Traditionese Cancer Case Study

Cancer has emerged as a major health problem in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the number of cancer patients was nearly tripled from 8,900 in 1970s to around 26,000 in 2009. It is no wonder that the number of new cases may escalate due to ageing and increasing population. Therefore the treatment of cancer has raised much attention. At present, cancer patients are usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These treatments are genuinely effective in curbing the progression of cancer, but may also induce negative side effects and reduce patients’ quality of life. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used for adjuvant medicine for eliminating the side effects. This essay argues that the combination of Western Medicine (WM) and
Before the observation of my mother undergoing chemotherapy at a clinic, I thought TCM and WM could not co-exist since they had different beliefs towards diseases and cancer formation. For instance, the traditional Chinese believed that diseases were the evil influence of spirits. Sometimes they would also turn to deity and other supernatural power for curing illnesses. As for the cancer formation, the Chinese medical practitioners believed that it was the weakness of qi, which led to blood stagnation and malnutrition of cells. Therefore, toxins were accumulated in the cell and tumors were formed in the organs. Since I was a science student, I did not find these explanations rational and scientific. Therefore I was skeptical of the efficacy of TCM.
However, I changed my perception after understanding more about TCM. I accompanied my mother to the clinic for chemotherapy so as to give her some support. The treatment started by taking pills so as to prevent nausea. Then the chemotherapy medication was injected into the bloodstream through a vein for two hours. While my mother was receiving injection, I chatted with the doctor and learnt why chemotherapy