I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Chapter 485 - 204: There Are 4 Different Types of Colorectal Cancer? (Part 2)

The causes of illness are generally the same, only the treatment and medication differ.

Different doctors will have different understandings.

Lu Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "In terms of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine proposes some therapeutic principles based on syndrome differentiation and treatment. These mainly include strengthening the body’s resistance and eliminating pathogenic factors, detoxification and blood stasis resolution, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, regulating Qi and resolving stagnation, etc.

If necessary, acupuncture, topical medications, and other therapies can be combined to elevate the diagnosis and treatment level of colorectal cancer with Chinese medicine to a considerable extent."

"I see that many doctors in the traditional Chinese medicine department of the Second Provincial Hospital adopt an integrative approach of Chinese and Western medicine when treating cancer patients... Is the integrative treatment method better?"

"There is such a situation."

Lu Xuan nodded and said, "In postoperative colorectal cancer patients, traditional Chinese medicine often cooperates with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, not only to synergistically kill tumor cells and enhance the sensitivity of radiotherapy and chemotherapy but also to reduce their toxic side effects, improve therapeutic effects, and reduce the recurrence and metastasis rate of colorectal cancer. For late-stage patients where radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not feasible, Chinese medicine can improve symptoms, enhance the quality of life, and prolong survival time.

However, generally speaking, unless absolutely necessary, surgical chemotherapy options are avoided as much as possible. After surgical chemotherapy, the body’s Primordial Qi is greatly damaged, making it difficult even for Chinese medicine to regulate, and if the kidneys are severely harmed, consuming Chinese medicine might not reverse the situation."

Lin Yongzhen said nothing, squinting his eyes, seemingly pondering the reasoning behind Lu Xuan’s words.

However, Ji Xiuwen, while listening, opened the recording function on his phone, extremely attentive.

Among the patients Lu Xuan treated, those with colorectal cancer were not many, so it was seldom mentioned before.

Now having found the opportunity, Ji Xiuwen naturally would not let it slip by.

Seeing Lin Yongzhen silent, Lu Xuan continued, "In the early stages, colorectal cancer often presents with accumulated damp-heat and a state of overcoming pathogenic factors without deficiency. The treatment is primarily to clear and promote diuresis of damp-heat; subsequently, it shows pathological manifestations of Qi stagnation and blood stasis, with a treatment focus on promoting Qi and blood circulation, detoxifying, and dissipating masses; in the later stages, signs of spleen-kidney yang deficiency, Qi-blood deficiency with retention of pathogenic factors may appear. Hence, the treatment should primarily support the righteous while eliminating the pathogenic factors, focusing on warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney, and replenishing Qi and blood.

In cases like grandpa’s, it is at an early stage, making treatment relatively simple.

For patients with accumulated damp-heat, the main symptoms typically include fever, abdominal pain and distension, chest tightness with thirst, nausea with poor appetite, red and white dysentery, rectal tenesmus, anal burning sensation. The tongue is red, the coating is yellow and greasy, and the pulse is slippery and rapid.

This is not much different from the old man’s situation. Although different patients may have slightly different main symptoms, the variations are not significant. The treatment is mainly about clearing heat and promoting diuresis, detoxifying, and dispersing masses.

As for medication, herbs like Pulsatilla, Rhizoma Coptidis, Amur Corktree Bark, Cortex Fraxini are used to clear heat, promote diuresis, detoxify, clear the intestines, dry dampness, and stop dysentery; White Peony Root softens the liver, eases spasm, harmonizes Qi and blood, and stops dysentery and abdominal pain; Saussurea and Betel Nut with Citrus Peel promote Qi movement and relieve stagnation; Danggui softens the liver, activates blood and dispels stasis, implying ’with blood movement, pus resolves’; Sophora flower and Sanguisorba root stop bleeding; Bitter Sophora Root and Patrinia clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and expel pus, dispel stasis and relieve pain.

However, prescriptions are not uniform. Medications should vary according to different situations, which requires selecting corresponding Chinese herbal medicines based on the patient’s actual conditions. The herbs I mentioned earlier are mostly used in common situations."

"This is quite different from Western medicine. For Western medicine, the medication for the same type of patients is typically similar, without too much difference," thought Lin Yongzhen.

Lin Yongzhen asked, "Xiaoxuan, you just mentioned accumulated damp-heat. Does that mean there are other situations for colorectal cancer?"

"Naturally."

Lu Xuan continued, "The second situation for colorectal cancer patients is stasis toxin obstruction. Such patients generally exhibit irritability, abdominal distension and pain, resistance to pressure at the pain site, abdominal masses, purplish bloody dysentery, rectal tenesmus, anal prolapse, loose or thin stools, dry mouth and throat, etc. Their tongue is purplish or has stasis spots, with a yellow coating, and the pulse is choppy or thready and rapid, showing a significant difference in pulse and tongue signs from those with accumulated damp-heat.

For such patients, traditional Chinese medicine treatment primarily focuses on promoting Qi and blood circulation, resolving stasis and detoxifying.

