Insights and Updates

Siwu Decoction (the Four Substances Decoction) is a famous TCM formula for nourishing and invigorating blood. It was originally used by orthopedic physicians and comes from the Divine Tested Prescriptions for Treating Injuries and Mending Fractures (Xian Shou Li Xu Duan Mifang); later it also…

The rainy season has come and the vegetables are growing fast. The tomatoes and eggplants on my balcony have set quite a lot of fruit; although they are not yet edible, just looking at them is already satisfying. My favorite gardenias have also bloomed. When…

The Chinese medicine puffball (mabo) is the dried fruiting body of fungi of the Lycoperdaceae family, mainly Lasiosphaera fenzlii, Calvatia gigantea and Calvatia lilacina. It has aliases such as machibao and niushigu. Although puffball is not an edible mushroom, it was used as a medicinal…

Society is complex, but a person can choose simplicity; the world is fickle and ever-changing, yet for most of one's life one can live a very regular life without much variation; the outside world is rich and colorful, yet it need not prevent us from…

In the past, the consensus in cancer biology was that activation of proto-oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes cause carcinogenesis. But recent studies show that, besides proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, another gene also plays an important role in the occurrence and development of…

Since the pandemic began, I have had much more time for exercise. Over the past two-plus years my weight has gradually dropped; I am now about ten kilograms (twenty jin) lighter than before the pandemic, back to my 60-kilogram (120-jin) days. I used to fear…

Pleural effusion (fluid in the pleural cavity) is a finding that is often reported on imaging examinations in patients with tumors or other related diseases. Pleural effusion is divided into two types: inflammatory pleural effusion and malignant pleural effusion. The former is mostly caused by…

Every day, at irregular intervals, I look at my balcony vegetable garden. In summer the vegetables grow vigorously; not to mention eating them, just glancing at them a few times puts me in a good mood. Too many vegetables cannot be grown on a balcony,…

PD-1 immunotherapy has developed rapidly in recent years. As a new therapy for tumor diseases, it is deeply welcomed by clinicians and patients; oncologists, cancer patients, and their families all place great expectations on it, hoping to use immunotherapy to solve the cancer problem. But…

Gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma are common malignant tumors of the biliary system. Chronic cholecystitis, gallstones, gallbladder polyps, and cholecystoenteric fistula are risk factors for gallbladder cancer; gallbladder adenoma and gallbladder adenomyomatosis are precancerous lesions of gallbladder cancer. Benign bile duct tumors, primary sclerosing cholangitis, congenital…