The Reward of Persistence: Lessons from a Cancer Patient's Success with Pure TCM Treatment
Note: This is an old article I originally published under the pen name "Huaici Jushi." The mesothelioma patient described in it has now survived in remarkably good health for nearly four years, still able to work and live normally, vigorous and strong. In mid-October 2015 he returned to Beijing once again to see me for a follow-up consultation. Judging by his current condition, he is likely to survive for a long time to come. Such a therapeutic outcome is closely tied to the patient's deep trust in me over many years. Nowadays, when I first meet a cancer patient or the family of a patient, if the doctor who treated them previously achieved good results, I always advise them to continue placing their trust in that original physician.
I believe that a patient's trust in and perseverance with the doctor are among the key factors that determine whether cancer treatment succeeds. If a patient cannot trust a Chinese medicine physician, then their TCM treatment is bound to end in failure. Some cancer patients or family members today approach their doctors with a skeptical attitude when seeking care; this mindset is very unhelpful, which is why I am republishing this article in the hope that it may offer inspiration to other patients. The patient's Sina blog link is: http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2733160111
The original article follows below:
Last August, a Shandong native with abdominal mesothelioma came to Beijing to seek my treatment after chemotherapy failed and he developed ascites. He hoped to be treated with pure TCM. I myself was not very confident that pure Chinese medicine could treat his disease, because he was only in his early forties, right in the prime of life. I advised combined Chinese-Western treatment, but he declined. He had already been through Western medicine, failed, and then come to Chinese medicine, so he had no intention of turning back to Western medicine.
Treatment proceeded in this way for nearly a year; every one or two months he would come to Beijing for a follow-up. My treatment protocol remained essentially unchanged from start to finish, centered on Yanghe Decoction combined with Xihuang Pills, with modest adjustments to the formula according to the seasons and changes in his condition. The results in the first month were surprisingly encouraging, but the illness relapsed several times during the course of treatment. After the cancer markers were brought down to normal, they would occasionally rebound to abnormal levels; after the ascites was resolved, it recurred on several occasions as well—though each recurrence was brought under control by my treatment.
To be honest, I felt uneasy throughout the entire process, so during his follow-ups I several times urged him to try combined Chinese-Western treatment, but he firmly rejected Western medicine and refused to seek out other TCM physicians either. In the meantime, when he took my prescription to a hospital to have the herbs dispensed, the dispensing physician questioned the formula and even pointed out certain adverse reactions he experienced after taking it, yet the patient never wavered in his resolve to be treated by me. I think that dispensing physician was actually quite competent—he predicted that prolonged use of my formula might cause tinnitus and itchy ears, and indeed the patient did develop these side effects. At that time I suggested the patient consult that physician to revise the formula, but he refused, insisting on continuing treatment with me. After the follow-up, I borrowed the approach of Shenqi Wan (Kidney-Qi Pill), which combines tonification with purgation, and added Alisma (Zexie) and Moutan Bark (Danpi); the patient's tinnitus and itchy ears then disappeared.
Treating him all the way through, his cancer was basically brought completely under control; his physical strength improved greatly compared with the first time he came to see me, his tumor markers remained within the normal range, the tumor showed no rebound, and his normal life and work were not affected in the slightest. When the patient came for a follow-up today, his complexion was ruddy and healthy, his spirit was excellent, and he had no remaining discomfort at all.
While I was happy for the patient, I myself was quite surprised by this result. Before coming to me for treatment, this patient had been reading my blog for over a year, which is why his trust was so unshakable that even when the treatment hit snags he did not waver in his choice. His psychological endurance was far stronger than mine; I constantly worried that my treatment would delay his condition and cause his premature death, whereas he simply persisted in believing that pure Chinese medicine was his only way out. That persistence finally brought him outcomes that Western medicine could not achieve.
Seeing his condition controlled so ideally, I even suspected that he might very well be cured by Chinese medicine. I have always been conservative and rarely dare claim that Chinese medicine can cure a cancer patient. But his case gave me, for the first time, the premonition that Chinese medicine might indeed be capable of completely curing certain cancer patients.
He is one of the very few patients who have persisted with me to the end, and also one of the three patients I have controlled best. To date, no more than five patients have persisted with me to the end. I have been treating people for cancer for quite a few years now; I have seen countless patients come and go, and those with rock-solid faith in me are few and far between. Most patients rotate through doctors like a revolving door—if a Beijing doctor doesn't work, they go looking for a Shanghai doctor; if Professor Jia's prescription doesn't suit them, they switch to Professor Yi. Patients who can stick with a single doctor are extremely rare. This phenomenon is not limited to an obscure nobody like me; it also appears among well-known famous physicians, judging by the many patients who have transferred to me from those famous doctors.
Every doctor needs a process to become familiar with a patient's condition. An experienced physician may need only a month or two to grasp a patient's overall picture and settle on a therapeutic approach; someone at my level, whose skills are not yet up to par, may need three months or more. Whichever the doctor, treating each patient is a fresh process of exploration and trial. Yet most cancer patients are impatient for quick results; pressed by death, they immediately switch to Western medicine when Chinese medicine doesn't work, and immediately switch back to Chinese medicine when Western medicine fails; if Doctor Jia doesn't work they rush to Doctor Yi, and if Doctor Yi doesn't work they go to Doctor Bing. After a few such whirlwinds, their remaining life is exhausted.
There is a saying in my rural hometown: "Walk too many roads and you'll never trample the grass to death." After being shuffled around by patients in this whirling way for several years, I gradually adopted a respectful but distant attitude toward those impatient, results-hungry patients, and became far more cautious than before when taking on patients. If a solid trusting relationship cannot be established between us, I no longer accept the case; if a patient keeps changing their treatment plan, I no longer follow their treatment. Because such treatment is mostly futile, with both doctor and patient wasting their effort.
As for those patients who can persevere—not only do they themselves reap decent therapeutic results, but the doctor can also learn a great deal from this valuable treatment process, improving their own insight and skill. I am not someone who depends on medical practice for a living; for me, treating a patient in a way that leaves me physically and mentally exhausted is simply not worth it—it is a pure waste of life. Devoting myself wholeheartedly to treating patients who persevere is what true valuable treatment is all about. Because such treatment is the most likely to save a life. If one cannot rescue the dying and heal the wounded, what attraction does medicine hold for someone who treats it as a hobby rather than a profession?
When I used to read the medical essays of Professor Qiu Peiran, I noticed he especially emphasized the mutual rapport between doctor and patient, listing it as one of the key factors guaranteeing therapeutic efficacy. After entering clinical practice, I gradually came to deeply appreciate his point. Perhaps the reason many patients fail to get ideal treatment is not that they haven't found a good doctor, but rather that they lack rationality; driven by an impatient hunger for quick results, they blindly seek help everywhere, and that is what drastically diminishes the therapeutic effect.