Chinese actress Xu Ting recently passed away from cancer but her choice of treatment has created debate throughout the Chinese community worldwide.
The 26-year-old actress was diagnosed in July with lymphoma, a type of cancer that attacks the immune system. However, instead of chemotherapy, she opted for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) instead.
Source: Shanghai Daily
Her reason behind avoiding chemotherapy was because she said she didn’t want to “let chemotherapy torment me to the point where there’s no beauty and talent left.” She was also convinced that the Western procedure would kill her faster and be excruciating in the process.
She underwent TCM treatments such as acupuncture, back scratching, blood letting, cupping, and a pinching remedy called jiusha under a ‘master’.
Source: Shanghaiist
Jiusha is a folk remedy whereby the patient’s back, neck, and throat are pinched repeatedly.
Source: Shanghaiist
That looks like torture!
When no positive results came out of these treatments, Xu’s sister had enough. She accused the ‘master’ for being a fraud and convinced Xu to go for chemotherapy. The Chinese actress finally gave in and decided to start the Western treatment.
Unfortunately, she was already too weak by then. She succumbed into her illness on September 7, 2016.
Her death also sparked an outrage over the Chinese community as some blamed TCM for the cause of the actress’s death. Meanwhile, others defended TCM by saying even chemotherapy could have killed her too.
Source: Shanghaiist
A Chinese netizen said
“Some people say that traditional Chinese medicine can’t cure cancer, so therefore traditional Chinese medicine is a sham. This kind of logic is ridiculous. There are many cancer patients who still pass away after receiving chemotherapy. Will these same people also say that Western medicine is a sham?”
According to the Shanghaiist, an interview was conducted with Dr. Feng Li, Head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing.
Dr. Feng Li suggests that for much more serious cases such as cancer, patients should incorporate both the Western and Eastern style of medication.
“While western approaches like radiology, chemotherapy, and surgery are effective in shrinking the tumor. TCM is effective in reducing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, edema, and pain that comes with western treatment”
“It’s irrational to blindly reject one treatment in complete favor of another”
“I recommend that once patients discover their illness, they go to a regulated, prestigious hospital and seek medical advice”
However, throughout the torment of this illness, Xu had maintained a positive outlook in life. She redirected the love and encouragement from fans toward other patients of cancer whom she thought were more deserving.
On top of that, she even donated money towards children with cancer and tried to inspire positive thinking in them.
She said
“I believe without a doubt that if we can go forward without fear and with optimism and bravery, then we can make a miracle happen”
Throughout all the pain she had endured, fans loved her regardless and they will remember Xu Ting as the lovely actress with a beautiful heart.
Rest in peace.