In terms of medication, Radix Angelicae Sinensis tails, Chuanxiong, Red Peony Root, Peach Kernel, and safflower are used to invigorate blood and dispel stasis; supplemented with Cortex Moutan to cool the blood and activate blood, Citrus Peel, Nutgrass Rhizome, Yan Hu Suo, Magnolia Bark regulate Qi and resolve stagnation, allowing Qi circulation to promote blood movement; Lindera Root promotes Qi movement and relieves pain; Rhizoma Coptidis, Red Vine, Chinese Fir Tree Bark, Purslane, and Solanum Lyratum clear heat, detoxify, and have anticancer properties.

The third type is Qi and blood deficiency. These patients are generally thin, pale, dizzy, fatigued, have palpitations, shortness of breath, poor appetite, edema in the limbs, dull abdominal pain, occasional loose stools or prolapse. The tongue is pale, with a thin white coating, and the pulse is thin, weak, and forceless.

Treatment for this type requires replenishing Qi and nourishing blood, supporting the spleen and benefiting the kidneys.

Using Pseudostellariae Root, Astragalus, Rehmannia to warmly replenish Qi and nourish blood; supplemented with Fuling and White Atractylodes to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness; Danggui and White Peony Root to nourish blood and harmonize Ying; Dodder Seed and Spatholobus Suberectus to benefit the kidneys, replenish blood, and stop diarrhea; baked licorice to harmonize the middle and boost Qi, Salvia miltiorrhiza to activate blood and promote Qi movement, Cimicifuga to boost Qi and lift.

The most severe is spleen-kidney yang deficiency.

These patients generally have a pale complexion, thin body, fatigue with reluctance to speak, aversion to cold, cold limbs, lingering abdominal pain relieving with warmth and pressure, cold extremities, weak waist, and knee pain, predawn diarrhea, or loose and mucus-laden stools.

The tongue is pale with tooth marks and a thin white coating, and the pulse is deep, thin, and weak.

Treatment for this kind is vastly different from the previous three, requiring warming and supplementing the spleen and kidneys, and dispelling cold dampness.

Medications can include Codonopsis to boost Qi, warm and replenish the middle, strengthen the spleen and stomach; Psoralea Fruit to warmly supplement the spleen and kidneys, complemented with Evodia, Aconite, dry ginger to warm the middle and dispel cold, Nutmeg to warm the spleen and kidneys and stop diarrhea; White Atractylodes, Fuling, raw Coix Seed to strengthen the spleen and promote diuresis, Schisandra to astringe and consolidate.

Of course, as previously stated, medication should be chosen according to the actual conditions of the patient, and such prescriptions might not suit all patients."

"Can colorectal cancer be categorized into four types?"

Lin Yongzhen was wide-eyed, initially thinking Lu Xuan was joking with him. After all, in Western medicine, colorectal cancer is just colorectal cancer, mainly treated with surgery and chemotherapy, not differentiated into types!

Isn’t colorectal cancer just colorectal cancer?

Can it be divided into four situations?

Moreover, the medication for each situation is different?

"Not only colorectal cancer, but other illnesses are also divided into many types in the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine, and the medications used are very different based on the conditions."

Lu Xuan explained, "For example, common cold. In Western medicine, a cold is just a cold, and the medications used are generally similar, without significant differences. Traditional Chinese medicine is different, dividing colds into wind-cold and wind-heat types.

Wind-cold colds are due to external invasion by wind-cold pathogens and impaired lung Qi declaration, often caused by fatigue, lack of rest, along with wind exposure or cold.

Symptoms generally manifest as significant chills, mild fever, aversion to cold and wind, lack of sweat, headaches, body aches, limb soreness, lack of strength in legs, nasal congestion with clear runny nose, hoarse voice, sneezing, coughing with thin white phlegm, no thirst or preference for warm drinks, tongue with no coating or thin white coating, and a floating tight or floating slow pulse.

Treatment in traditional Chinese medicine for wind-cold colds should primarily aim to release the exterior with warming and dispersing wind-cold.

On the other hand, wind-heat colds are due to wind-heat pathogen invasion and lung Qi disharmony, typically caused by constipation, followed by sore throat for a day or two, and then cold symptoms appear.

Symptoms manifest as slight aversion to cold, significant fever, sweat, headaches, sore throat with redness and swelling, coughing, sticky or yellow phlegm, nasal congestion with yellow discharge, thirst with a preference for drinks, red tongue tip and edges, thin white or slightly yellow tongue coating, pulse faster and larger than normal.

For wind-heat colds, treatment should focus on releasing the exterior with cooling and dispersing wind-heat. Patients should also drink more water and follow a light diet.

Moreover, wind-cold and wind-heat colds have distinct differences in pulse and tongue coating. Wind-cold syndrome patients typically have a floating tight pulse, easily felt with light pressure, shallow pulse location, with blood in the vein feeling tightly bound and forceful. Wind-heat syndrome patients often have a floating rapid pulse, felt with light pressure, and the pulse is quicker; wind-cold syndrome patients, upon feeling cold invasion, often have pale tongue and thinner coating. Wind-heat patients, often affected by heat pathogens or internal heat transformation, have a red tongue and thinner coating, with severe wind-heat syndrome presenting yellow tongue coating."

Hearing this, Lin Yongzhen took a deep breath, amazed beyond words.

He was genuinely convinced by Lu Xuan this time.

Previously, he had some doubts about what Ji Xiuwen said, but now, those doubts had vanished without a trace.

Such skills and reasoning cannot be possessed by a recently graduated student of Chinese medicine.