。人体的正气也就是体内的阳气，阳气具有温热，温煦，导引，促进，鼓舞人体生命活动的功能，也就是说能够促使人体内幼稚细胞向成熟细胞过渡的作用。阳气不足，这种细胞成熟的过程就不完全，肿瘤细胞也就会出现。

Chinese medicine believes that cancer is a kind Cold mass in the body. It belongs to a Yin mass. It is due to the weak of body defense system, which is called Yang Qi in Chinese medicine. The Yang Qi in the body works to stimulate, to boost, to activate, and to warm up, and to guide body life functions, such as breath, heart beat, digestion, urination, sexual desire and activity, the immune defense functions, as well as the completion of cell mature course. Without sufficient Yang Qi, the body function is slow down and the cell mature course becomes sluggish, so the cancer cell formed. 

导致人体阳气不足的原因很多，现代人类生活的许多方面都会导致阳气不足，比如说精神压力大，劳累，贪心不足，欲望得不到满足，性生活过度，饮食过度等等。就是说，任何导致人过度的精神活动行为比过度的体力活动的行为更能损害人体的阳气而导致肿瘤的形成。

There are many reasons that can cause the insufficient stage of body Yang Qi, especially for the modern life styles. For example, all of the following aspects of life can cause the Yang Qi insufficiency:  stress, anxiety, over work, cravings, over sex, over eat or drink, etc. That means, any body activities that can cause exhaustion of body physical or mental energy, would cause the Yang Qi deficiency, so as to have cancer in the body.

中医一直强调人体的阳气，认为阳气足，就不会生病。所以中医治疗过程中，扶正是治疗的非常重要的一个方面，而去邪（就是清除细菌，病毒，癌细胞等）只是另外一个方面。而西医的治疗基本上专注于杀伤细菌，杀伤病毒和杀伤癌细胞，而扶足人体正气阳气的能力十分薄弱，所以治疗效果较差。

Chinese medicine always emphasizes the important of the sufficient Yang Qi in the body. It believes that the body would not get sick when the Body Yang Qi is sufficient. During the treatment of a disease, to nourish the body Yang Qi is one of the most very important aspects that a Chinese medicine doctor bearing in the mind. For western medicine, on the other side, more focuses on to the kill of the cancer cells (as they intends to kill all bacteria, virus, fungers, etc., if a disease is caused by them).

由于中医治疗在于促进体内阳气的生成，也就是促进了细胞的分化过程，所以减少了出现新的癌细胞的机率。而当现有的癌细胞加速分化成熟，变成了正常细胞，所以这些由癌细胞转化过来的所谓的“正常细胞”的在体内的减少速度，也就是说癌肿的体积，不会缩小很快，甚至会有所增大，但是却不会再扩散到身体的其它部位。

Because Chinese medicine focuses on the improvement of body Yang Qi, e.g. the course of the cell mature course, the treatment of Chinese medicine reduces the chance of formation of a cancer. When the cell mature course is speeded up and improved to transfer a cancer cell into a normal cell (there are many medical research and clinic observation suggest and support this idea), the cancer-transformed “normal  cell” may make the previous mass increase slightly by its size, but there would have no spread of more “cancer cell” to other part of the body.  

而西医的治疗，往往能够将癌症组织或切除（手术），或缩小（如放疗），或将血中癌症细胞数量减少（如化疗），表明上看癌症得到了治疗，战果辉煌，实际上由于没有纠正 产生癌症的根本原因，所以这些治疗后常常还会有新的癌细胞出现和扩散。这就是为什么西医不敢讲癌症的治愈，而只能讲五年存活率。

On the other side, the treatment by western medicine, though it works to make the cancer mass disappear (such as surgical operation), or shrink (such as radiation therapy), or reduce in number in blood or bone marrow (such as by chemotherapy), cannot make sure that there would have no more cancer cell be formed and the current cancer cell would not spread on to other part of the body. The reason is: it works on the current cancer mass, but not on the cause of a cancer. This is why the effect of conventional treatment of cancer cannot be evaluated as cure, but a survival rate.

