Chinese herbs for cancer care put to 'Western' test 10-21-02 NICE, France (Reuters Health) - Researchers in Hong Kong are putting Chinese herbal medicines to the test using Western scientific methods, in the hope that they can offer solid advice to the many cancer patients who consider using the traditional remedies. Many people take Chinese medicines, particularly to reduce chemotherapy symptoms, said Dr. Tony Mok from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "We just don't know whether it is effective or safe to use at the same time as conventional medicine," he said. "We tend, therefore, to advise against it--but we should know for sure." Chinese herbal medicine uses combinations of around 250 possible herbs to restore an individual's internal harmony and fight illness. Because the approach is so different from Western medicine, comparing them is difficult, Mok said. "It is a different concept to conventional medicine, which is based on 'one drug for one disease,'" he explained. At the European Society for Medical Oncology conference here, the doctor described a study that looked at whether the capacity of Chinese herbs to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy could be studied in so-called double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Such studies are considered the best way to determine whether or not a treatment is effective. These trials compare a treatment with an inactive substance, or placebo. Only at the end of the study is it revealed--to doctors and patients alike--which patients received the treatment and which the placebo. The researchers studied 40 patients who had not previously been treated with chemotherapy. The participants were treated either with a powdered form of Chinese herbs prescribed by a traditional herbalist, or a placebo powder. Half of the treatments lasted at least 84 days and the Chinese remedies included an average of 17 different herbs. The trial has not finished, but early results suggest a small reduction in nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite, Mok said. "We have already demonstrated the feasibility of capturing the information from clinical research on Chinese herbal medicine with this methodology," he said. "And we could find something really useful that could point where we should look for better treatment." Ann's NOTE: 7/04 We received an irate email from a woman who stated she knows Tony Mok. She said from her personal knowledge, he has no real interest in Chinese Medicine. Her perspective is that he is one of the people working in this area due to the current interest in funding it. What to say about this? When funding becomes available in areas, researchers are drawn to it. That is why funding 'streams' are begun. At the same time there is a definite trend among mainstream medical people to take and hold control of research into alternative medicine. People who have NO credentials are forming organizations with titles that sound impressive. With no reference to those who have spent many years involved in the field, and little advocate involvement, it is unlikely they can truly ever 'integrate' complementary and alternative medicine into their concepts. And of course an ongoing concern of ours is that looking at Eastern medicine styles by examining active elements or ingredients, is inappropriate. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas generally include many herbs. So the study of one at a time will be UNLIKELY to reveal their true benefits. As a practitioner just reminded me "the same herb can be used in many different prescriptions, for many different conditions". A principle of TCM is "different diseases, same treatment" and different treatment, same disease", because it all depends on the individual's circumstances and characteristics at the time of their treatment. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.