The Application of Umbilical Therapy in Cancer Treatment (1)
Umbilical therapy (qiliao) is one of the external treatments of TCM and has existed since ancient times. The navel, in TCM meridian theory, is called Shenque (Spirit Palace) acupoint, one of the most important points on the human body. Ancient TCM held that Shenque is the root of the five zang and six fu organs and the base where the original spirit is stored; its role in the body is exceedingly important.
Many ancient Chinese medical classics contain records of umbilical therapy.
Huangfu Mi's Zhenjiu Jia Yi Jing (The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), from the Jin dynasty, states that the navel is suitable for moxibustion, not needling, and records methods of using umbilical therapy for infertility, edema, ascites, umbilical hernia, abdominal pain, borborygmus, and running-piglet qi (bentun qi).
The Zhouhou Beiji Fang (Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies) of Ge Hong, the patriarch of Taoist medicine also of the Jin dynasty, records filling the navel with salt and human urine. The Qianjin Fang (Thousand Ducat Formulas) of the Tang's Sun Simiao and the Waitai Miyao (Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library) of Wang Tao also contain many records of umbilical therapy.
In the Sui-Tang period, plasters specifically for umbilical therapy were even invented, such as Awei Huapi Gao, Zijin Gao, and Taiyi Gao. Awei Huapi Gao, in particular, is a classic formula in oncology and an important medication for treating tumors by umbilical therapy. The contemporary renowned TCM professor Zhao Shaoqin often used it for cancer patients, with notable tumor-shrinking effects.
In the medical works of later Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, external treatments like umbilical therapy became increasingly numerous, and specialized monographs on external treatment gradually appeared. For example, the Taiping Huimin Fang records: "For sudden collapse with loss of consciousness and cold limbs, grind aconite to powder, place it on the navel, and moxa on it; the person can be revived." The Zhenjiu Zisheng Jing says: "If moxibustion for loose diarrhea, the navel is first; points like Sanyinjiao are secondary." Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) also records numerous umbilical methods. No need to enumerate them all.
The appearance of monographs on TCM external treatment gradually systematized umbilical therapy. The Desheng Tang Waishi Mimi (also called Jijiu Guangsheng Ji, compiled by Cheng Pengcheng), printed in the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, is China's first monograph on external treatment and records a great many umbilical methods. Later works such as Wu Shiji's Liyue Pianwen, Zou Cungan's Waizhi Shoushi Fang, Lu Jinsheng's Fuxi Waizhi Fang Xuan, and Zhao Xuemin's Chuanya Waibian are all monographs on TCM external treatment.
Specialized surgical works—such as the Song's Chen Ziming's Waike Jingyao, the Yuan's Qi Dezhi's Waike Jingyi, the Ming's Shen Douheng's Waike Qixuan, the Ming's Chen Shigong's Waike Zhenzong, the Ming's Xue Ji's Waike Fahui, the Qing's Wang Weide's Waike Zhengzhi Quansheng Ji, the Qing's Gao Bingjun's Yangyi Xinde Ji, the Qing's Qi Kun's Waike Dacheng, the Qing's Gu Shicheng's Yangyi Daquan Jingyao, and the Qing's Xu Dexuan's Waike Xuanyao—all record, to varying degrees, methods of using umbilical therapy for various benign and malignant tumors.
In contemporary times, some scholars have even written monographs specifically on umbilical therapy, such as Tan Zhishao's Zhongyao Tieqi Liaofa, Chen Juedang's Zhongguo Biqi Liaofa, Wei Zhenzhuang's Zhongguo Qiliao, Li Zhong's Changjian Bing Yaowu Qiliao, and Gao Shuzhong's Zhongguo Qiliao Daquan.
Interested readers can follow these references and learn, from them, the experience of ancient and modern TCM in treating disease through umbilical and other external therapies.
From the standpoint of modern medicine, the human navel is the last place on the abdominal wall to close and the thinnest, making it the optimal site for transdermal drug delivery; delivering medication through the navel best facilitates penetration and absorption. According to the medical literature, umbilical therapy can be widely applied to many diseases, being simple, convenient, and green.
In recent years, in clinical practice I have often used umbilical therapy to solve simple problems for cancer patients, with reliable results. For example, I often tell patients with constipation or dysmenorrhea to take a clove of garlic, crush it, and apply it to the navel; in some patients, a single overnight application suffices to loosen the bowels or relieve dysmenorrhea. The method is extremely simple and the effect clear. Such simple, convenient therapies are well worth promoting.
Umbilical therapy is also widely applicable during cancer treatment. Diarrhea or vomiting caused by chemoradiotherapy side effects can be treated through the navel: I once had patients take equal parts of huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) and rougui (Cinnamomi Cortex), grind them to an extremely fine powder, mix with water, and apply to the navel to stop diarrhea, with excellent results.
I have also used Chinese herbs applied to the navel to relieve cancer pain in some patients. The effect is clear, without the side effects of opioid analgesics; this too is worth promoting.
Umbilical therapy can even play a role in raising the white blood cell count. Patients with ascites or pelvic effusion show a certain response to umbilical therapy. Even some tumors can be treated anti-cancerously through the navel.
Compared with oral medication, umbilical therapy has advantages. For patients whose skin does not easily become allergic, it spares them the discomfort of drinking Chinese medicine; it also does far less harm to the gastrointestinal system, liver, and kidneys.
This article collects the various umbilical methods I have gathered over the years that are suitable for cancer patients, for reference by patients and clinicians.
The most common umbilical therapy is moxibustion. Moxa on Shenque and Qihai acupoints can raise white blood cell counts in some chemoradiotherapy patients, and has become a popular health practice among many cancer groups.
Moxibustion includes ordinary moxa-stick moxibustion, as well as indirect moxibustion over ginger slices, garlic slices, and herb cakes. Different methods and herb cakes can be chosen according to the patient's condition.
Besides moxibustion, filling and applying herbs on the navel is another common umbilical therapy. I usually tell patients to buy blank adhesive patches, put the herbs to be applied on the navel inside the patch, and stick it on; this method of external application is more convenient.
(To be continued)