现在已经发现许多草药具有抗癌作用。比如草药八角莲，红豆杉，雷公藤，鸦胆子，野百合，三尖杉，冬凌草，佩兰，薏苡仁，夏枯草，半边莲，凤尾草，皂角刺，草河车，山豆根等等。同时也发现绝大多数草药具有促进细胞分化的作用。还有一些水果也具有促细胞分化的作用，比如西瓜，西红柿，菜花，芦根，花生，甜土豆，大蒜，小茴香，草莓，鱼肉，虾等。

It was found that there are many kinds of herbs that bear anti-cancer effects, such as Ba Jiao Lian, Hong Dou Shan, Lei Gong Teng, Ya Dan Zi, Ye Bei He, San Dian Shan, Dong Ling Cao, Yi Yi Ren, Xia Ku Cao, Ban Bian Lian, Fen Wei Cao, Zao Jiao Ci, Cao He Che, Shan Dou Gen, and so on. Their anti-cancer effects are explained by the improvement of cell maturation. It was also found that many fruits and vegetables are also have such similar effects, such as Water Melon, Tomato, Cauliflower, Lotus root, Peanut, Sweat potato, garlic, Strawberry, fish, shrimp, etc. 

中医对于肿瘤的治疗主要是草药治疗。中医对于肿瘤本身的治疗也经过了不同阶段的认识和经验。

Chinese medicine mostly uses herbal therapy for the treatment of a cancer. The main plan for the treatment has been changed from its beginning stage. 

最初治疗的理念和西医一样，就是在用活血化瘀的基础上大量使用具有所谓抗癌作用的药物。已经有大量临床研究表明这样治疗，无论单独应用中药，或与西药化疗放疗和手术疗法合用，毫无疑问能够提高癌症的治疗五年生存率。 但是，对于相当多的癌症患者，这种治疗效果还是不可靠。

From beginning, the main plan for the treatment is similar as the western medicine, e.g. focuses on the kill of the cancer cells by use of various and large dose of so called anti-cancer herbs. There are lots of clinic researches supporting that such treatment alone or together with western medicine would of course increase the five-year survival rate of a cancer patient. However, this result is still uncertainty for some patients.

1．针对癌症本身的治疗

1. Treatment of cancer per se

现在有一种新的治疗癌症的思路是以病人基本体质或基本中医临床证型为主，加用一定量的具有抗癌作用的草药。尽量选用那些具有抗癌作用的，但同时又符合病人现时身体和疾病的证型治疗需要相吻合的草药。任何时候，如果病情的基本证型发生变化，则草药的方剂也就跟着变化，哪怕这种方剂的使用和所谓的“抗癌”毫不相干。 比如说病人感冒了，就治疗感冒；腹泻就治疗腹泻，怕冷就治疗怕冷，情绪不安就镇静安神等等。如果病人没有任何不适，比如说癌症早期，就以补脾温阳结合改变生活方式等治疗, 或者用隔姜灸治疗（见下）。

Currently, there is a renewed plan for the treatment of cancer. It is to correct the basic body constitution of the person with cancer, plus the use of some herbs bearing anti-cancer effect. Once the body condition and body constitution change, the herbal formula would also be changed accordingly.  For example, if the patient catches cold, we solve the cold. If he get constipation, we solve the constipation. If he was very tired, we improve his energy level, and so on. By this way, it seems that we did not treat the cancer, but we maintain the patient’s body condition in an activated and high energy level. This would help the body to finish the normal cell mature course, so as to transfer the cancer cells into normal body cells. If the patient feels nothing wrong, we start to use lower dose of herbs to nourish the Spleen system (mostly the digestive system), since it is the energy source for a body to maintain life. Another choice is to use the over-ginger moxibustion therapy to boost the immune system of the body (see below).

这样治疗的结果是病人始终保持精力充沛，情绪安静，能如同正常人一样生活和工作，而癌症的体积未必在短时间内有所改变。虽然癌症仍然存在于体内，但是五年存活率比用化疗放疗等治疗要高的多的多。我们称之为带瘤生存。 很多情况下，一个好端端的人在经过了化疗和放疗后精神面貌和体力都会变得极差，如此的体质如何能抗癌？按照我们上面的分析，如果一个人的精神差，体力差，就是说人体的阳气差。阳气不足时，又如何能促使癌细胞加速分化为成熟的正常细胞而达到治疗癌症的目的？

To treat patient with cancer as such seems not focusing on the cancer mass. However, the patient could have reasonable amount of physical energy and calm and peaceful mind to handle daily life and work as everyone. The size of the cancer may not shrink soon and it may stay inside the body for a while, whereas the cancer mass (now most of the cells inside may not be original cancer cells) would not become furthermore bigger and not spread to other part of the body. We call it “tumor-carrying” life, just as some people carry an ovary cyst inside the body and does not need any urgent or aggressive treatment.  Although the cancer (now we can call it a tumor) is still inside the body, but the five-year survival rate becomes much higher than aggressive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

All of these mean that we focus more on the transformation of cancer cells into normal cells, and to the improvement of life quality of a cancer patient, instead of on the cancer mass in the body. It is pity that the cancer disappears after treatment but a life also disappears sooner after the treatment. We care more for the person, not more on the cancer per se.

