TCM Treatment of Tumors: Too Much Is as Bad as Too Little—Treat Only Eight-Tenths of the Disease

Old Physician Pu Fuzhou, from the passage on Guizhi Tang in the Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage)—"cover warmly for about one period, until the whole body is gently, slightly sweating; it is best not to let sweat pour like water, or the disease will surely not be eliminated" (the meaning is: when inducing sweating, it suffices to achieve a faint slight sweat over the body; one must not drive profuse drenching sweat)—derived the insight that the eight TCM treatment methods—sweating, emesis, purgation, harmonization, warming, clearing, dispersing and tonification—must all be applied to just the right degree and never to excess. Old Dr. Pu Fuzhou held that applying the eight methods should reach the realm of: "sweat without injuring, purge without damaging, harmonize without being diffuse, emesis without being slow, warm without drying, clear without congealing, disperse without depletion, tonify without stagnation."

This treatment principle resembles the wellness principle the ancient Chinese prized so much—eat only until seven-tenths full; it is an idea of stopping at the right point. In treating tumors, this idea is especially important. Tumors are major diseases, quite tricky to treat, and every treatment regimen inevitably takes a toll; one must therefore pay special attention to intensity. Some regimens are too damaging, so treatment should proceed in starts and stops.

When Li Zhongzi treated major diseases such as tumors, he always attacked for a few days, tonified for a few days, rested for a few days, then attacked again, tonified again, rested again. In such cyclic treatment, the patient's body is not too damaged by the treatment itself. When Li Dongyuan, Xue Lizhai and others treated tumors, they started the dose at the minimum and gradually increased it; once the patient showed loose stools, they restarted from the minimum and gradually increased again—such caution, fearing that medication would overshoot the mark.

TCM treatment of tumors may draw on each of the eight methods; at different stages the patient needs different principles and methods. Bearing in mind these principles advocated by old Dr. Pu Fuzhou helps preserve the patient's strength to the greatest extent and buys time for treatment. If treatment is too harsh, it often causes severe dehydration or blood loss, a precipitous worsening of the whole-body condition, and a major impact on survival.

Chronic disease should be treated slowly, with evenness as the endpoint; for the patient, this is the safest regimen.