Ms. Zhang, a 69-year-old female patient with gastric cancer from Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, was treated at Jiaozuo Zhonghai TCM Cancer Hospital. Twenty days prior, she experienced gastric discomfort and underwent gastroscopy and pathological examinations at a local hospital, which confirmed a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. She did not receive surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and was taking over-the-counter medications for gastric ulcer at home when she was recommended by a renowned local physician to seek TCM treatment at our hospital.
At the time of consultation, Ms. Zhang described her pain as "a needle pricking gently in my stomach, so severe that I couldn’t sleep at night, filling me with anxiety and fear". During the consultation, it was noted that her tongue coating was yellow and greasy as if coated with butter, and her pulse was string-like and slippery—classic manifestations of the TCM syndrome of disharmony between the liver and stomach complicated by damp-heat, blood stasis and toxin accumulation. What was more worrying was that prolonged stomach pain had left her with depression; her children said, "She flies into a rage over trivial things, she’s a completely different person." "Don’t worry, we’ll take it step by step with TCM," said Director Zhang of our hospital. After a thorough assessment of her condition, he formulated a personalized treatment plan: an empirical TCM formula for gastric tumors, modified according to her symptoms, combined with Hua’ai Xiaoliu Powder.
Twenty days after treatment, Ms. Zhang’s complexion had become ruddy and healthy. She took the doctor’s hand voluntarily and said, "My stomach doesn’t hurt at all now. I can eat and sleep well, and the kids all say my temper has gotten much better." Even more remarkably, a follow-up gastroscopy after 80 consecutive days of treatment showed that of the original two tumors, the smaller one had completely disappeared, the larger one had shrunk by more than 75%, and the gastric mucosa had restored a smooth texture. Staring at the comparative imaging reports, Ms. Zhang’s eyes filled with tears of joy: "I never thought it would be possible to 'eat away' a tumor without having surgery!"
Director Zhang explained that the success of this case lay in the precise grasp of the timing for the TCM principle of strengthening vital qi to eliminate pathogenic factors: the initial stage focused on soothing the liver and harmonizing the stomach to relieve the symptomatic pain, and after her symptoms improved, the treatment was adjusted to emphasize invigorating the spleen and detoxifying to target and combat the cancer itself. Today, Ms. Zhang shares her TCM dietary recipes in cancer patient groups every day and has become an "inspirational aunt" on the anti-cancer journey. She often says with a smile, "TCM has not only cured my illness, but also taught me how to live a good life."