2. 针对化疗放疗副作用之治疗

2. Treatment and correction of side effects of chemotheray

由于化疗药物对于癌细胞和癌症组织的选择性差，要让药物百分之百地只作用于癌细胞而不伤害正常组织和细胞几乎是不可能的。虽然说放疗也许能比以往更精准地杀伤癌组织，但是对于有些癌症，比如说血癌，还只能以化疗为主。 所以化疗后的副作用和对于病人的伤害，仍然是西医治疗癌症过程中十分棘手和头痛的事情。这是最典型的医源性伤害，而病人受到这么多伤害也未必能活得过五年。

Because the poor selection of the chemotherapy to the cancer cells and normal cells, it is hard to avoid side effects of a chemotherapy of skilling cancer cells without hurting normal cells. Although nowadays a radiation therapy might be more specific to the cancer mass than before, but for chemotherapy, especially when it is used for cancer cells that oriented from bone marrow (such as leukemia), the hurt of normal bone marrow cells are still hardly avoidable. A chemotherapy might have to stop because such severe side effects. This is a typical medicine-oriented damage to people. The person may not live more than five years though the person has suffered a lot from such side effects.

常见的副作用是体力下降，疲乏；焦虑易怒，紧张不安，或情绪低沉，易哭泣；皮肤粘膜出血；感染；食欲不振；便秘；皮肤干燥和脱发等等。

The commonly seen side effects after chemotherapy is reduce in the body energy level. The person fells as crash in the energy and feels very tired.  Other side effects are anxiety, stress, depression, easy to cry, bleeding, infection, poor appetite, constipation, dry skin and loss of hair, and so on.

体力下降，疲乏感明显

Chronic fatigue

如果病人疲乏而怕冷，嗜睡，脉弱，我们用四逆汤治疗。如果怕冷，手脚冰却喜欢喝冷水，用四逆散治疗。疲乏而不嗜睡，胃口尚可，脉浮大者，用补中益气汤。疲乏而伴有明显焦躁紧张易怒者，用逍遥散或加味逍遥散，或参附龙牡汤。

If the patient feels chronic fatigue, chilly or cold, desire to lie down for nap, and the pulse feels week and deep, we use herbal formula Si Ni Tang. If the patient feels cold in the hands and feet, but likes to drink cold water, use Si Ni San. If the person feels tired, short of breath, and the pulse feels floating and big, use Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang. If the chronic fatigue is with strong anxiety, stress, upset, use Xiao Yao San, or Jia Wei Xiao Yao San, or Shen Fu Long Mu Tang.

情绪障碍

Emotional disorders

对于身热，紧张易怒的病人，用逍遥散，加味逍遥散，百合地黄汤，参附龙牡汤， 桂芪四逆散或梅合四逆散 等酌情使用。对于白天焦躁而夜间安静者，用干姜附子汤。烦热夜间为剧，手脚热者，用三物黄芩汤。对于易哭泣，生活情趣下降，甚至轻生者，用甘麦大枣汤，柴胡龙骨牡蛎汤等。对于紧张，怕死，十分担忧病情者，用温胆汤，或黄连温胆汤等；

If the patient feels hot and easy to feel angry and upset, use Xiao Yao San, or Jia Wei Xiao Yao San, Bai He Di Huang Tang, Shen Fu Long Mu Tang, Gui Qi Si Ni San, or Mei He Si Ni San. If the patients feels anxiety mostly during the day time, but not in the evening or at night, use  Gan Jiang Fu Zi Tang. If the patient feels more anxiety and hot hands and feet mostly at night, but pretty quiet and calm during the day time, use San Wu Huang Qin San. If the person is easy to cry, has lower life ambition, even willingness to suicide, use Gan Mai Da Zao tang, Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang, or Gui Zhi Long Gu Mu Li Tang. If the patient feels very nervous, fare to die, very cares for the disease, use Wen Dan Tang, or Huang Lina Wen Dan Tang.

