Cancer from the TCM viewpoint

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is primarily a preventative medicine and therefore seeks to prevent or avoid disease where it could occur. It is based on empirical observation of man and nature and tries to adapt everything to this nature. Any subtle deviations are then perceived as a disturbance of the physical or mental balance and thus the creation the preconditions (or ground) for certain diseases.

How is it seen from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine?

So also the dreaded disease cancer is an energy blockade from the point of view of traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine also has various, sometimes even poetic, analogies for these serious illnesses, which serve to make the problem easier to understand. We can probably best imagine this condition as a clogged gutter, where on one side (above the blockage) waste substances accumulate and on the other side (below the blockage) there is a lack of nourishing energy and blood. At the site of the blockage, the gutter wall bulges over time (i.e. the tumour is encapsulated) or the duct is perforated (metastases are formed anywhere in the body).

Traditional Chinese medicine summarizes all tumours, whether malignant or benign, cysts, fibromas, fibroids, cystic fibroplasia in the breast, etc. under the term “blockage of blood and energy at the site of the weakened ground”.

Where the shoe pinches?

The biggest contributors to the onset of disease here are psychological, dietary and innate constitution issues, with psychological well-being always coming first. Traditional Chinese medicine is not a fan of big fluctuations and extremes and therefore it is always necessary to live in harmony with oneself and one’s surroundings. If a person cannot or does not know how to live a balanced and happy life without permanent stresses, according to traditional Chinese medicine they have the best conditions to get sick with these diseases and also literally “sow the seeds” of them, when they unintentionally but systematically build up unfavourable grounds.

All of this implies the Chinese medicine approach to cancer treatment. First of all, you need to organize your lifestyle as such, especially be guided by a well-known slogan “peace of mind” and “a healthy mind in a healthy body and vice versa!” Part of the right approach to life is to be balanced in all areas of life, i.e. regular alternation between work and rest, physical and mental activity, sport and recovery, variety, moderation and regularity in diet and avoiding, as far as possible, any mental shocks and stress. It is easy to give this advice, but in practice it is always more difficult

Chinese mushrooms and serious diseases

Recently, Chinese mushrooms (ZHI) have increasingly come to the attention of scientists around the world for their unique properties and effects on the body. The best known, most effective and most researched are these 3 mushrooms: Coriolus versicolor (YUNZHI), Ganoderma lucidum (LINGZHI) and Cordyceps sinensis (DONG CHONG XIA CAO).

A Chinese legend says that these mushrooms only grow when the rulers are kind to the people and the land, which implies that they are mysterious, rare and difficult to find, especially in our area. Excessive mushroom production is not everywhere linked with wars or Chernobyl… The ancient Chinese valued these mushrooms highly, calling them divine mushrooms or a kind of our manna from heaven. Their claim that these special mushrooms grow from the essence of mountains and valleys, clouds and rain, the four seasons, the five elements, YIN and YANG, and day and night only underscores their uniqueness.

The properties of these mushrooms were already described by the mythical physician Li Shi Zhen in his Materia Medica in the 15th century.

All these mushrooms have similar beneficial effects on the human body (maintaining health, promoting quality and quantity of life), although each in a slightly different way.

From the point of view of modern medicine, all 3 mushrooms significantly increase or maintain immune balance (immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory effect), have significant anti-cancer effects (antitumor effect) and break down free radicals (antioxidant effect).

In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, immunity is understood as a state of inner harmony. As long as the correct Qi energy circulates freely within the body, harmful substances have no chance to settle in it, which is the seemingly simple yet complex view of Chinese medicine on immunity. According to the Chinese theory of the 5 elements, each organ (pathway) has its own Qi energy and corresponding colour: liver – green, kidney – black, heart – red, spleen – yellow and lungs – white. This simple division also helps to assign individual mushrooms to different diseases. All 3 mushrooms have, according to modern medicine (see above), similar effects, so in practice it is difficult to know which mushroom is more suitable for a similar diagnosis (cancer, immune disorder, etc.). The “colour” separation can then be a help and a certain guide when choosing a product (e.g. Coriolus versicolor is black and green in colour, thus strengthening the kidneys and liver, Ganoderma lucidum is yellow and red in colour, thus strengthening the spleen and heart, Cordyceps sinensis is black and white in colour, thus strengthening the kidneys and lungs.

Selection of products

1. During ongoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as well as for 2 – 3 months after chemotherapy or radiotherapy, Chinese medicine recommends taking Coriolus versicolor 1 scoop twice a day for overall regeneration and detoxification of the organism.
2. Before chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as well as after the end of the regenerative treatment with Coriolus versicolor, Chinese medicine recommends choosing one of the following 3 mushrooms (see table) for about 3 – 6 months in a daily dose of 1 scoop twice a day according to the following criteria in the table. You can also combine 2 products at the same time in case of corresponding symptoms.

In case of doubt with the choice of herbal products, we recommend TCM Test Tongue Analysis, which is evaluated by MUDr. Petr Hoffmann and you will receive a recommendation (herbal products and foods) to your e-mail within 3 days.