Modern society is often gripped with fear at the mere mention of cancer. A pervasive factor of our day—the disease strikes seemingly indiscriminately at any age. However, there have been cases where cancer cells have mysteriously disappeared, even in patients deemed hopeless by medical professionals. Mainstream medicine attributes these cases to “spontaneous remission.”
Why is the prevailing medical mindset unable to explain such occurrences? How do experts from other fields interpret these cases? What areas should humanity explore to unlock the code for cancer treatment?
Dr. Bernard Lown, the pioneering cardiologist and humanitarian who founded the Lown Institute, wrote in his book, “The Lost Art of Healing: Practicing Compassion in Medicine,”:
“Patients will not acquiesce to the ultimate alienation of being reduced to standardized objects. No one will accept for long being merely identified by their illness, as nothing but an assemblage of broken-down biologic parts. Patients crave a partnership with their physicians who are as sensitive to their aching souls as to their malfunctioning anatomy. They yearn not for a tautly drafted business contract but for a covenant of trust between equals earned by the doctor exercising the art of caring.”
Lown’s statement highlights the shortcomings and challenges faced by modern medicine.
Parasitic diseases, infectious diseases, and nutritional deficiencies were once the primary threats to human health. However, diseases related to psychology and social factors have emerged as significant health issues in modern society. Traditional biomedical approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention alone cannot address these diseases.
Before discussing the predicament of modern medicine, let’s first understand what the “biomedical model” entails. Modern medicine focuses on studying biological changes—delving into anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, and other aspects to investigate the causes and treatments of diseases.
Due to the emphasis on biomedical aspects, modern medicine only sees the “disease,” relying on drugs and surgeries to eliminate the lesions in clinical practice.
Besides the physical body, humans possess intangible elements such as the mind and consciousness. In the causes and progression of diseases, the mental and conscious aspects often play a dominant role. The World Health Organization defines health as “a complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
However, the “biomedical model” separates the person from the disease, isolating the examination of patients’ excreta and pathological tissue specimens, solely seeking the causes of diseases, while neglecting the influence of social, psychological, and behavioral factors on diseases, thus wholly erasing the human image.
In conclusion, medicine’s subject is the human being, and for treating any significant disease, especially cancer, emphasizing “mind-body integration” is more important than solely focusing on physical treatment. The “biomedical model,” which neglects the completeness of the “human,” clearly fails to meet this requirement.
Regarding cancer research in modern medicine, the focus often concerns tangible and measurable carcinogens. Fortunately, some experts explore the causes of cancer from different perspectives.
According to Andrew Goliszek, a professor at North Carolina A&T State University, there is a correlation between emotions and our susceptibility to illness and disease. Goliszek suggests that negative emotions like depression, anger, and hostility can make us more prone to illness, while positive attitudes such as hope, optimism, and happiness can strengthen our immune system and protect us from disease.
Goliszek further discusses certain characteristics that he refers to as “cancer-prone personalities” who may have an increased risk of developing cancer. These characteristics include:
Lawrence LeShan, a psychotherapist in New York, observed similar patterns in clinical cancer treatment. Individuals often exhibit deep sadness, discouragement, and loss in response to unfavorable life events while suppressing their inner emotions. This negative attitude can significantly weaken the immune system, creating opportunities for cancer cell proliferation.
Based on his years of interaction with cancer patients, LeShan found significant improvements in their physical and mental well-being while fighting cancer in three aspects physiological, psychological, and spiritual.
In recent years, more people have moved away from the biomedical thinking model and begun recognizing the importance of positive thinking and emotional detoxification for physical health.
Louise L. Hay, a renowned American healing practitioner known for her work on the mind-body connection, provides an apt example of spontaneous cancer remission. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at 52, she released accumulated anger and resentment from childhood abuse. Six months later, the cancer cells in her body disappeared.
These examples illustrate the growing trend of patients turning to complementary and alternative medicine approaches such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture, meditation, mindfulness, and qigong.
To address the limitations of the biomedical model in modern medicine, people have started to reflect on and revise this strategic approach.
The book “Healing Cancer from Within: The Key Report on Cancer Psychology” highlights that cancer is a comprehensive and systemic disease caused by “internal disorders” resulting from disruptions in multiple aspects of the body. Comprehensive adjustments to these disorders are equally necessary, even crucial, for preventing metastasis and recurrence.
George L. Engel, a psychologist, proposed in an article published in the journal Science, that the “biopsychosocial model,” overcomes the limitations of the biomedical model by emphasizing the comprehensive and systematic integration of biological, psychological, and social perspectives in understanding human health and disease. It recognizes the importance of addressing individuals’ psychological needs and social factors.
Another emerging model, the “ecological model,” encompasses a broader scope. It studies the relationship between health status and the internal and external environment of the human body through the concept of an ecosystem, aiming to achieve harmonious development between humans and nature.
In the initial stages, this model focused on the external environment, including the effects of the natural and social environment on the human body. In later stages, it recognized the role of the human body’s internal environment, emphasizing the maintenance of inner microbial balance. In summary, it underscores the need for internal and external environments to be unified, achieving harmony and coordination for long-term health and well-being.
The ecological medical model emphasizes the harmony between humans and nature and the internal coordination of the human body, which aligns with TCM principles. From a macro perspective, TCM focuses on the whole and utilizes comprehensive analysis methods to study the internal connections within the human body and its relationship with the internal and external environment. In essence, the ecological and traditional Chinese medical models are compatible.
The Western medical approach, which often focuses on localized treatment, and the holistic and macro-regulation approach of TCM, can join hands and organically integrate to contribute to the fight against cancer and promote overall human health. This is a promising development.