各种出血

Bleeding

由于化疗损伤骨髓造血组织，血小板减少而出现各种出血。常用归脾汤。如果出血颜色鲜红，量多，病人身热烦躁口干便秘，或胃脘不堵塞不畅，考虑用三黄泻心汤。也可考虑黄连上清丸或黄连阿胶汤。伴有精神紧张者，也用参附龙牡汤止血。取决于局部的出血部位，医生也会选用更有针对性的方剂止血。

Because the damage to the bone marrow by chemotherapy, the blood number of platelet could reduce after the treatment to cause various bleeding. The most commonly used herbal formula is Gui Pi Tang. If the color of bleeding is fresh red and the amount is large, and if the patient feels hot in the body, dry in mouth, has constipation or has blocking feeling in the stomach, consider to use San Huang Xie Xin Tang, Huang Lian Shang Qin Wan, or Huang Lian A Jiao Tang. If the bleeding is with anxiety and stress, use Shen Fu Long Mu Tang to stop the bleeding. Depending on the specific location of the bleeding, doctors would also choose more specific herbal formula to stop bleeding.

各种感染

 Infection

由于化疗造成血中白细胞，淋巴细胞数量减少， 化疗后的病人容易感染。感染而身热汗出口渴喜冷饮便秘者，用白虎汤或白虎加人参汤；热不剧，而疲乏，口干气短者，用竹叶石膏汤；恶寒发热者根据辩证而使用桂枝汤，麻杏石甘汤，葛根汤等。腹痛腹泻者用黄芩汤或葛根芩连汤。恶寒而几乎不发热，嗜睡，脉沉而弱者，考虑用麻黄附子细辛汤或四逆汤之类。

Due to the reduction of the number of white blood cells and lymphocyte in blood circulation, the patient is easy to get infection after chemotherapy. If the patient has infection, feels hot in the body and has sweat, dry mouth, constipation, and likes to dink cold water, use Bai Hu Tang, or Bai Hu Jia Ren Shen Tang.  If the body temperature is not so high, but the person feels very tired, short of breath, dry month, use Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang. If the person feels chilly or cold, (may or may have fever), sweat, consider the use of Gui Zhi Tang, Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang, Ge Gen Tang. If there is stomach pain and diarrhea, use Ge Gen Qin Lian Tang. If there is chilly feeling, with or without fever, but feels desire to lie down for nap, and if the pulse feels deep and weak, use Ma Huang Fu Zi Xi Xing Tang, or even Si Ni Tang. 

食欲不振

Poor appetite

食欲不振在肿瘤化疗后非常常见。化疗药物非常容易损伤胃肠道粘膜。常用的药有理中汤，附子理中汤，或连理汤；或柴胡桂枝汤，或柴胡桂枝干姜汤等。食欲不振而伴有明显腹胀时，用厚姜夏草人参汤。呃逆者，用旋复代赭石汤。

It is common in patient after chemotherapy. This is because the chemotherapy drugs damage the mucus of the digestive system. The commonly used herbal formula to improve the appetite are the Li Zhong Tang, Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang or Lian Li Tang. Some others may need Chai Hu Gui Zhi Tang, or Chai Hu Gui Zhi Gan Jiang Tang. If the poor appetite is with strong stomach bloating, use Hou Jiang Xia Cao Ren Shen Tang, or Tiao Wei Cheng Qi Tang.

便秘

Constipation

便秘者，用桂枝大黄汤，枳术丸，五积散，麻子仁丸，或大黄蛰虫丸，升降散，清热解郁汤等，需要辩证寒热而选方。中医治疗便秘并不困难。

For constipation, use Gui Zhi Da Huang Tang, Zhi Zhu Wan, Wu Ji San, Ma Zi Ren Wan, or Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan, Shen Jiang San, or Qing Re Jie Yu Tang. It is needed to make Chinese medicine diagnosis to decide which of the herbal formula to use. It is not difficult for Chinese medicine to solve the constipation.

腹泻

Diarrhea

腹泻可用葛根芩连汤，黄芩汤。 化疗后的病人体内多为寒热错杂，用半夏泻心汤，干姜泻心汤，甘草泻心汤的机会更多。

For diarrhea, we use Ge Gen Qin Lian Tang, or Huang Qin Tang. The body condition for patient after chemotherapy is usually the mixture of Cold and Fire, so we also use Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang, Gan Jiang Xie Xin Tng, or Gan Cao Xie Xin Tang.

皮肤干燥和脱发

Dry skin and Hair loss

化疗后的皮肤干燥和脱发，需要用八珍汤，归脾汤，或参附龙牡汤。中成药用六味地黄丸。

The dry skin and loss of hair after chemotherapy is solved by use of herbal formula Ba Zheng Tang, Gui Pi Tang, or Shen Fu Long Mu Tang. For the herbal products, we normally use Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.

总之，中医纠正化疗放疗后的副作用很有效。 化疗和放疗过程中使用草药治疗，能使病人有足够的体力和精力耐受化疗药物的冲击；放疗和化疗后使用草药治疗，能缓解和消除放疗化疗的副作用，使机体快速恢复接近正常的身体抵抗力，维持正常的生活和工作能力。这是生活在西方国家的人们所不知道的。

Generally speaking, Chinese herbal therapy works very well for the side effects after chemotherapy. If the herbal therapy is used during the chemotherapy, it makes the patient have sufficient body energy and higher tolerant to the attack by the chemical drugs, so as to help the patient and the western medicine doctor to complete the chemotherapy plan. If it is used after the chemotherapy, it allows the patient to get rid of the possible side effects as soon as possible and to return to normal life and to live as every healthy people. This is unknown by people living in the western countries.

以上介绍的方剂只是一些常用方剂的例子。 并不是说治疗癌症或化疗副作用就只是这些方剂。不同的病人需要不同的药物，而不同的中医医生对于同一个病人也会用不同的方剂。这是很自然的事情，这是因为医生用什么药是根据他自己的教育背景和临床经验的多少以及医生的个性所决定的。

The introduction above for the herbal formula is only a example. It does not mean that they are the only ones we use for patient with cancer. In fact, different patient needs different herbs and for a given patient, the herbal formula is also changeable depending on the body condition from time to time. In addition, for a given patient, different TCM doctor most probably use different herbal formula for the treatment, depending on the education and clinic experience among the doctors, as well as the personality of a doctor (some doctor are more brave than others to use some herbal formula that may work much faster and better but may also cause some unexpected healing reaction by the patient.)

对于以上所有的副作用的治疗，也可以用针灸。对于肿瘤本身的治疗，还是以草药疗法为主。根据病情的不同，副作用的不同，针灸选择的穴位也不一样。

For all of the side effects from chemotherapy, we can also use acupuncture for the treatment. Though it is not so powerful for the treatment of cancer per se, it is a powerful complementary therapy to the herbal therapy. For acupuncture, the acupuncture points are different depending on the side effects.

对于癌症本身以及化疗放疗副作用的治疗，有一种特殊的艾灸疗法需要知道，就是隔姜灸疗法。由于中医认为肿瘤是阴寒之体，治疗肿瘤就需要将肿瘤温化。隔姜灸是中医里面的最有效的温化寒凝，治疗肿瘤的方法之一。

Beside the herbal therapy, another powerful therapy is over-ginger moxibustion therapy. Chinese medicine believes that cancer is a Yin and Cold tissue mass in the body. The over-ginger moxibustion works well to dispel the Cold from the body, so as to stop the growth of the cancer. Among various moxibustion technique, the over-ginger moxibustion is the most powerful one.

隔姜灸的具体方法是将一片薄薄（3-4 mm） 厚，直接大约3-4 厘米的生姜片放在病人背部，上面再放上用艾绒（一种草药叶子制成的棉花状松散体）做成的金字塔状艾炷。将艾炷点燃。等病人感到局部皮肤很热，热的受不了时，用镊子将艾炷取下，再用镊子夹起生姜片上下晃动几下，让生姜片的温度下降后再放回原处。再生姜片上再放上新的艾炷点燃，重复艾灸的过程。如此重复四次为一个艾炷位置的一次治疗量。背部一共用16 到 18 个灸位。艾灸后，皮肤上会出现4-6 厘米大的红晕。 这种隔姜灸需要每天重复一次。一共十次。

The over-ginger moxibustion is performed by putting a slice of ginger (about 3-4 mm in thick and 3 – 4 cm in diameter) on to the back of a patient. Put herbal pile (a pyramid in shape, 1 cm in diameter on the base) on the top of the ginger slice. Burn the herbal pile. When the patient feel hot from the burning herbal pile and cannot tolerate the hot, take away the pile (into a water) and pick up the ginger slice and shake it up and down several times to cool it down, then put back on to the same spot and repeat a new herbal pile burning. This procedure is repeated for four times. On the back of the patient, we choose 8 to 9 spot for such over-ginger moxibustion, so totally there are 16 to 18 spots were warmed.  After moxibustion, there will create a skin rash which is about 4 to 6 cm in diameter. The over-ginger moxibustion needs to be repeated everyday for 10 days. Have a break of five days and start a new treatment circle.

隔姜灸对于改善体力，提高免疫力，增加血中白细胞数量等，非常有效。

The over-ginger moxibustion works well to improve body energy level, anti-disease ability, improve immune system, and to increase the white blood cells in the circulation, etc.

总而言之，中医治疗癌症有很多优势，但可惜的是人们一旦得了癌症就十分焦虑紧张，不敢和不愿意用西医以外的其它方法来治疗癌症，哪怕平时这个人对于西医是否满意和平时是否一直也在用其它医疗方法作保健选择。人们担心的是如果将时间花费在非西医的医疗手段上也许会耽搁癌症的治疗。这其实是他们并不完全懂得不同的替代医学体系各自的优势和劣势。

 In all, there are many advantage for Chinese medicine in the treatment of cancer. However it is pity that the patients and their family members or relatives become very nervous and stress after diagnosis of cancer. They are no longer wiling to try any alternative medicine, for fearing possibly to waste time and money on the alternative medicine, though before the diagnosis of cancer, they may most visit the alternative medicine health maintenance, not to the conventional medicine. This is because that they do not really know what each kind of alternative medicine system can do for them.

治疗费用的问题

Cost of the treatment

癌症属于危重病症，需要大量时间和花费来治疗。对于针灸治疗化疗的副作用，大致上需要花费两千到四千加元（针灸加上草药）。隔姜灸一个疗程需要八百到九百加元，三个疗程需要大约三千加元。治疗的结果和目标是带瘤生存，能和正常人一样生活和工作。我们发现对于这样的治疗结果，西方人多不能完成，原因是没有钱。而我们知道病人的家住的是大房子。但是无论是病人本人还是配偶或子女，没有人能想到或愿意将房子卖掉，用买房子的钱来治病，哪怕是经过数次中医治疗后病人的基本病情已经有明显缓解。我们真的不知道病人的家属时常将“亲爱的，我爱你”挂在口上有什么用和有什么意义。

Cancer is a life-threatening disease, which need lots of time and spend money on it. For the cost of the treatment of the side effects from chemotherapy, it costs about several thousands of dollars. The aim of the treatment is to allow the patient alive and able to work as usual, though the cancer mass (it should be called tumor mass after treatment by Chinese medicine) remains in the body.

It is very common in the clinic that the patient stop coming for the treatment for a simple reason – no more money to spend on the treatment, though the family lives in a big house and there is deposit in bank too. No any people in the family, including the spouse, the daughter or the sun, of the patient, could think about to sell the house or to borrow money to allow the patient continue the treatment, though they hug each other and say “My dear, I love you very much!” every day.

对于中国人来说，亲情并不表现在每天的“我爱你”的表达上。如果家人有病，只要有一线希望，家里人会竭尽全力相助，包括变卖家当，房子，土地，和向亲属或朋友借钱（家属和朋友一般也会给借的）。如果治疗之后，人还活着，还能工作，那么这几千元算得了什么-他们会这么想。　

In Chinese culture, people normally do not express their love to the family members by hug or say “I love you, my honey”. However, once a family member is sick, and once there is a slight hope for cure or even an improvement from the disease, the family member could think about and make a decision to sell the furniture, or house, or land, to get money to support the medical expenses. They could also borrow money from their relatives or friends (true friends) and the relatives and friends are normally willing to lend money to them – the relatives and friends could bear in mind that they themselves might need such help from others one day in future. If the disease can be cured, or if the patient eventually is alive and able to work, the expense of thousands of money means nothing – they would think thing as such.

Chinese save money for the future – for the sake of prevention of big family crisis first, and travelling, going to the restaurant second. Western people save money for the current – current travelling, current restaurant, current golf playing, current foot ball game, ice hockey game, etc. There are different life styles and life attitudes.