Lung Cancer

What is Lung Cancer?

Any cancer that begins in your lungs is called lung cancer.  However, lung cancers may also spread to other parts of your body. Unfortunately, lung cancer is very common and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA.  But the good news is, getting an early diagnosis can improve your chances of recovery.  In this article we’ll discuss the different types of lung cancer, and how Chinese Medicine can help you treat it.

Lung Cancer

Types of Lung Cancer:

There are three main types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), and mesothelioma.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC):

About 80% of people who have lung cancer have NSCLC.  However, there are several subtypes of cancers within the NSCLC type.  These include:

  • Adenocarcinomas – these normally form in the outer parts of your lungs, or occasionally in the tiny air sacs inside your lungs
  • Squamous Cell Lung Carcinomas – these begin in the lining of the respiratory passages
  • Adenosquamous Carcinomas
  • Large Cell Carcinomas – these cancers grow very quickly

Small-Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC):

About 15-20% of people with lung cancer have SCLC.  SCLC is more aggressive than NSCL cancers and is generally harder to cure.

Mesothelioma:

Less people have mesothelioma compared to NSCLC and SCLC.  But mesotheliomas are fast growing and may be more aggressive than the other types of lung cancer.  If you have mesothelioma, it is probably caused by asbestos exposure.  It begins in the cells which produce hormones (neuroendocrine cells).

Chinese Medicine: How Can We Help?

At Centre of Balance, we can treat lung cancer in a way that best helps you.  Since all of us have different bodies and different health situations, we need treatments that are tailored to our unique, individual circumstances.  Our experienced practitioners can analyse your symptoms and create a personalised treatment plan just for you.

Lung Cancer

Chinese Medicine can treat your lung cancer in different ways.  To recover from any disease, your body needs to be strong enough to heal.  This could mean strengthening individual organs like the lungs, or boosting the overall energy of your body.  Your Chinese Medicine practitioner can use methods like acupuncture and herbal medicine to strengthen your organs, immune system, and overall health. For more information about cancer and Chinese Medicine, click here.

If you’ve already had treatment for lung cancer but would like some extra help to recover, Chinese Medicine is also a great option. Chinese Medicine can help to reduce any pain, swelling and inflammation you might have due to other treatments.  Your practitioner can also help you to relieve side effects from cancer medications, like nausea and vomiting.  This means you won’t need to take anti-nausea medications, which may also come with adverse side effects.

Conclusion:

Lung cancer is a common but potentially life-threatening disease.  Lung cancer means any cancer that starts in your lungs.  If you have lung cancer you will probably have either NSCLC, SCLC, or mesothelioma.  Chinese Medicine is an excellent treatment opportunity for lung cancer patients, as it helps your body to heal itself.  You can also use Chinese Medicine in combination with other treatments to get the best chances of a healthy and successful recovery.

Click to fill in the questionnaire now

[read more]

Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.).  Cancer Clinic.  https://balancetcm.co.nz/cancer-clinic/

Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.).  Would You Like to Experience More Energy, & Less Stress & Pain? https://balancetcm.co.nz/

Pietrangelo, A. & Behring, S. (2022, April 12). Lung Cancer: Everything You Need to Know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/lung-cancer

[/read]

Leave Comment

Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.