Eternal Spring Taijiquan, Qi Gong, and the Cultivation of

Health, Happiness and Longevity

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 Traditional
Chinese Medicine
A p p r o ac h e s t o Cancer
of related interest

You Are How You Move

Experiential Chi Kung
Ged Sumner
ISBN 978 1 84819 014 6

Managing Depression with Qigong

Frances Gaik
ISBN 978 1 84819 018 4

Eternal Spring
Taijiquan, Qi Gong, and the Cultivation of Health, Happiness and Longevity
Michael W. Acton
ISBN 978 1 84819 003 0
 H e n r y M c G r at h

Traditional

Chinese Medicine
A p p r o ac h e s t o Cancer

Harmony in the Face of the Tiger

Singing Dragon
London and Philadelphia
 First published in 2009
by Singing Dragon
An imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

www.singingdragon.com

Copyright © Henry McGrath 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or
not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written
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Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this
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Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in
both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84819 013 9

 Contents

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How to use this book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1. An Integrated Approach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2. The Chinese Understanding of Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3. Cultivating the Spirit: The Psychology of
Chinese Medicine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4. Celestial Lancets: Acupuncture in the
Management of Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5. Elixir of Life: Herbal Medicine in the
Management of Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
6. Nourishing the Soul: The Chinese Approach to
Nutrition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
7. Cultivating Qi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Index.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

— 5 —
 Acknowledgments

Words cannot express how much this book owes to my wife

Mariola, for her editing skills, for taking more than her share of
domestic responsibilities so that I could write, and most impor-
tantly for teaching me so much about love.
Thanks to my children, Carl, Miriam and Thea, for endless
joy and inspiration.
Thanks to my parents, for a lifetime of love and support.
Thanks to Philip Ashton, for input on research.
Thanks to Phil Cooper for help with the illustrations.
Thanks to Zhang Zhi Chen in Beijing, for looking after me
in China, and for help with research and translation.
Thanks to Professor Ursula King, who was so helpful in get-
ting this book published.
Thanks to all the staff at Penny Brohn Cancer Care.
Thanks to all the staff and students at the College of
Naturopathic Medicine.
Thanks to all my patients, who have taught me so much.

— 7 —
 How to use this book

Chapter 1: The Chinese Understanding of Cancer • This chap-

ter gives an introduction to Chinese medicine and its
understanding of cancer, allowing you to understand
the rest of the book. It can be used again for reference
as you read the other chapters, especially if you need
to clarify the underlying theories.

Chapter 2: Cultivating the Spirit: The Psychology of Chinese

Medicine • This chapter is an introduction to the
philosophies underpinning Chinese medicine, particu-
larly as they relate to cancer. It can be used to enhance
personal growth and development, and to help one
reflect on the “cancer journey”. References are given
for those who wish to explore further.

Chapter 3: Celestial Lancets: Acupuncture in the Management

of Cancer • This chapter gives insight into what acu-
puncture can do for those with cancer, backing this up
with some of the latest research. It discusses the theo-
retical basis for acupuncture, and also how it works
from a scientific perspective. It gives information about
finding an acupuncturist, and will help you gain a
deeper understanding of your acupuncture treatment.

Chapter 4: Elixir of Life: Herbal Medicine in the Management of

Cancer • This chapter shows how herbal medicine is

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 Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches to Cancer

integrated into cancer treatment in China, and gives

insight into what herbal medicine can do for those
with cancer. It presents some of the latest research into
the anti-cancer properties of some Chinese herbs. It
gives information about finding a Chinese herbalist,
and will help you to gain a deeper understanding of
your herbal treatment.

Chapter 5: Nourishing the Soul: The Chinese Approach to

Nutrition • This chapter can best be used once you
have a Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, which
you should obtain from your acupuncturist and/or
Chinese herbalist. You can then use this diagnosis to
select the appropriate kinds of foods discussed in this
chapter. This chapter explains that the Chinese ap-
proach is to select foods which are appropriate to your
own, individual diagnosis.

Chapter 6: Cultivating Qi • This chapter discusses the benefits

of exercises called “Qi Gong”, which are designed to
strengthen your energy and calm your mind. It will
help you to select a qualified practitioner who can help
you do the exercises.
This chapter shows how problems in our relation-
ship to the environment and the wider cosmos can
contribute to cancer. It introduces the Chinese art of
“Feng Shui”, which is a system for harmonising one’s
relationship to the environment. It helps you find a
practitioner of Feng Shui.

Please note that this book is in no way a substitute for consulting

properly qualified and experienced practitioners.

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 I nt r o ducti o n

An Integrated Approach

Western medicine has made great strides in treating many kinds

of cancer. Powerful new drugs have been developed that kill
cancer cells. Surgical techniques have been refined, making it
possible to cut out many kinds of cancer. As a result, a huge
number of people are surviving cancer.1
While western medicine has had many successes in dealing
with cancer itself, it does not focus on the person. By concen-
trating solely on the disease, it tends to miss the human being
involved. It does not attempt to sustain people through the har-
rowing process of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It does not
equip people to face the challenging issues that a cancer diagno-
sis brings. There is a need for something more in our approach
to cancer.
The Chinese approach is the perfect complement to ortho-
dox treatment. It focuses on the whole person, and seeks to sus-
tain her on the journey through cancer and beyond. It attempts
to strengthen the body and to nurture the spirit, giving renewed
vitality and hope. The following comments give a flavour of
how some of my patients have experienced Chinese medicine:
You are the first person who has actually looked at me. I mean,
all of me.

