Reversing Liver Stagnation to Treat Breast Cancer

Chinese medicine offers an alternative viewpoint of treating breast cancer based on opening up meridians in the body that allow Qi energy to flow unimpeded. For those who suffer from breast cancer, the stagnant Qi, and ‘clogged’ blood, along with dampness in the body are what cause breast cancer to develop. Too much ‘damp heat’ is considered toxic to the body and can start rampant inflammation in the breast tissues. Of course there are countless reasons why disease may develop – this is just one outlook.

The Liver Meridian is the energetic pathway that flows through the breasts and governs their health. As in all Chinese medicine, the body can only be its healthiest when opposites are balanced. This is represented perfectly in the Yin Yang symbol. Yin energy is considered more passive, soft and feminine, intuitive and cold, and Yang energy is its more masculine counterpart, hot, dry, hard and active.

The liver is considered the second heart of the body – and it is no wonder that the breasts – located near the heart – suffer when the energy of the liver and the liver meridian is not balanced. This meridian starts at the top of the big toe and travels up the leg to the pubic bone, circles the sex organs, then enters the lower abdomen, travels upwards from there to meet the liver and gallbladder, then runs through the lungs (and breasts), and curves around the mouth to split off going to each eye. These points then meet again at the forehead and travel to the crown.

Read: 5 Breast Cancer Prevention Tips

When we seek traditional medicine to treat breast cancer, we will often be given pharmaceutical drugs that can cause side effects and that don’t always address the underlying energetic weakness in the body that caused cancer in the first place. Some of these drugs are also incredibly expensive, like Avastin, made by Genentech – costing as much as $8,000 a month, and can cause more harm than good.

“. . . serious side effects became apparent in patients taking Avastin, including high blood pressure, internal bleeding, perforated internal organs, heart failure and heart attacks, and in some cases, even swelling of the brain.”

Acupuncture, tai chi, shiatsu massage, and other alternative healing modalities are likely more beneficial for treating the underlying imbalances in the body which cause breast cancer. These modalities as well as herbs (like Ku Shen and Long Dan Cao) that clear damp heat can help restore liver imbalance. Breastcancer.org says that acupuncture can relieve symptoms, but many practitioners of Chinese medicine realize that these healing methods can reverse imbalances altogether.