Treating the Root Cause of Brain Cancer

I was thinking of titling this post, ‘Look Mom, I’m treating Brain Cancer!’ In truth, I’m actually treating the source of Brain Cancer — it just seemed like a more catchy phrase.

My mother has recently hired an aide to help her around the house. She mentioned that I was a Chinese medicine doctor and that maybe there was something I could do to help her with the migraines she was having. When her aide met me we started up a friendly, inquisitive conversation.

Although, we were not at my clinic, I put on my clinical hat (professional attitude) and listened to her very carefully. She told me that she had had brain surgery 5+ years ago and that her weekly migraines had been reduced to a monthly occurrence. Two years ago, she had to undergo spinal surgery to remove a tumor that had appeared there. Currently, she was waiting to remove a new growth in her pelvis.

As we finished our conversation, I began to wonder, ‘what could be the cause of such an aggressive cancer’? Looking over my past blog posts, I became drawn to Gingko Pearls — so, I began to read over its indications again. Wouldn't you know it, brain cancer was staring back at me from the page.

It also listed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We had started out talking about the phrase, ‘where there is blockage, there is pain, where there is no blockage, there is no pain’. She had mentioned that she had had compulsive thinking for as long as she could remember, to the point that she would obsess over something she wanted until she no longer thought it was good, but it actually started to repel her (known as ‘opposites thinking’ in Zen). Her thinking had become blocked and the result was pain (tumors and migraines).

I prescribed her Evergreen Pearls to bring the Qi and Blood into the brain more fully along the Jueyin meridian and spread it more evenly through the collaterals. Further, Blood Stasis is removed, Phlegm is vaporized, and Dampness is transformed. Qi flow in corrected and normalized, bringing what’s vital up, and expelling what’s not useful downward.

Taking Gingko Pearls for a short period (one to six weeks) to help flush her system out was also recommended when she became aware that her behavior was leaning towards the compulsive side of the spectrum. Mama Pearls was also recommended until the growth in her pelvis had been eliminated. I gave her Spirit Pearls to take when her anxiety was high and her sleep was affected (insomnia).

As the consultation was winding down she mentioned that she and her husband were living in a mother-in-law apartment behind her parent’s house. Now we’ve all heard about radiation, viruses, carcinogenic chemicals, obesity, hormones, chronic inflammation and a lack of exercise being the cause of cancer, but equal weight should be paid to our psycho emotional home life. That means the environment we grew up in regulates our consciousness/ emotions and in this case, the enviorment which we return to.

When we find ourselves living with our parents again there is often unfinished business on the plate. The behind meaning here is there are things in our unconconciousness that are waiting to rise to the surface. Take your Pearls, breathe deeply, and look within. Or as my father used to say, finish your meal then wash the dishes!