1 Theoretical Basis for Using Pei’s “Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills” in Combination with Western Medicine to Treat PLC

1 Theoretical Basis for Using Pei’s “Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills” in Combination with Western Medicine to Treat PLC

Professor Pei Zhengxue believes that the development of medicine depends on economic development. Western medicine is built on a large industrial foundation, focusing on the microscopic, local aspects, and the pathogenicity of the disease, while neglecting the fact that humans are an organic whole. Traditional Chinese medicine, on the other hand, is an empirical science—diagnosing diseases through observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation, then integrating and reasoning these clues through the physician’s thinking. It takes a macroscopic view of disease, emphasizing the whole organism and its response. Each type of medicine has its strengths and weaknesses, and their combination is a historical inevitability [13]. Based on more than 50 years of clinical experience, Professor Pei Zhengxue proposed the clinical diagnostic and treatment approach of “Western diagnosis, Chinese differentiation, herbal medicine as the mainstay, Western medicine as the auxiliary.” Specifically for PLC, first use advanced Western diagnostic tools such as tumor markers, abdominal CT, MRI, and biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of PLC. On the basis of a clear Western diagnosis, conduct Chinese differentiation. At this stage, Chinese differentiation is not limited to the Eight Principles, etiological differentiation, organ differentiation, Sanjiao differentiation, Six Meridians differentiation, or Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue differentiation; instead, it combines the macroscopic, holistic view and the organism’s response of traditional Chinese medicine with the microscopic, localized, and pathogenic focus of Western medicine, achieving complementary strengths and weaknesses, drawing on ancient wisdom for modern use, adapting foreign knowledge for domestic application, and integrating Eastern and Western approaches. Western medicine still does not fully understand the pathogenesis of PLC; traditional Chinese medicine, however, holds that “deficiency of righteous qi” is the root cause of tumor formation. As recorded in “The Authentic Records of Surgery”: “Accumulation arises from deficiency of righteous qi; only when righteous qi is deficient does accumulation occur.” Similarly, “The Plain Questions: Discussion on Acupuncture Techniques” states: “When righteous qi resides within, evil cannot invade; where evil gathers, righteous qi must be deficient.” Here, “righteous qi” refers to what modern medicine calls the body’s immune system. Therefore, strengthening righteous qi and consolidating the root is the fundamental principle. Following this, proceed with breaking up accumulations, eliminating tumors, promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, softening hard masses, clearing heat and draining fire, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, and regulating qi to relieve pain.

Pei’s Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills are a formulation developed by Professor Pei Zhengxue, adhering to the philosophy of integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine, refined through clinical practice for treating PLC, gastric cancer, and other cancers. According to incomplete statistics, Pei’s Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills have clinically cured 15 cases of PLC and 6 cases of gastric cancer.

Pei’s Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills have undergone extensive animal experiments, which show that they can significantly improve the spleen index and thymus index in tumor-bearing mice, thereby enhancing their non-specific immune function. They also increase the levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α in serum, confirming that Pei’s Soft Liver and Anti-Bloating Pills can regulate the body’s immune function by improving cytokine levels, inhibit tumor cell growth, and improve the survival quality of tumor-bearing mice, with good therapeutic effects [12].