6. Melasma

Wang, female, 38 years old. Symmetrical yellow-brown patches appear on both cheeks, with clear boundaries and smooth surfaces without scales, merging into a butterfly shape on both sides of the face. These changes often worsen during menstruation, accompanied by dysmenorrhea, dizziness, and fatigue. Tongue pale with little coating, pulse fine and rapid. Western medical diagnosis: melasma. Teacher Pei believes it is caused by deficiency of liver and kidney yin, with insufficient nourishing blood. Treatment recommends nourishing yin and enriching blood. Prescription: peach kernel 10 g, safflower 6 g, angelica 10 g, rehmannia 12 g, white peony 10 g, chuan e 6 g, nüzhenzi 15 g, hanlian cao 15 g, shanju 10 g, ll|medicine 10 g, dan pi 6 g, poria 10 g, alisma 10 g, motherwort 10 g, dodder 10 g, dandelion 10 g, decocted in water and taken once daily. After taking the above prescription for more than twenty doses, dysmenorrhea disappeared, and the melasma color basically faded, so peach kernel and safflower were removed, and after another twenty-plus doses, the melasma basically disappeared.

Note: Teacher Pei believes melasma is caused by insufficient liver blood. For women, blood is the innate foundation, and if blood is deficient, it cannot nourish the complexion, leading to this disease. "Deficiency must be replenished," so the main treatment focuses on nourishing liver blood.

II. Discussion

From the above six cases, it can be seen that Teacher Pei's treatment of skin diseases has the following four characteristics: First, combining Western medical diagnosis with traditional Chinese medicine differentiation, such as considering urticaria primarily as wind-heat, while melasma is often attributed to blood deficiency. This greatly improves the accuracy of diagnosis and thus enhances treatment effectiveness. Second, combining internal treatment with external treatment. For conditions where systemic lesions manifest locally, internal medication is preferred, such as in the case of pubic lice. Third, integrating classic formulas with contemporary prescriptions. Teacher Pei not only draws on

<!-- translated-chunk:50/57 -->

Take traditional classic formulas such as Longdan Xiegan Tang and Siwu Tang, while also boldly applying prescriptions that have proven effective in treating skin diseases in recent years. Fourthly, combine established formulas with single herbs. For example, when treating shingles, commonly used herbs with excellent antiviral effects include Daqingye, Gongying, and Ma Chixian. For various skin conditions characterized by unbearable itching, Wushe is invariably prescribed due to its outstanding anti-itch efficacy.

(“Chinese Medicine Correspondence” August 2000)

Professor Pei Zhengxue’s Understanding and Treatment of Tumors

Zhang Taifeng and Chen Ling

In the 1940s and 1950s, the advent of chemotherapy opened up new prospects for cancer treatment. However, while chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, they also cause severe damage to normal cells and tissues. Although efforts have been made from various angles to mitigate these side effects, overall results remain unsatisfactory. The successive introduction of deep X-ray therapy, ^60^Co irradiation, linear accelerators, and fast neutrons into cancer treatment has brought about optimistic prospects. Researchers have worked on adjusting radiation dosage and improving positioning techniques to minimize the side effects of cancer treatment; yet, complete cure of cancer remains an unresolved issue. The application of biological agents such as thymosin, interleukin-2, interferon, and transfer factor has pioneered a new approach to regulating the immune system of cancer patients, but this field is still in its early exploratory stages. In fact, Western medicine’s biological therapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s “supporting vital energy and consolidating the root” therapy are essentially complementary—though the latter offers richer content and more definitive therapeutic effects.

I. Understanding Cancer Through the Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

Western medicine attributes the causes of cancer to factors such as infection (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.), poisoning (coal tar, heavy metals, dyes, asbestos, etc.), and irritation (radioactive substances, X-rays, radionuclides, etc.). In recent years, theories regarding human autoimmune deficiencies and allergic reactions have also emerged. So how does Traditional Chinese Medicine view the pathogenesis of cancer? The “Plain Questions” succinctly states: “When righteous qi resides within, evil cannot invade,” and “Where evil gathers, qi must be deficient,” clearly recognizing that “righteous qi” is the key determinant of disease onset. The renowned Ming Dynasty physician Chen Shigong, in his “Orthodox Surgery,” proposed the theory that “accumulation arises from deficiency of righteous qi; only when righteous qi is deficient can accumulation form.” This directly applies the “deficiency of righteous qi leads to disease” concept from the “Plain Questions” to tumor formation, arguing that only when righteous qi is insufficient can pathogenic factors invade the body, leading to dysfunction of the zang-fu organs and imbalance of qi, blood, yin, and yang, ultimately resulting in tumors. This perspective aligns remarkably well with modern Western immunology, pointing toward a bright future for contemporary oncology. In 1996, Professor Pei visited the University of California, Los Angeles Cancer Research Institute, where he presented his views on the pathogenesis of tumors based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. American scholars showed great interest, repeatedly inquiring about the profound implications of this idea, considering it a significant contribution by China to global medicine. Based on this understanding, the pathogenesis of tumors, like that of other diseases, can be collectively termed the “theory of deficiency of righteous qi leading to disease.” Since tumors arise from deficiency of righteous qi, “supporting righteous qi” treatment is referred to as “consolidating the root,” and together they are called “supporting righteous qi and consolidating the root.” Consequently, this approach has become the fundamental method for treating cancer. In 1967, Professor Pei used a modified formula combining Liuwei Dihuang Tang with Sishen and Shengmai (the “Lanzhou Formula”), which was adjusted according to the patient’s condition, successfully curing one case of acute monocytic leukemia (M5). The patient has survived for over 30 years, now 51 years old, working healthily as usual, and recent bone marrow examinations still show normal results.

II. Integrated Treatment of Common Tumors with Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine