Science does not believe in the mind, hope, faith, spirit, and grace – for the basic reason that we are all supposed to be an equivalent to a super machine. What we cannot see, measure or analyze do not exist and do not count. Those who associate with them are thus branded unscientific or spiritual fanatics!

We wish to view healing from a different perspective.

• Man comes into this world with a purpose. He is not just a machine but also a spiritual being. When we fall sick, often we yelled out GOD, WHY ME? It is as if God hates us or does not favour us. Some go to the extent and reasoned that we get sick because we are being punished. Not so.

• In this world, each of us is given the liberty to choose – to exercise our rights to live life the way we want it. Some people live wisely while some others live foolishly. So, we reap what we sow – we are responsible for our actions.  Through our own ignorance, we violate Nature’s Law of Health – so we get sick, irrespective of whether how pious we are.

• Ask a scientist, why is there such a thing as pain? Pain is not meant to torture us. Pain is nature’s early warning signal to the body that something is not right within it.  Unfortunately, many choose to ignore the signal by “cutting” off that warning signal. Instead of taking a pause and ask what has gone wrong, we prefer to take the easy way out – take pain killers. We cut off or deaden the alarm system. We allow things to continue to go to go wrong without us having to know about it as long as it does not bother us. Ultimately, too much painkillers may land you on your back in the hospital to nurse a more severe damage. Who is punishing who now – your own foolishness or someone else?

• Illness too, can be viewed as a blessing – as a signal in our body for us to do some accounting and reflecting of what we are doing, who we are and where we are going.

• Many people are too busy on their feet chasing after their gods. Perhaps being forced to sleep on our back and staring at the blank ceiling above can spur some ”consciousness” into us and bring us back to our Living Creator? After all, those material gods that we have been chasing after all this while cannot help much in terms of cancer cure.

• There is a now a new and growing belief that every cell, tissue and organ in the body is conscious and has innate intelligence. They have the capacity to heal. Curing a disease, aiming only at the malfunctioned organ is inadequate and would not bring about healing.  To achieve complete healing we need to heal the whole body – the physical at all levels, the mind and the spirit or soul.

• If we cannot heal the mind then we cannot heal the body. It is for this reason that we spend time with you asking you to let go of your bottled-up emotional stress such as anger, hatred, fear, etc. When the mind and the soul find peace within, the physical healing starts within you. Taking herbs is NO magic unto itself – it cannot heal any one until you have that frame of mind that wants to heal.

• One lady came to see us and said because of chronic diarrhea she had for the last twenty years. And for the last twenty years she had been on antibiotics and all kinds of drugs. Nothing cured her. The moment she stepped into the Cancer Center until she left, there was nothing that she could say but complaints. The fear of what the herbs can do, the antibiotics that she is taking, the side effects, the possible bitter taste of the herbs, the difficulty of cooking the herbs, etc., etc.  Chris told her this: Nobody on earth can cure your sickness. If your mind is already too loaded with such stressful burdens, there is no need to take any drugs or herbs. It is not going to work. Even herbs, assuming that they have ears to hear like human beings, would be just as bothered or reluctant to impart their healing properties to such difficult people. Too, bad – no cure. At CA Care Centre we tell all helpers – when we prepare the herbs, do it with a feeling of love. That feeling is an important “ingredient” for the healing of the sick.

• If illness has a purpose then it means that you can hope to stimulate your body to heal itself after having found that purpose. Of course many people do not wish to believe this. And of course some people do not want to know or find that purpose. Ingrained in their mind is the feeling of anger, frustration, revenge, unhappiness, hatred etc. – why ME? I have been so good, etc., etc. why ME?

• A lady with breast cancer came. She had her breast removed, did all the required radiation and chemotherapy. And she came through all these very well, unlike others who did not take the herbs. Chris told her that: you are indeed very fortunate. She turned around and asked:  What is so fortunate about it?  I already got cancer. Unfortunately, that is the position taken by most patients. Chris told her. Look at your arm they are not swollen. There were no adverse side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy on your body. This morning, I had two phone calls, informing me that two cancer patients had just died. One of them was a distant relative. She had breast cancer and after undergoing treatments like you the cancer spread to the bone and then the liver. I have also seen breast cancer patients whose arms were swollen like solid rock after such treatments. Are you not lucky that these do not happen to you?

• Those who can “see and experience” changes in their minds and souls experience real healing. One yogi who had cancer wrote, There is pain but there is no suffering. Physically, patients may not be cured of their cancer, but spiritually healing can take place. When the mind is healed so will the physical body – so be patient for this takes time.

• Having a purpose in life is important. It becomes more meaningful if we can share our tears –  and our joys –  with others. Unfortunately, in our society many people look inwards, and are reluctant to open up and share. When someone got cancer – he coils up inside himself, not wanting to share that burden with others. Some women even hide it from their husband – let alone their friends or relatives. Is it shameful to tell others that we got cancer? What is so special about that, since cancer is so common nowadays? There is nothing to lose but is everything to gain by sharing.

• Unfortunately, some people would ask for help but would not give or wish to share their joys. When they got well from their cancer, they prefer not to talk about it – wanting to forget the trauma or ordeal that they have gone through. For some, perhaps refusing to share stems from the fear that misfortune or soi may befall on them again if they talk about their well being. One incident that we could not forget happened many years ago. There was this young lady who called to thank Chris for helping her mother who had terminal bone cancer and had died. The family was grateful because she died in peace with no pain. Then this lady told Chris she knew of one place where the rodent tuber was found growing naturally. Chris asked if she could show him the place, since we were always in need of these plants to help others as we had helped her mother. True to the nature of any busy executive, she said she could not spare the time to show Chris the place. It is more blessed to give than to receive. We wonder how many people do realize this or know this virtue. By giving your heart to others, you heal yourself.

• If you find the above comments strange or if you disagree with what we say – we respect the right for you to have your own opinion. You are endowed with the power of choice and responsibility. Follow your heart and mind, and live accordingly. It is after all your life.

From January to April 1998 she had chemotherapy – taxol and carboplatin, for five times. The tumour disappeared almost totally. In November 1998 the tumour reappeared. She underwent monoclonal clinical trial using PNU but it was not successful. Then she had chemotherapy again and this time with “Gemzar” once a week. The right lung collapsed and she had difficulty breathing.

