TCM Solutions for Common Summer Complications in Cancer Patients
TCM prescribing emphasizes variation with the seasons. Different seasons bring different climates, which exert seasonal effects on the human body, so TCM uses different seasonal herbs in different seasons. For example, the seasonal herbs commonly used in summer include Huoxiang (Agastache rugosa), Peilan (Eupatorium fortunei), Xiangru (Mosla chinensis), Huashi (talcum), Jinyinhua (Lonicera japonica), Xiguayi (watermelon peel), Zisu (Perilla frutescens), Bohe (Mentha haplocalyx), Zhuye (Lophatherum gracile), Hegeng (lotus stem), and Sheng Gancao (raw Glycyrrhiza uralensis). Adding a few seasonal herbs—preferably fresh rather than dried—to commonly used formulas often produces unexpected effects.
Summer has high temperatures and high humidity, so the human body is easily affected by this damp-heat climate, producing a variety of discomforts. The most common symptoms are decreased appetite, poor appetite, shortness of breath and fatigue, oral ulcers, constipation, foul breath, skin eczema, boils and furuncles, loose stools, and scanty dark urine. This series of symptoms all belongs, in TCM, to damp-heat-related patterns.
Summer colds are also often gastrointestinal colds, where patients develop nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, or incessant diarrhea along with fever. When people eat too many raw and cold foods in summer—especially since many people like all kinds of iced foods and iced drinks—it is easier to cause indigestion, incessant diarrhea, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. The raw and cold foods eaten in summer contain all kinds of unknown pathogenic microorganisms, which also easily cause various discomforts in patients.
In modern society, people love blowing fans and air conditioners in summer. In the height of summer, people sweat a lot; then blowing a fan or air conditioner easily causes the pores to close and sweating to be impeded, leading to illness with symptoms of fever, neck and shoulder discomfort, backache, and low back pain due to cold evil attacking the exterior.
When treating such patients, one need not observe the ancient maxim that acrid-warm herbs should not be used in summer, because in ancient times there were no cooling conditions like today, so cold evil harming people was not a summer problem; but it is very common in modern people. Overweight people in particular are very sensitive to heat and so frequently use air conditioners and fans.
When physicians see such patients, they must ask more about the patient's lifestyle. If the illness is caused by blowing air conditioners and fans, then cold-expelling herbs such as Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction), Mahuang Tang (Ephedra Decoction), and Gegen Tang (Pueraria Decoction) can all be used. The author commonly uses Gegen Tang or Guizhi Jia Gegen Tang (Cinnamon Twig plus Pueraria Decoction) when treating summer cervical spondylosis, with very good results.
The use of seasonal herbs can markedly improve a patient's signs. For example, Huoxiang and Peilan are commonly used seasonal herbs; when prescribing in summer, adding the appropriate amount of Huoxiang and Peilan to the prescription according to the patient's condition can markedly improve the series of symptoms caused by dampness encumbering the spleen and stomach, and boost the patient's appetite and spirits. Huoxiang Zhengqi Wan (Agastache Qi-Rectifying Pill) is the most commonly used Chinese patent medicine in summer.
In the height of summer, because of excessive sweating, scanty and difficult urination is common. For ordinary people, scanty urine is basically tolerable, but for some patients with chronic urinary tract diseases it is dangerous. Some patients even develop urinary retention. For such patients, seasonal herbs that clear and disinhibit urination, such as Huashi (talcum) and Gancaoshao (the tender tail of licorice root), should be added to the prescription to relieve discomfort. The commonly used summer patent medicine Liuyi San (Six-One Powder) is precisely composed of talcum and raw licorice.
Heye (lotus leaf), Hegeng (lotus stem), Bohe (mint), Zisu (perilla), Zhuye (bamboo leaf), and Jinyinhua (honeysuckle) are all seasonal herbs commonly used in summer that can be used as both medicine and food. They have the effects of aromatically resolving dampness, broadening the middle and moving qi, and clearing and disinhibiting damp-heat, without major side effects. One can suggest that patients incorporate these into their summer ingredients, using small amounts when cooking, which can boost the patient's appetite, reduce boils, and decrease the chance of skin diseases.
Summer has long days and short nights; if one can take a midday nap at noon, one feels even more refreshed and energetic. Those skilled in nourishing life adjust their diet and daily routine according to the four seasons and the changing climate, and moderate their bad habits, and their bodies will be much healthier.