May 21, 2024
In traditional Chinese medicine, the etiology and pathogenesis of esophageal cancer are believed to be caused by various factors. Firstly, it can result from dietary strain and emotional imbalance. Secondly, it may be due to the invasion of external pathogens or accumulation of turbid evils within the body. These internal and external factors can independently cause illness or interact with each other, leading to a combined effect that ultimately disrupts organ function, causes disharmony in qi and blood circulation, obstructs meridians, and results in stagnation of qi, phlegm obstruction, blood stasis, and other pathological blockages in the esophagus over time which may lead to cancerous growth.
The prolonged presence of these pathogenic factors damages bodily fluids and blood while disrupting organ nourishment. This leads to dryness in the esophagus causing difficulty swallowing food. Habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption or excessive intake of spicy foods or unclean substances can also lead to disharmony between the spleen and stomach resulting in damage to bodily fluids due to heat accumulation which further dries out the esophagus making it difficult for food passage.
Additionally, unresolved worries can harm digestion; anger affects liver function leading to disharmony between liver and spleen causing phlegm stagnation affecting normal functioning of the esophagus; exposure to cold or hot environmental influences along with toxic fumes affect chest congestion leading to blockage; heat accumulating within spleen-stomach system harms bodily fluids causing dryness; impure air invades internally blocking chest congestion preventing clear energy flow thus rejecting food intake.
Furthermore, individuals who are habitually fatigued experience depletion in essence-blood weakening nourishment for their esophagus making them susceptible towards contracting diseases from external sources.
In summary: insufficiency in organ functions coupled with external pathogenic influences or internal generation of evil qi leads to stagnation of qi flow along with phlegm obstruction & blood stasis intertwining within the esophagus over time forming into tumors. The nature of this disease is rooted in deficiency but manifests as excess where its location is primarily at the level of the stomach's influence on Qi related closely with liver-spleen-kidney interactions. Dysfunctionality among these organs results in intermingling issues involving Qi-phlegm-blood drying up fluid content creating narrowness & dryness within an individual's throat - constituting fundamental pathology for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