5 August 1999. Irene’s brother came to see Yeong  and presented her  conditions as follows:

• had an average of 6 hours sleep a day.
• felt tired, especially when taking a short walk.
• the CEA was 26.7
• had coughs with clear, sticky white foam in the morning and night, and also when moving around or walking.
• there was fluid in the lungs causing a choking feel – unable to climb.
• had pain in the right shoulder, spinal cord and ribs when coughing too much.

She was prescribed Capsule A, deTox, Lung, Cough 5 and Ascites.

e-mail 27 August 1999 to her brother:

• have started taking the herbs.
• seems to feel pretty good – more energy.
• my pain seems to have reduced a little.
• I am also able to breathe better.
• I am pretty weak but am not giving up hope yet. I know God knows what He is doing and when to take me home. I am ready and know where I will go.
• Do write and I will try to write back as long as my energy permits me to do so.

e-mail 2 September 1999 to her brother:

• The herbs that Dr. Teo gave me seems to work pretty good for me. I do not have much side effects from the chemo.
• I have stopped taking the Noni Juice and Spess since I started taking Dr. Teo’s herbs.
• Saw my oncologist yesterday – he said I looked good.
• Started to put on some weight – Now I am up to 85 lb instead of 80 lb.
• I am still coughing a lot and still have fluid in my lungs – it covered my whole right lung.
• I wish I could get rid of it so that I can make a trip home to see you all. At this moment, I am advised not to travel (in the plane it will cause the fluid to move around and choke me to death).
• I am also able to breathe better and sleep better.
• I pray each day and night to get better to allow me one last chance to go home and see you guys.
• Will be going back for chemo again on Monday. Feel better about the chemo now cos the herbs help me to cope with the side effects and I don’t feel so bad after each chemo.

e-mail 10 May 2000 to Chris:

• My CEA was around 28 and later went up to 69. Just last week my CEA was 4.1. The value gradually decreased since the last couple of months.
• My right lung was originally filled with fluid (no shadow at all!) and also collapsed.
• My last CT scan about two months ago showed a shrinkage in my tumour size from 12/6/4 cm to 2×3.5 cm. Praise the Lord for this miracle.
• At present I weigh about 110 lb. I was down to 75lb (actually 80 lb ?) when I first took the your herbs but gradually my appetite increased and I began to gain weight.
• I volunteered as a Patient Support in the American Cancer Society here in New Jersey. I visit cancer patients at their homes and the hospitals. Praise the Lord for giving me this opportunity. Being a volunteer since my diagnosis helps me a lot. It gives hope and also (the comfort that) I am not alone. I promised myself to make a difference in someone’s life each day!

e-mail  10 July 2000 to Chris:

Just to update you a little. I have lately been travelling a lot. Been to New York for the annual cancer society meeting, on vacation to London, Holland, Niagara Falls, etc. Trying to make the best out of whatever time God has given me. Really enjoy myself, not even thinking I was sick at all. Put on a wig and nobody even knows I do not have hair or I am sick whenever I am out travelling.

The next few months I will be very busy with my lung cancer support group. This new lung cancer support group that I formed will meet every month where patients shared info, tears, joy, laughter and latest treatments on lung cancer both conventional and alternative.

Our comments

When I eceived the first visit form from Irene, my heart bled. How to help in this case – almost beyond repair? Then, to us – of all the female names in the world, the most beautiful is: Irene… our daughter is also named Irene!

Despair, however, did not last that long – slowly but surely the good Lord changes the equation. Irene began to feel well and her last e-mail was the ultimate. Hi there, Irene – you are having fun now!

Our advice to Irene: Make the best of life, but stay on course – do not make the mistake of changing your life style, away from the one that brought healing to you. Don’t be misled that everything is all over. Another mistake can be fatal. We always believe: it is excusable to be foolish once but not twice. 

Friends, what do you think is the reason behind Irene’s healing? Medically, this is a touch and go case. We are not sure of the truth in this statement but we were told that the doctor expected her to live for only three months!  But since it is God who decides not man, Irene got to live much longer than expected – to tell her own story to the world. Is it the chemo – the gemzar (gemcitabine) that cured her? You are welcome to your own opinion.

1. Cancer is not a single disease. Cancer has one name, but many illnesses. It is not a single disease but probably a mix group of more than 200 different diseases. By definition, a disease is called cancer when the cells have lost their ability to control their rate of duplication. Secondly, a cancer has an abnormal ability to spread to distant sites. 
2. Different cancers in different organs are different. For example, skin cancer is different from liver cancer. Everyone should know this!
3. Not all cancers that develop in the same area of the body are the same. This is what I mean by “not all cancers are the same”. For example, not everyone with breast cancer has exactly the same type of cancer, meaning not all breast cancers are the same. Similarly, not all cancers in the brain are the same and not all lung cancers are the same.

The following two statements are very important aspects of cancer which we all need to know.

     4.  Not all cancers have the same growth rates – some are fast growing while others grow slowly.

     5.  Not all cancers eventually grow out be become full blown cancers that can kill us.

The above statements can best be explained by the diagram below:

Source: Gilbert Welch, Should I Be Tested for Cancer? pg.55

1. The arrow labeled “Fast” represents a fast growing cancer. This type of cancer can quickly cause problems and kill us fast.  No treatments can save us from this type of cancer.  No matter what we do, we will die.
2. The arrow labeled “Slow” represents a slow growing cancer. It takes some years to cause us problems and eventually kill us. With treatment we may be able to influence or modify the path and outcome of disease. This is the type of cancer we hope can be helped by treatments – be it medical or alternative therapies.
3. The arrow labeled “Very Slow” represents a cancer that never causes problems because it grows very slowly. This cancer grows slowly enough that we may just die with the cancer (not die because of the cancer). We may die of other reasons, such as heart attack, diabetes, accident, etc.
4. The arrow labeled “Non-progressive” represents a cancer that NEVER causes problems because it is not growing at all. In other words, they are only cellular abnormalities. The “experts” say we have something that meets the pathologic definition of cancer. Such “cancer” may even stop growing or perhaps even shrinks or disappear later in our life. We don’t have to treat such harmless “cancer.”

From the above it is clear that all cancers are not created equal. Some grow rapidly and invade other tissue, others grow slowly and remain non-invasive, and some don’t grow at all or may even recede. Unfortunately doctors will not be able to know with absolute certainty which cancer belong to which type although they do carry out some tests to try and differentiate them.

I am indeed glad that I got to read and understand this idea in Dr. Gilbert Welch’s book, Should I Be Tested for Cancer?    

Implications for Treatment of Cancer

Now we have a few more things “on our plate” and let us think critically.

1. Not all cancers are the same – agreed? Some need to be treated aggressively some need gentle treatment while others may not need treatment at all (i.e. just wait and see!)
2. In the same way, can we say that not all cancer patients are the same? Different people will react to treatment differently.
3. In more of the same way, can we say that not all cancer doctors are the same? Yes? Different doctors do and also tell us different things about a cancer. Different doctors offer different approaches to solving the same problem. No?

Where do these statements lead us to then?

• First, it appears to me the appropriate word to describe the situation is UNCERTAINTY – in cancer, nothing is predictable – there is no black or white answer. Every cancer is a different shade of gray.  Is it not chaotic, having to deal with different cancers, different doctors and different patients all at the same time? It is like going into a race, each fighting for his / her own survival.

• Second, a cancer treatment that works for one patient need not necessarily work for another patient. And yet we are being taught that modern medicine is proven and scientific. They give you a one-size-fits-all-treatment. No?

I often wonder and ask myself.

Patients ask their doctors if the chemo-drugs that they are about to receive for their cancer are going to be effective or not. Often the answer given is, “There is no guarantee! Just try and it all depends on the person.” Such answer sound rather odd, primitive and even unscientific!  Why do I say this? Oncologists administer chemo to hundreds of patients everyday or every month. And they have been doing this for years. In other words, they have been administering this treatment for years to thousands and thousands of their patients.  I would want to believe that in their hearts, they can sense (and know for sure) that what they are doing is going to be effective or not. After all they have the blood test results, CT scans, MRI or/and PET images to guide them.  I am sure there must be a certain “feeling” in them  or their sixth sense, to say that based on their vast experience what they are about to do is going to be helpful or not. But in spite of that, patients often get this standard answer, “I am not sure. I cannot guarantee. Let’s try.”

I understand why oncologists provide evasive answers. Initially I thought they have to safe guard their rice bowls.

But now I understand. Their answer reflects the reality of the complex situation. How can anyone know the exact outcome of the treatment when the cancer is actually different even if it is given the same name called cancer? To make things more difficult, the patients are also different – they react differently to the treatment.  Doctors treating the disease are also different.  The only same thing is the poisonous chemo-drug.

Because of complex variables involved we see that some patients survive while some patients die even before the cancer is done with; some are “cured” while for others the cancer spread to other organs.

Unfortunately, no one is able to predict with absolute certainty what is going to happen after the treatment is administered to a patient.  No one is sure of the real “ingredients” that make good successful treatment. One patient was told, “It depends on the One Upstairs!”  Now, they say it all depends on God!

]]> http://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/02/24/not-all-cancers-are-the-same/feed/ 0 cacaremalaysia Graph-Types-of-cancer-growt Love-No-right-or-wrong-jour Osborne-Samre-treatment-dif Prescribe-what-is-lucrative Half-of-what-we-teach-you-w Medicine-is-shade-of-gray http://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/02/23/dissecting-chemotherapy-12-almost-chopped-off-by-chop-r-for-her-lymphoma/ http://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/02/23/dissecting-chemotherapy-12-almost-chopped-off-by-chop-r-for-her-lymphoma/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:43:02 +0000 CA Care http://cancercaremalaysia.com/?p=1332 Continue reading →]]> Pat (not real name- SY216) is a 72-year-old lady. Sometime in mid-2010, she was on TB medication for six months. Her legs, abdomen and hands were swollen.  A CT scan done on 22 December 2010 showed a 12.1 x 10.7 x 5.6 cm mass in the para-aortic region and there are multiple masses involving the left kidney and bilateral adrenal glands.  CT chest shows cardiomegaly with mild pericardial effusion. The likely diagnosis is lymphoma.

A biopsy done on 16 February 2011 confirmed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.  Pat underwent chemotherapy. The regimen used was CHOP-R, consisting of Cyclophosphamide + Andriamycin + Vincristine + Prenisolone + Rituximab.

The first cycle that Pat received on 24 February 2011 was of low dosage. Pat received the second cycle on 4 March 2011. This second cycle was a full dose. About a week later, Pat suffered severe side effects and her husband said, “She was almost “chopped off” by CHOP-R.”

Pat and her family decided to give up further chemotherapy. She and her family came to seek our help on 23 April 2011. She presented with “bad” liver (see table of blood test of 13 April 2011). Pat was prescribed Capsule A + B, Liver-P, LL-tea for her liver and Lympho 1 and Lympho 2 teas for her lymphoma.

On 17 October 2011, Chris had a chance to meet up with Pat and her family. Listen to our conversation that day.

Pat has been taking our herbs very religiously and she is doing well after giving up her chemo. As of this writing, 15 February 2012, Pat is doing fine. According to her daughter, Pat went to Singapore for her Chinese New Year Holiday (end of January 2012).

Comments

Pat suffered badly after her first cycle of CHOP-R. She could not take it anymore. Ask this question – what could have happened if Pat were to persist and continued with her chemo? Assuming she was able to complete a course of six cycles, what could have been the benefit?

Pat gave up and turned to our herbs. Did she die of her lymphoma even after giving up the chemo?  The next important question is, can her lymphoma recur? Yes. It does not matter if she had completed her full course of chemo or not.

The late Dr. Stephen Schneider, was a world famous professor at Stanford University. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001. He was treated by Dr. Sandra Horning, a leading expert on lymphoma – “the best person in the world for treating what you have”. Dr. Horning is also from Stanford and is a professor of medicine. Schneider received the “new” Stanford’s chemotherapy regimen using CHOP + R. After three cycles of CHOPR-R, CT scan showed that the lumps had disappeared. Schneider continued with chemotherapy and in total had six cycles. Although in remission Schneider was told that the cancer cells might still be hiding somewhere in the body – perhaps the bones and behind the eye balls. To be sure, Schneider had to undergo a bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Sandra said, “We never use the word ‘cure’ just remission. We’re very hopeful you will have a long and strong remission.”

It is sad to say that in spite of all the best efforts, Dr. Schneider died on 19 July 2010, after an apparent heart attack on an airplane while en route to London from a scientific conference in Stockholm. He was 65. In short, Schneider survived for nine years after his cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Did medicine really cure his cancer? Does this sound familiar?  The operation is a success but the patient died of complications?   Cytoxan (one of the chemo drug used on Schneider) has its harmful effects.  Schneider received a lot of that drug and he knew the odds when it wrote “it was known to deteriorate heart and lung condition, the cost-benefit calculus was not going to see me getting away scot-free.”

