Can Cancer be Defeated by Acupuncture?

By Shmuel Halevi Ph.D.

A case history analysis originally published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine
Introduction
Cancer patients are occasionally seen in the acupuncture clinic, and some of them respond favorably
either to acupuncture or herbal treatment. Most cases however, only resort to acupuncture at a late
stage in their disease, and usually in despair. The majority of these patients are above fifty, and, as
can be expected, in very bad shape. Partly because of this, cancer patients who benefit from
treatment usually experience only a symptomatic relief, which, though very significant in some cases,
is usually not a complete cure.
The following case history concerns a young man, who had come to my clinic only two months after
the inception of the disease, and ten days after diagnosis. Because of the early stage of the disease,
and the fact that he had not received any chemotherapy or similar treatment, his chances of recovery
were significantly higher than those of the average cancer patient.
The patient, Mr. E., a 25 year old captain in the army, came to my clinic in February 1991. Two
months prior to that, following a heavy blow to his face from a basketball, he had started to
experience double vision and other visual disturbances. He then gradually lost sensation in his right
arm, hand and leg, with marked motor disability of his right hand, and developed dizziness. In the first
week of February, Mr. E. had several bouts of electrical shock like sensations throughout his entire
body, after which he felt completely depleted, and his right side became virtually paralyzed. His left
eye became fixed in the center of the orbit, was unable to move at all to the left, and he was only able
to see blurred and double shapes. During these two months Mr. E. had series of urgent medical tests,
including an M.R.I scan of the brain. Radiologists at the Wadassa hospital in Jerusalem and the
Assuta hospital in Tel Aviv confirmed the existence of a brain tumor in the medulla pons area, slightly
pushing onto the bottom of the fourth cerebral ventriculum. He was diagnosed as a brain cancer
patient with a rather poor prognosis. Surgical procedures were not recommended due to the
anatomic location of the tumor, nor, in fact, was any other treatment proposed.
The three professors who saw him did not suggest any link between the tumor and the trauma he
had suffered earlier.
Clinical manifestations
Appearance: The patient looked very emaciated, thin and fragile. His right side was obviously feeble
and his left eye was fixed in an unblinking, unmoving gaze. He was rather pale and frightened.
The pulse was deep, weak and slow. The middle left (Liver) position was thin and very wiry.
The tongue was very swollen, and slightly contracted. He was unable to stick it out at my request.
Around the tip there were red points, and the rear portion was covered with dry, thick, yellowish moss.
Palpation: The liver was apparently enlarged (about one finger below the ribs), hard and sensitive.
Zhangmen LIV-13 on the left was very tender, as well as points Juque REN-14, Zhongwan REN-12
and Fengchi GB-20.
Diagnosis: A swollen tongue that was contracted and could not be extended along with a wiry Liver
pulse, suggested immediately a severe blood stagnation type of disorder. Both pulse and tongue,
along with clear congealed blood symptoms (the tumor, fixed eye etc.), were in agreement with the