1 Macmillan Cancer Survivors’ Guide, 2009.

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 Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches to Cancer

It’s such a relief to be able to tell someone my whole story.

I always knew that losing my mother was the start of my can-
cer. Doctors never wanted to hear that, but you can see how it
fits into the story. It’s good to know I’m not just imagining it.
Chinese medicine makes all the parts of my cancer join up. It
helps me make sense of it.
With Chinese medicine I feel like I can do something for my-
self at last. I can start to help myself, instead of just being told
‘take this, take that’.
One of the reasons why western medicine has saved the lives
of so many people with cancer is that the oncologist has spe-
cialised. Each consultant has an incredible depth of knowledge
in his particular field. Hospitals are divided into specialist de-
partments, allowing great progress to be made in each area.
Specialist laboratory techniques have analysed and classified the
various kinds of tumour tissue. However, the converse of this
approach is that no doctor looks at the whole person, and gets
the full picture. A consultant oncologist is not interested in pa-
tients’ diets, their personal relationships, their emotional lives,
their careers, or their homes. Indeed, he is barely interested in
their physical body as a whole: he sees only a tumour.
Patients often tell me that they encounter a variety of health
professionals, all of whom look at different parts of them. The
consultant oncologist looks at their tumour. The endocrinologist
measures their hormone levels. They are referred to a pain clinic
for their pains, and advised to see a counsellor for their depres-
sion. They may be referred to a neurologist if their nerves are
affected by chemotherapy, and an immunologist if their immune
system is affected. Sometimes patients are given conflicting ad-
vice by the various specialists, and many struggle to integrate
the various pieces of information which they are presented with.

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 An Integrated Approach

Many patients feel as though they are falling between various

nets, and that no one person is holding them.
This fragmented approach is reinforced by the nature of re-
search in western medicine. Controlled trials are set up which
measure the impact of a certain drug on one variable, which in
the case of cancer is the size of the tumour in the short term.
The impact of the drug on the whole person is deliberately ex-
cluded from such trials. No attempt is made to address the other
factors which may have contributed to the cancer, such as liver
malfunction, digestive problems, blood disorders, immune dis-
orders, endocrine disorders or emotional factors. The very na-
ture of western medicine is not to treat the person, but to treat
the disease. Indeed, it does not even attempt to treat the whole
disease, but treats only the most obvious and easily measurable
aspect of the disease, which is the tumour itself.
Western medicine does not tend to focus on the causes of
disease: it focuses instead on their manifestation. For example,
although much research has been done into the role of diet in
the formation of cancer, this does not form part of the orthodox
approach. Very rarely have I heard of an oncologist offering
dietary advice to cancer patients.
Although we successfully treat a larger proportion of certain
cancers, by ignoring their causes the overall numbers of many
cancers are rising at an astronomical rate. For example breast
cancer incidence rates have increased by more than 50 per cent
over the last 25 years.2 This is a huge and worrying trend, and
one wonders where it will end. At this rate of increase it will not
be too long before a huge majority of women get breast cancer.
And yet we are continuing to focus only on treating the cancer,
rather than trying also to understand the causes of it. We are
fighting the fire, but forgetting to put away the matches.

2 Cancer Research UK.

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 Traditional Chinese Medicine Approaches to Cancer

None of this is to argue that traditional Chinese medicine

is an alternative to western medicine. It is, however, to say that
Chinese medicine is its perfect complement. Western medicine
has a micro approach, focusing inwards on the fine detail of can-
cer cells: Chinese medicine has a macro approach, focusing on
the whole person, and outwards to their environment. Western
medicine focuses on the disease: Chinese medicine focuses on
the person, looking in great detail at all aspects of his life, men-
tal and physical. The practitioner of Chinese medicine takes
a careful note of all bodily functions, such as sleep patterns,
diet, digestion, and emotional factors. It examines the patient’s
tongue and pulse in great detail. It builds up a complete picture
of a unique human being. It tries to understand why a disease
has arisen, and therefore how it can be treated, and recurrence
prevented. It seeks to understand the patient’s story, and how
her disease fits into that story. Illness is never seen in isolation,
but as part of a pattern.
It has sometimes been said that western medicine sees the
human person as a soulless machine. This view has a tendency
to become self-fulfilling: if we are treated like machines for long
enough, we start to feel like machines. If one forgets the soul,
sure enough the soul will shrink. Chinese medicine, on the other
hand, retains a vision of each human person as a unique integra-
tion of body and mind. This means that we can only understand
disease as part of the full human picture, not in isolation.
Chinese medicine sees the human person in relation to her
surroundings. We can only be fully understood as part of a so-
cial network, and as part of mankind. By focusing on the hu-
man purely as an individual, we diminish what it means to be
human. This has become another self-fulfilling prophecy: we are
becoming a collection of autonomous individuals, rather than
an integrated society. This is seen all too clearly in many people
with cancer, who are left feeling very isolated. Chinese medicine

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