Let me end by asking you to reflect on the following quotations:

The 2012 ACS’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States are:

• About 290,170 new cases of breast cancer (invasive and carcinoma-in-situ) will be diagnosed in women.
• About 39,510 women (i.e. 13.6%) will die from it.

I wish science can tell us why women’s breasts are so susceptible to cancer attack. As it is now, in spite of our amazing scientific progress, women are just left in a limbo – uninformed and clueless. According to Karen Stabiner, a woman’s life is a roulette, when it comes to breast cancer.

In the first two weeks of February 2012, many women with breast cancer came to us for help. The most pathetic cases are those who gambled their lives with their breasts.  Let me give you some examples that I we saw the past two weeks.

Case 1:  SD (H788) is a 67-year old lady. Sometime in January 2012, she felt a lump in her left breast. She went to a doctor for an ultrasonography and mammography.  The mammogram report on 12 January 2012 indicated “an irregular opacity with microcalcification in the left breast at inner midline quadrant.”

A biopsy was performed and it was confirmed an infiltrating ductal carcinoma. SD was asked to undergo a mastectomy – to be followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She refused and came to seek our advice on 5 February 2012.

Our advice: Go and get the cancerous breast lump removed.

Her response:  She was disappointed. She expected us to prescribe her some herbs and make the lump disappear! Unfortunately, we cannot do that. We sent her home without any herbs. Come back to us after the surgery if you need our help.

Case 2:  JL (S99) is a 37-year-old lady.  About ten months ago, she felt a lump in her right breast. She did nothing about it. The lump grew bigger and began to hurt. Then she came to Penang for consultation. A biopsy was performed and confirmed a Grade 2 infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Because of its large size, JL was asked to undergo a few cycles of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour. After that she needs a mastectomy.

Our advice:  As much as chemotherapy is difficult, you have no choice. Go for the chemo and have the breast removed after chemo has shrunk the breast.

Her response:  She agreed.

Case 3: BM (S107) is a 66-year-old Indonesian lady. Two years ago she had a big lump in her left breast. She did not consult any doctor and took upon herself to solve her problem. She took Linzhi and various supplements. The lump grew bigger. Only then did she go to see a doctor who asked her to go for chemotherapy. She refused.  She turned to herbs and this time took “Sarang Semut”. After one and half months, her breast developed open wound and discharged a lot of blood. She came to seek our advice.

Our advice:  Go and see a surgeon and have him/her remove your breast. The surgeon would probably ask you to go for chemo first to shrink the tumour before he/she could do anything. But you have no choice.

Her response:  She would probably follow this advice.

Case 4: Zar (H805) a 40-year-old lady. In February 2011, she felt a lump in her left breast. She went to seek the help of the “bomoh” (local traditional healer or shaman). She was given “something” to drink. The lump did not go away but grew bigger instead. When she came to seek our advice the lump in her breast was large and hard.

Our advice: Go to your doctor and have your whole breast removed. The lump is too big. My herbs is not going to make it disappear.

Her response:  She agreed to the surgery.

Why do these women let this happen to their breasts?

Study the pictures below. Why do these women above allow this to happen to their breasts? Could it be that they are ignorant?  Can it be that they have so much fear or are in denial mode and are not prepared to face reality? Or are they just being plain dumb. I cannot answer that question. They should know better than me. But my job is to help them understand and go through this trauma before it is too late.

We can learn two lessons from the stories of these women.

One, it is best to get your breast lump removed when it is still small. Don’t wait until it gets bigger as you will end up with more problems like the picture above.

Two, some women want to believe that doing nothing or going for alternative is better. My experience tells me otherwise.  If the mass is cancerous –  getting it out is the only sensible option. There is no way that herbs or supplements can make the mass go away. Don’t be fooled or misled by those “snake oil peddlers.”

OK, if taking herbs or supplements makes you feel good – I could agree for the sake of satisfying your curiosity. You can test your luck for a few weeks and see what happens. If the tumour persists and starts to grow, that means what you are doing is not effective. Why be so dumb not see the truth?  The longer you wait, the bigger the tumour will become – why allow it to grow so ugly like in the pictures above? “Abandon ship” quickly and look for a surgeon.

Many patients come to us with their “bad” breasts hoping that our herbs can make the tumour (s) disappear. This is indeed an unrealistic dream. They come to us because they have the impression that CA Care is anti-doctor and that we would never advise them to go to the doctors.   Let me say this very clearly – CA Care is not anti-doctors. At CA Care we ask you to do whatever with your best interests in our hearts. We are not dogmatic or an alternative medicine fanatic with a fixed ideology. We ask you to go for treatment that (in our experience) would help you best.   I know some women are disappointed after we tell them what they don’t want to hear – they only want us to tell them only what they want to hear.

In my earlier article, Breast Lump: Get It Out  I have given two reasons why  I thought the tumour has to be removed surgically. One,  is a psychological reason. When the lump is physically gone, you don’t see or feel it in your breast anymore. Two, the herbs, change of diet, exercise, prayer, supplements, etc., cannot make a malignant tumour disappear. The bigger the tumour, the chance of it disappearing is even more remote.

Surgery may not cure cancer

Make no mistake, surgery may not cure your cancer. In cases where the mass is still small and the cancer has not spread elsewhere, the chance of “cure” is very high. But if the lump is already big, it is most likely that the cancer has already spread or metastatised.  Amy Soscia died after fighting a battle with her breast cancer for 13 years.

One would assume that with the advancement of science and technology, the media hype, proliferation of experts, cutting edge hospitals, a common disease such as breast cancer can be cured easily.  The impression is the medical experts have all the answers to your problem! Unfortunately, you might be unfortunate enough to learn through the hard way that it may just be a dream.  Ponder on the reality of what Karen Stabiner wrote:

The journey has just begun

After the surgery, the standard protocol of the doctor’s comprehensive treatment package is to ask you to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy (depending on your hormonal status). Unfortunately these invasive treatments have earned bad reputation. Many women dread to go through such treatments. This is where I differ with the established medical way. Doctors claim that what they offer is scientific and proven.  At CA Care I have helped breast cancer patients using non-invasive holistic method of healing. This works. Read my book, Breast Cancer – the Herbal Option, if you want to know more.  Generally women who have failed to find “cure” after undergoing all their medical treatments would come to us as a last resort. I tell them this, I am not god – I can only do that much. But I shall try my best to help.  Make no mistake. I don’t claim I can cure your cancer or I have a magic bullet for your cancer. To me, only a fool would claim that he can cure cancer. My experience tells me no one of earth can cure any cancer. So why is CA Care around then? Over the past 16 years, we have helped many cancer patients find their healing – “hopeless” patients regained their health and could lead a normal life in spite of being told by their doctors that they only have 3 or 6 months to live. Take time to read the healing stories in our website: www.cacare.com and www.CancerCareMalaysia.com and you know what I mean. Understand that healing is different from cure. Reflect on the quotations below.

