Traditional Chinese Medicine

Overview

Caution: Some complementary agents or therapies may be useful for cancer patients; however, some may be harmful in certain situations. MD Anderson Cancer Center cautions patients to consult with their oncologists before attempting to use any agents or therapies referenced on these pages. Inclusion of an agent, therapy or resource on this CIMER Web site does not imply endorsement by MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Description

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on an ancient, but evolving, medical system used for over 3,000 years in China and other Asian countries. Various systems were brought together and formally recognized in the 1940s by the government of mainland China. TCM strives to assist people in achieving health by promoting balance between opposite states such as cold and hot or wet and dry. Methods include diet, meditation, massage, acupuncture, herbal medicines and exercises such as Tai Chi or Qigong.

Dose

Type and length of TCM treatment depends on the severity and length of time of the problem being considered and the characteristics of the person being treated. Although TCM is sometimes used for acute problems, its principles are generally promoted for everyday health and disease prevention.

How it is taken

Forms used vary with the person and type of problem. Herbal remedies include pills, powders, teas, extracts or the plant itself. All forms may be taken at varying doses for brief periods of time or long term.

Side effects

The possibility of side effects exists depending on the type of treatment.

Possible risks

Risk varies with the type of problem and therapy.

Important Advice

To avoid potential interactions, be sure to let your health care provider know if you use this or any other type of complementary therapy.

Authors and Editors

Initial author:
Nancy C. Russell, Dr.P.H., senior health education specialist, Integrative Medicine Program Education Component

Reviewers and editors:
John C. Boik, M.Ac.O.M., author, Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy
Lorenzo P. Cohen, Ph.D., director, Integrative Medicine Program
Kay Garcia RN, L.Ac., Dr.P.H., advanced practice nurse and licensed acupuncturist
Shen Ping Liang, L.Ac., Ph.D., chancellor, American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Qualifications of Practitioners

Licensed doctors of TCM in mainland China, Korea and Taiwan must have from seven to nine years of training. License requirements in the U. S. vary from state to state, but most states require successful completion of a national board examination offered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Three distinct certifications are offered: Acupuncture, Chinese Herbology and Asian Bodywork Therapy. Master and doctoral level programs are available from schools listed by the American Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

The State of Texas includes herbology within its license for acupuncture and requires 400 hours of herbal medicine as part of 1800 total required hours from a board approved school. A list of requirements for each state is provided by the National Acupuncture and Oriental Alliance.

Consumers in any area are advised to question herbal practitioners not only about their licenses, but also about their years of training.

Principles of Diagnosis and Treatment

Principles of diagnosis and choice of treatments within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focus upon patterns of disease or disharmony. These principles differ from but overlap with Western concepts of cause and effect. In TCM, emphasis is placed on functional relationships between systems rather than anatomical structures. For example, three patients diagnosed in western medicine with peptic ulcer disease might be seen by a TCM practitioner as three patients with three different patterns of disharmony. One patient may have pain that increases with touch, a robust constitution and a full deep voice; another patient may have a thin, ashen complexion with ruddy cheeks, a constant thirst and sweaty palms and a third patient may have pain alleviated by massage, a fear of cold and spontaneous sweating^1,2.

The major principle underlying TCM is the oriental philosophy of Yin and Yang, in which the opposites of Yin and Yang are always changing and transforming. The Chinese symbol for Yin originally meant the shady side of a mountain that is cool and moist; whereas, the symbol of Yang meant the sunny side. Both qualities are defined in relation to each other as part of the same whole¹.

Disharmonies always involve imbalances of the major archetypes of Yin and Yang, although these are often broken down into sub-categories. The eight guiding principles of pattern diagnosis include:

Yin (moist, nutritive, quiet) and Yang (dry, energetic and active)
Cold or Hot
Internal or External
Deficiency or Excess³

*Note that Cold and Hot are general conditions rather than specific temperature abnormalities. Hot can include some bleeding disorders, fever, thirst, infection, redness, a red tongue body, a yellow tongue coat and a fast pulse, whereas Cold includes fixed pain, numbness, stiffness, sluggishness, chill, lack of thirst, a pale or purple tongue body, a white tongue coat and a slow pulse^3,4.

Qi (chee) has been described as that which animates life and a "catalyst for movement and transformation." As such, no distinction is made between matter and energy and Qi may be thought of as matter on the verge of becoming energy, or energy at the point of materializing1. Qi is "mountains forming, forests growing, rivers streaming and creatures proliferating."³ As an internal life force, Qi travels through a fixed network of 12 primary invisible channels or meridians that extend from head to toe. Blood is considered to be a dense form of Qi^2,3.

Each primary meridian is related to an organ name, but organ names actually represent functions of organ networks or physiologic systems. These organ networks consist of yin (Qi storage) and yang (transforming matter) organs and are named for their yin organ. Five yin-yang organ networks include the liver-gallbladder, heart-small intestine, spleen-stomach, lung-large intestine and kidney-bladder. Historically, organs such as the brain and uterus were considered as "strange organs" outside of yin-yang theory. Two other functional entities known as the Pericardium and "Triple-Burner" have assigned acupuncture channels, but no actual visceral structures³.

TCM theory holds that cancer has three basic origins: exposure to toxins, excess heat or cold and stagnation of blood or Qi. Once cancer has developed, symptoms differ according to the part of the body in which it appears. The possible origins, evident body sites, symptom patterns and innate characteristics of the person with the cancer are all considered in determining the types of treatments to be prescribed^3,4.

Reference List

Kaptchuk T. The Web That Has No Weaver. NY: Congdon & Weed, Inc., 1983. Notes: GENREF
Boik J. Cancer and Natural Medicine: A Textbook of Basic Science and Clinical Research. Princeton, MN: Oregon Medical Press, 1995. Notes: Genref
Beinfield H , Korngold E. Between heaven and earth: a guide to Chinese medicine. Paperback ed. New York and Toronto: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1991.
Liang S. President, American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. Personal Communication. 2002.
Clavey S. Fluid physiology and pathology in Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone 2002.