Western medicine treats women with breast cancer through surgery to remove cancer, radiation to kill and reduce the size of cancer cells and chemotherapy to kill cancer cells and prevent the disease from returning. Western doctors also may use drugs that prevent estrogen from attaching to cancer cells and causing them to grow. In particularly serious cases, they may opt to remove bone marrow via an autologous bone marrow transplant after chemo is complete. By contrast, traditional Chinese medicine uses a series of herbs to treat the disease based on the patient’s symptoms. 

Chinese medicine addresses the disease through four approaches: suppressing the disease (with Shancigu(Tulipa edulis)); fighting cancer and cleansing the body (with the likes of Baihuashecao(oldenlandia)), Sanqi(notoginseng root) and Zelan(bugleweed), among others); boosting immunity Nvzhenzi(ligustrum seed) and Zhuling (polyporus) are some options); and preventing change in breast cell genes that lead to cancer (through Gouqizi(lycii fruit), Nvzhenzi(ligustrum seed) and Tusizi(cuscuta seed)). Then, it looks at one of the following after therapy: blood deficiency for those with low cell immunity; yin deficiency form patients with low lymphocyte transformation rate and low level of seroimmunity globulins; or dryness with heat toxins to rid the body of toxins resulting from conventional treatment. Then, a specific herbal formula is customized and administered based on deficiencies.

International acupuncture education