In my earlier article, My Journey of Ignorance, I asked Le – a breast cancer patient who initially refused to go for any medical treatment, some questions:

Chris: Let me ask you this question – if you were to start all over again from 2009 when you felt the lump in your breast – what would you have done? 

Le: I would come to see you. I would not want to go for medical treatments.

When you had that small lump, you went to see the doctor but why did you not want him to do something for you? 

Le: I went to see a “sinseh”. He told me I had this disease because of my sins. What kind of “sinseh” was that?

What I wanted to know is, do you know that if you have a cancerous lump in your breast, the best option is to have it removed by the doctor? 

Le: If I were to have met you then, it is most likely that I would follow your advice and have the lump removed. Because after that I can take the herbs, okay – that I would agree. But I don’t want to go for chemotherapy or radiotherapy after the surgery. Unfortunately, I did not know about you then.

I fully understand why many women are scared stiff to consider undergoing such protocol – The treatment is worse than the disease! When we started CA Care we “pushed” patients to go for chemo and radiation after their surgery. In short, do what their doctors want them to do. However, over the years I have seen many failures and disastrous outcomes of these invasive treatments.  I have realized that I was wrong to have abetted patients to go fully the medical way. I have since learnt my lesson and changed my stance. Now I would not actively urge patients to go for any invasive and poisonous treatments. It must be the patient – and the patient alone – who makes that decision if she wants to undergo chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. I would NOT oppose or urge anyone going towards that direction.  Whether to go for chemo or radiation must be your own decision. Please don’t ask me what to do. I cannot answer you that.

My responsibility is restricted to providing patients with honest and unbiased facts about these treatments based on my reading of medical literature. I believe in evidence-based medicine. With that I need real evidence and not biased, academic or theoretical perceptions. To me, there is no meaning in saying: The treatment is a success but the patient died of complications, or the patient tolerated chemotherapy well.  I take seriously the wisdom that the test of the pudding is in its taste. When a patient dies or is not cured, it is a failure (of your claim to cure)  – no more, no less. And why can’t we learn to accept failures and be honest about them?

Ponder on the quotations below:

Let me end by asking you to watch this video and revisit this article:  No Chemo for Mom’s Breast Cancer – Wisdom of a Son

Over the years, we have encountered many cases like the above. Let me present another case for you to contemplate on.

1 February 2012

Dear Dr. Chris,

A friend gave us your Website. I am a lung cancer patient, diagnosed with Advance Non Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, have been and still going through chemotherapy for more than a year. Last week I had fluid drained from my right lung.

My husband and I decided to consult you for treatment. We are from Singapore and do not know how far is your clinic from the airport. How much do you charge for your fee and medication? Do I need to stay at your clinic during the treatment?

Reply: Since you are still on chemo and also have been on chemo for that long … I am not sure if you really need my help. If there is still fluid in the lungs, it just means the chemo is useless. But I am not going to ask you to stop what you are doing. It is your choice. My only problem is, the chemo can kill. But when patients take my herbs and die they will blame my herbs not the chemo. Because of that I would rather you finish with all your medical treatments first. And when you have nowhere else to go after that, then come and see me.   

5 February 2012

Dear Dr. Chris Teo,

Thanks for your prompt reply. My last chemo (the 8th Chemo) was on 26th January 2012. After this, 8th February I shall go for PET scan, then on the 9th Feb consult Dr. This 2nd doctor we consulted said he is going to surrender if the tumor continues to grow. After the 4th chemo, the PET scan showed the tumor was growing. The doctor increased the chemo dosage and included Iressa. And I was hospitalised one month later due to very fast heart beat, 251/min, Electrolytes were replaced. The chemo drugs I was given wereTaxotere, Cisplatin and Iressa.

As what you said, it is my choice, I find no meaning, here protein and booster jab, there chemo. I will not hold anyone responsible for my life and commit everything to God’s hand.

I will make photocopies of my medical results when I get it from the doctor this Thursday. My husband and myself had booked a flight to Penang … we would plead with you whether you could help to see another patient that evening. I am having aching, coughing, body, fingers, toes cramps, head ache and extreme tiredness. This is like an everyday affair after chemo.

9 February 2012

Dear Doctor,

Thanks for your reply. Appreciate your advice and concern. I was hospitalised on Monday due to fast heart beat. Doctor said electrolytes not balanced. Last night, my heart beat went up again to 240/min. I am not discharged yet so I wouldn’t be going to Penang tomorrow.

On 12 February 2012, patient’s husband came to CA Care with details of her medical history.

1. In 1993, patient underwent a hysterectomy for menorrhagia (abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual period).
2. In 2001, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A mastectomy was done. Subsequently she underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy and 25 times of radiation treatment. She also took Tamoxifen for 5 years.
3. In October 2010, patient had a swelling (lymph node) in her neck during a routine medical examination. She was investigated and was confirmed to have a metastatic lung cancer – an adenocarcinoma.
4. From 23 October 2010 to 11 May 2011, patient underwent chemotherapy consisting of Gemcitabine + Carboplatin for 12 treatments.
5. From 3 June 2011 to 10 August 2011, she received 4 cycles of Taxotere.
6. From 12 September 2011 to 12 October 2011, she received 2 cycles of Alimta.
7. From 10 November 2011 to 8 December 2011, she received 4 cyles of Taxotere plus Cisplatin.
8. From 22 December 2011 to 26 January 2012, the dosage of Taxotere plus Cisplatin was increased by 20 percent. She had two cycles of this increased dosage. Since CT showed that the tumour was still growing, patient was given Taxotere + Cisplatin + Iressa for the next 2 cycles.
9. She ended up in the hospital because of:

• Rapid heartbeat.
• Shortness of breath.
• Fevers.
• Severe coughs with white phlegm.
• Pain in the shoulder and neck.
• Swelling of the jaw.
• Slow to talk.
• Pale and very tired.
• When she coughed too hard, her urine flowed out (stress incontinence).

This was when the patient wrote to us, “This 2nd doctor we consulted said he is going to surrender if the tumor continues to grow. After the 4th chemo, the PET scan showed the tumor was growing.” According to her husband, she is going to stop chemotherapy.  Below is what her latest PET scan showed.

