3.1 Theoretical Basis for Treating Liver Cancer with Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pill

3.1 Theoretical Basis for Treating Liver Cancer with Pei's Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pill

Professor Pei Zhengxue, the mentor, believes that liver cancer patients present with a combination of deficiency of righteous qi and excess of pathogenic qi, with righteous qi deficiency as the root cause and blood stasis and heat accumulation as the manifestation. Therefore, treatment should focus on reinforcing righteous qi and consolidating the root, while also eliminating accumulation and expelling pathogenic qi. When making differential diagnoses, it is crucial to clearly distinguish between primary deficiency and secondary excess. The "Essential Principles of Therapeutic Methods" states: "Strong people do not accumulate, but weak people do. If the spleen and stomach are weak, qi and blood are both depleted, and there is exposure to seasonal pathogens, accumulation can occur." The "Essential Readings on Accumulation" states: "In the early stage, the pathogenic factors are still mild and the righteous qi is relatively strong, so the body can withstand attacks. In the middle stage, the illness has persisted for a longer time, the pathogenic factors are deeper, and the righteous qi is weaker, so the body needs both attack and support. In the late stage, the disease has lasted a long time, the pathogenic factors have invaded deeply, and the righteous qi is almost exhausted, so the body can only rely on support." In the early stages of liver cancer, righteous qi is not yet deficient, and the main issue is excess pathogenic qi, so treatment should focus on activating blood circulation and removing stasis, soothing the liver and regulating qi, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, draining fire and detoxifying, and eliminating accumulation and dispersing knots to drive out pathogenic qi. In the middle and later stages, the masses become harder, righteous qi gradually weakens, and if blood stasis persists for a long time, righteous qi deficiency becomes the dominant factor, so the priority shifts to reinforcing righteous qi and consolidating the root, typically through nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys, strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, and nourishing blood and softening the liver to address the root cause.