Six Views on the Causes of Cancer

In my decades of clinical practice I have treated many cancer patients. Based on my observation and reflection, I have formed six views on the causes of cancer. I offer them for reference; they are not orthodox medical doctrine, but they are rooted in real clinical cases.

First, cancer is a disease of civilization. In ancient times cancer was rare; today it is epidemic. This is because modern life has changed our diet, our environment, and our emotional state. We eat too much processed food, breathe too much polluted air, and carry too much stress. The human body was not designed for this kind of life; so cells rebel, and cancer is the form that rebellion takes.

Second, cancer is a disease of the mind. I have noticed that many cancer patients, before their illness, went through a long period of emotional repression: grief, anger, or resentment they could not express. In TCM terms, this is liver-qi stagnation that over time transforms into stasis and toxin. The Chinese saying “sorrow eats the body” is not empty words; I have seen it with my own eyes. A person who cannot let go of resentment is poisoning himself from within.

Third, cancer is a disease of diet. Modern people eat too much meat, too much fat, too much sugar, and too little vegetables and whole grains. The intestines become acidic; the blood becomes sluggish; waste cannot be expelled. In TCM terms, this is damp-heat and phlegm accumulation. I have seen patients who, after changing to a vegetarian diet rich in vegetables and whole grains, had their condition stabilize even without strong medication.

Fourth, cancer is a disease of inactivity. The human body is meant to move. Modern people sit in offices all day, sit in cars, sit at home. Blood circulation slows; lymphatic drainage weakens; the immune system grows lazy. In TCM terms, this is qi deficiency and blood stasis. I tell every cancer patient: if you can walk, walk; if you can climb stairs, climb stairs; do not let the body become a stagnant pond.

Fifth, cancer is a disease of sleep. The body repairs itself at night. Modern people stay up late, work late, play late; the liver and gallbladder, which in TCM terms cleanse the body during the night hours, cannot do their work. Toxins accumulate, and cells that should be repaired are damaged. I have seen patients whose cancer progressed fast because they would not sleep; when they finally slept regularly, the progression slowed.

Sixth, cancer is a disease of the spirit. This is the deepest view. A person who has no hope, no purpose, no reason to live, whose body begins to shut down. Cells receive the message that life is not worth living; they stop behaving normally and multiply out of control. I have seen patients who, after finding a purpose—a family to care for, a cause to live for—began to improve. The will to live is the strongest medicine there is.

These six views are not meant to replace Western oncology. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation save lives when used properly. But cancer cannot be fought only with the knife and the drug; it must also be fought with the mind, the diet, the body, the sleep, and the spirit. If we treat only the tumor and neglect the person, we may shrink the tumor but lose the patient. My hope is that doctors and patients will both remember this.