Comments

In 2001, the patient had breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  She then took   Tamoxifen for 5 years. That basically is all what modern medicine can offer any breast cancer patient.  But is she cured? Yes, by the “common medical definition” because she had survived 5 years.  But about 9 years later, October 2010, the cancer recurred in a form of a swelling in her neck and this was later confirmed as lung metastasis.

Is such story a unique and rare occurrence? No. This happens very often. What has gone wrong? Reflect on the quotations below.

The conclusion from this case is – medical treatment did not cure her breast cancer! She got lung cancer after 9 years. So, to say that surviving for 5 years is considered a cure is simply not true. It is another big lie! Or, half truth. And this half truth is dangerous. Misleading statement or advice like this could lead you to your grave. Patients often are overjoyed after hitting the 5-year mark and they are often thrown off guard and become complacent. Most go back to their old lifestyle. Then cancer strikes back! As in the case of this lady and my Aunty.

I was curious as to who came out with this idea of “living for five years and you are considered cured”. I searched the internet for a possible answer. This is what I got.

• The number five used is an arbitrary figure. There is no scientific basis of choosing this number.

• Dr. David Johnson, deputy director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center thinks that: The five-year benchmark becomes a balm for doctors and patients who find the unpredictability of their situations intolerable. Physicians are reluctant to say you might recur, so they would rather use these terms like: “OK, in five years, you’ll be cured.”

• According to Dr. Karrison, patients need to survive for 20 to 25 years before we can say they are cured. To ask patients to wait this long may be bad for business!

From much reading, I have come to understand that numbers and statistics are often sweet and deceptive – they cannot be trusted and must be viewed with skepticism. Scientific data can be and are often massaged and manipulated to make things look good. Patients like to hear “good news.” They are ready to swallow everything when they hear what they want to hear – what more when it comes from “scientists”! 

What now after the metastasis? 

In this case, patient was given chemos after chemos –  and the combination of cytotoxic drugs changed and changed.  In total this patient had 26 cycles of chemotherapy for her lung cancer. Alimta is the “newest” bullet used. But the “heroic” effort failed. The doctor told the patient that he was about to surrender. Patient landed in the hospital.

When everything else failed, CA Care comes into the picture! So, that’s the reason why I wrote, My only problem is the chemo can kill. But when patients take my herbs and die they will blame my herbs not the chemo. 

That’s the way it is.

Reflect on  the following quotations.

Blood test showed CEA = 38.3 (high); CA 19.9 = 40,003.44 (high); Total bilirubin = 4.6 (low) and GGT = 72 (high).

Ultrasound done on 22 November 2010 showed: “hypoechoic lesion in the pancreatic body … measuring 5.8 x 4.4 x 2.6 cm. There are multiple, well-defined hypoechoic nodules in the liver – the largest seen in the right hepatic lobe, measuring 2.5 cm. Impression: pancreatic body hypoechoic mass is likely a neoplastic lesion with metastases in the liver.”

For confirmation, a CT scan was performed the next day, 23 November 2010. The report indicated: “hypodense mass on the body / tail of the pancreas – measuring approximately 6 x 3 cm. The second hypodense nodule … is also seen more distally in the pancreatic tail. There are a number of hypodense lesions in the liver – the largest lesions are in segment 8, measuring 2.5 cm each. Other lesions are in the caudate lobe, segment 7 and segment 5.

Impression: Carcinoma of the body and tail of pancreas with infiltration of the splenic vein, encasement of the roots of the portal vein and multiple hepatic metastases.

Surgery was not indicated in this case, since the cancer had already spread to her liver. The only option left was to undergo chemotherapy. Yoke was told that she needed to receive seven weekly cycles of chemotherapy. With such treatment, Yoke was told there would be a sixty percent chance of suppressing the cancer (whatever that means?). The oncologist also said that the smaller tumours would not spread after the chemo-treatment.

Yoke refused chemotherapy. She came to seek our help on 20 November 2010. She presented with the following:

• Pain in the abdomen and lumbar region. She had to take the painkiller, Tramadol.
• Unable to sleep if there were pains.
• A bit tired.

She was prescribed Capsule A and B, LL-tea, Liver 1 and Liver 2 teas, Pancreas 1 and Pancreas 2 teas, and Pain Tea.

A week on the herbs: Yoke felt more “cheng sin” (more energetic). Her sleep improved. In the first four days taking the herbs, Yoke suffered the healing crisis. She had intense pains. But the pains gradually subsided and by the fifth day the pains were gone.

Two weeks on the herbs, 10 December 2010: Yoke informed us that she had totally stopped taking the Tramadol prescribed her doctor.  She did not have any more pains but she continued taking the Pain Tea. Her sleep was good. Her appetite improved.

Three weeks on the herbs, 17 December 2010: Yoke stopped taking the Pain Tea. And she did not suffer any pain. She said she was always felt hungry after taking the herbs. Our answer to this “problem” –  go ahead and eat!

Yoke appeared to be doing well with the herbs. She was then busy making arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. We did not get to see much of Yoke for some months even though we knew that she still continued taking our herbs.

About six months later, May 2011: Yoke came to our centre and she was in severe pains. Why and what had happened?

Yoke said her friend encouraged her to go for a PET scan in order to know what was going on inside her. After all she had been doing well. So Yoke went for a whole body PET/CT scan without seeking our advice. This procedure cost her RM 4,662.

Immediately after the procedure, Yoke suffered severe pains in her abdomen and lumbar region. It was back to the same old problem again.

Let Yoke explain what had gone wrong.

Our conversation

Chris: You went to do a PET scan?

Yoke: Yes and the doctor asked me to eat meat for two days.  I was told not to eat rice, fruits, juices and vegetables. I must eat only meat, egg, mushroom and porridge. I was asked to eat these for two days before I went for the scan.

Did he tell you why you need to do that?

So that the pictures would come out clearer.

Did you suffer after taking all these food?

Yes after I took meat, I started to have pains – more pains.

How much did you have to pay?

I put in RM 5,000 and I got back RM 338 (so the cost of her PET scan was RM4,662). If I knew  all these, I would not have gone for the scan. They asked me to eat meat for two days – damn it!

But why did you go and do it in the first place>

I have a group of cancer friends. They too went for PET scan. They told me CT scan is not clear and PET scan is clearer – you will know if the cancer is active or not.

So, you follow their advice?

Yes, I was real dumb and went for it.

There is no” meaning” for you to do that!

As you had said. I had pains after that and they could not “repair” me. I had more pains and I was also not able to sleep. More problems for me.

Daughter: They said the cancer had spread to the liver.

Yes, we already knew that anyway. And they asked you to take meat?

That was why the cancer became more active.

They Asked Me to Go for Chemotherapy

They asked me to go for chemo.  But the doctor said this was not going to cure me – only maintain. The doctor also said only 25 percent of patients who had chemo lived for two years. So I asked what happened to the remaining 75 percent – “went off”?  When the cancer recurs, I would need to do more chemo.  No, no – I told the doctor I do not want any chemo. When I told him that, he ignored me – not interested to talk to me anymore.

Let me ask you this – let’s assume that you have two years to live with chemo, and you only have one year if you take herbs. Why one would you choose?

I want to take herbs. May be I might just die sooner with the chemo. I told the doctor, “I might just die while undergoing chemotherapy.” He said, “No, no such thing. I would give you the drug bit by bit.” But I did not want to hear from him anymore.

She Died Soon Afterwards

After the PET scan, Yoke had pains and these got worse by the day. She was unable to sleep or walk by herself, and became weaker. Her stomach was bloated and she was in severe pain. Finally she died not long afterwards.

Information about PET scan from the Internet

• X-ray, CT scan and MRI show the anatomy and structure of the organs examined. In contrast, PET scan reveals the metabolic activity and function of the organs. So, X-ray. CT and MRI scans assess the size and shape of different organs in the body. They do not assess function. While a PET scan looks at the body or organ function.
• When we go for an X-ray, x-rays are generated from a machine and these rays go through our body and an image is formed on a film. In PET scan a radioactive material, called a radiopharmaceutical or radiotracer, is injected into our bloodstream. The commonly used radiotracer is fluorodexoyglucose (FDG). This is a glucose molecule which has been tagged with a small amount of radioactive element. The radioactive glucose is taken up by cancer cells. Tissues that are active accumulate a large amount of the radiotracer and they show up as “hot spots.” Thus, hot spots indicate high level of chemical or metabolic activity. Less intense areas, or “cold spots,” indicating a smaller concentration of radiotracer and less chemical activity.

• PET scan is now considered a new technology. It helps doctors to locate the presence of cancer/infection anywhere in the body. Because cancers are multiplying and require energy for growth, PET scan is designed to detect any mass that is growing fast. The PET scan can also detect the spread of cancer in other parts of the body.

Do you learn any lesson from Yoke’s story?

Yoke learnt her lesson the hard way. Unfortunately it was too late. But can you learn any lesson from Yoke’s experience?

Ask these questions:

1. The doctor asked Yoke to eat meat, eggs, etc., so that the “picture” will come out clear and nice? Do you know the reason for this after reading the information above? Was he not trying to “wake up the sleeping cancer cells” to make good pictures? It is good for him but this caused more harm to the patient.
2. What is the “useful” purpose of doing the PET scan anyway – in this case?
3. To have supportive friends is great but some can lead you to your doom. So before you embark on something, read first. If you cannot read – ask those who really know! 

Reflect on the quotations below:

Just to be on the safe side, I suggested that it might be a good idea to know the extent of possible metastases – if at all there is any spread – before undergoing surgery. Towards this end, I suggested that he goes for a PET scan. At that time, my impression was that the PET is the state-of-the-art imaging procedure. It is more accurate and reliable than the CT scan.

After a few days, I was informed by phone that the PET done did not show any malignancy – no cancer!  Nevertheless, I hesitated to believe the result. At that time, I “interpreted” the message differently. I had the impression that this VIP wanted to avoid any dealing with me and therefore the only polite “save face” strategy was to tell me that there was no cancer. So he does not need my help anymore!

Some months later, I got to know through another person that this VIP had undergone a liver surgery. This planted the first seed of doubt in my mind about the reliability of PET scan.

Patient from Kelantan

In October 2011, I received a fax from a patient in Kelantan.  This 47-year-old male patient did a CT scan on 22 August 2011. The results indicated:

• Three well-defined heterogenously hypodense small liver lesions in segments 2, 7 and 8. The largest in segment 2 measuring 0.7 x 1.0 cm. Foci of non-enhancing calcification seen in segment 8 with no mass effect, likely to represent old infection.
• Small, well-defined lung nodule seen in the anterior segment of right upper lobe of 0.3 cm in diameter. A small pleural-based nodule is also seen in the posterior segment of left lower lobe measuring 0.3 cm in diameter.
• Well-defined small sclerotic bony lesions see in at right acetabulum, left ilium and left neck of femur likely to represent bony island. Multilevel degenerative of the visualized spine.

Impression: Known case of sigmoid colon carcinoma with liver and lung metastases.

This same patient went to do a PET scan in Kuala Lumpur on 5 October 2011. The PET scan result indicated the following:

• There is normal uptake in all the organs examined, in particular the colon, liver, lungs, lymph nodes, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, adrenal glands, brain and bones. There is no pleural effusion or ascites.

Impression: No malignant lesion is detected.

This was the second alarm bell. However, I did not take this episode to heart because the patient did not come to see me personally and I did not get to see the images of both the scans. As such I do not have any “solid” evidence to back up what I say – although I did have the faxed reports of both the procedures.

Patient from Penang

The third alarm bell – on 5 February 2012. A man came to our Centre with the medical reports of his wife who has ovarian cancer. She underwent surgery – TAHBSO (Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) – on 15 September 2010. This time I had the opportunity to examine the images of both the PET and CT scans.

Six months after the surgery, a PET scan was done at a private hospital in Selangor on 19 April 2011. 

Technique: PET scan was performed from the vertex of the skull to the thighs after intravenous administration of 8.5 mCi of F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucise (FDG). Oral gastrograffin, oral bromazepam and intra-venous lasix were given. Fasting blood glucose – 6.9 mmol/l/

Findings:

1. Head – There is normal physiological localization of the FDG in the cerebrum and the cerebellum. The uptake and the distribution of the radiotracer in the posterior nasopharyngeal tissue, salivary gland and tonsils are within normal physiological limits.
2. Neck –The thyroid gland displaces normal FDG upake. There is no FDG avid cervical lymphadenopathy. 
3. Thorax – Normal FDG uptake is seen in both breasts. There is no FDG avid axillary lymphadenopathy, bilaterally. There is no FDG avid mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Thre is no pleural effusion seen.
4. Abdomen – There is no suspicious FDG avid lesion see in the liver. U[take and distribution of the radiotracer in the gallbladder, spleen, adrenals, pancreas, kidneys and bowels are within normal physiological limits. There is no FDG avid abdominal lymphadeopathy. Ascites is not present.
5. Pelvis – TAHBSO noted. There is no definite abnormal FDG lesion seen in the pelvic floor and vaginal stump. There are some superficial subcentimetre size non-FDG avid inguinal nodes which are likely to be reactive nodes. There is no FGD pelvic lymphadenopathy.
6. Musculoskeletal – There is symmetrical FDG avid activity seen in the acromioclavicular joints bilaterally, probably due to imflammation. There is no suspicious FDG avid lesion seen in the visualized skeleton.

Conclusion;

1. There is no evidence of residual hypermetabolic disease in the vaginal stump and pelvic floor.
2. There is no evidence of hypermetabolic loco-regional or distant metastatic disease at present.
3. Although there is no evidence of macroscopic disease at present, the presence of microscopic disease cannot be excluded.

The above report was signed by the Consultant Nuclear Medicine Physician.

Three months later, 25 July 2011, this same lady did an ultrasound of her abdomen and pelvis at the same private hospital in Selangor. The results indicated:

• Mild ascites is seen.
• A thick layer of lobulated parietal pleural masses are seen subdiaphragmatically, around the liver edges superiorly and laterally.
• It measures up to 6 x 3.5 cm around segment 8 of the liver and 4.5 x3.7 cm superior to segment 2.
• Intrahepatically, a hypoechoic nodule measuring 15 mm is noted in segment 3.
• There are also intraperitoneal mesenteric deposit, measuring up to 3.6 x 2.8 cm in the right lumbar territory.
• The uterus and ovary absent.

Impression: Extensive intraperitoneal metastases with ascites. Significant progression of the metastasis is seen.

On 16 November 2011, a CT scan of this same lady was done at a private hospital in Penang. The results indicated:

• Extensive lobulated hypodense mass noted in the peritoneum and mesentery of upper abdomen.
• The mass measured approximately 25 to 65 mm in diameter each.
• The mass creep in between the diaphragm and the dome of the liver with marked subcapsular compression of liver.
• Masses also noted in the lesser sac and the para-splenic space.
• Moderate ascites.
• Previous hysterectomy.

Impression: In view of the clinical history, features are consistent with relapsed of carcinoma of ovary with extensive peritoneal and omental metastasis.

Let me end with another story. There was this man who had stomach cancer. After surgery he came to seek our help and was started on the herbs. According to him, he felt good. He liked gardening and used to bring a lot of hot “cabai burung” whenever he came to our centre. He knew that I like hot chilly. One day this patient came and told us that he just had just done a scan and his doctor told him he had no more cancer – everything was clean. So he did not want to take any more herbs – after all the doctor said he was already cured! Although I did warn him that there is no such thing as a cure! No, his doctor’s words were more powerful and after all this was what every cancer patient wants to hear anyway.

A few months later, someone showed me his obituary in the newspaper. Besides learning that he was dead, I also learned that this man was a Datuk – a titled, respected personality in the community.

From the above stories, I learned that we can cause grave danger to patients by telling them things that they only want to hear. Or sending them for test that can give results that they are looking for –  of course, the more high-tech the equipment involved, the more convincing it would be.  So danger is not only confined to giving them the “wrong kind” of medication – the more toxic the more dangerous.

In this case the lady patient above had a choice – to believe that she had NO cancer after her surgery. What a great relief and welcoming news when the high tech state-of-the art technology similarly confirmed this belief. The lady also had another choice – to believe that surgery did not in any way cure her cancer and actually there were a lot more of the cancer cells left behind after the surgery! High tech gadget was unable to detect that but intuition and plain old-fashion experience is able to decipher that possibility.

Incidentally, while writing this article, I was also reading this humorous, oft-quoted all-time favorite book written by Dr. Oscar London, M.D., the pseudonym of an internist practising in Berkeley, California.

• A lesion measuring 1.5 x 2.7 cm at the apical segment of the right lower lobe of her lung.
• A solitary enlarged lymph node in the middle mediastinum measuring 1 x 1.3 cm.
• Minimal bilateral pleural effusion.
• Three low-attenuation lesions in the spleen.

NH was given a week of antibiotics. This was not effective. Subsequently the family was told that she had lung cancer. Due to her old age, neither the doctor nor the family were interested in any follow-up treatment. NH and her family came to seek our help on 23 October 2009. She presented with:

• Being unable to sleep at times.
• Bowel movements were difficult – 3 days once.
• She coughed once a while.
• She lacked strength.

NH was prescribed Capsule A, Lung 1 and 2, and Constipation teas. After a week on the herbs, her son reported that his mother’s condition had improved. Her coughs were reduced, she was more energetic and there was no more constipation.

We never get to see NH after that although we noted that her son did come to our centre regularly to collect herbs for her.  On 20 January 2012 – i.e. 2 years and 3 months later – NH came to our centre with her son.

A CT scan done on 15 April 2009, indicated cirrhosis of the liver with portal hypertension. A 13mm lesion was seen in the right lobe, the appearance was consistent with a haemangioma. A 15 mm cyst was seen in the left lobe of her liver.

The doctor suggested that Ling undergo treatment with (Interferon?) injection. She would need about 50 injections and the total cost would come to about RM 40,000. And the chance of success would be about 50% (whatever this means!).

Ling sought the help of a medical doctor who practised alternative therapies – the late Dr. Ishak from Melaka. Ling underwent some treatments in Dr. Ishak’s clinic. After that she was asked to come to CA Care for further management.

Ling came to us on 8 May 2009 and presented with abdominal pains and difficulty in sleeping. She was prescribed Capsule A & B, Liver 1 and Liver 2 –teas and LL-Tea.  Since Ling came from another town we only got to see here once in a while over the years.

On 6 December 2011 (two and a half years now), Ling sent someone to collect more her herbs. She is still doing fine.

Table:  Blood test results over the years.

The blood test results in February 2011 showed low platelets count. We told Ling to be careful and she should monitor this. Low platelets can result in non-stop bleeding. If the count is low she should go to the hospital for blood transfusion. Ling can also take juice extracted from the young papaya shoots or she can boil the mature papaya leaf and make it into tea. This may help with her blood counts. Overall her liver function parameters were better after taking the herbs compared to those days before she was on the herbs.  Her AcuGraph readings over the time also showed improvements (below).