Cancer patients are sometimes viewed as statistics by society—statistics with no faces to vouch for their being humans. Dr. Siu Chai tells the story of one of his patients. This patient’s problem started with a serial bleeding in his ulcer. He also suffered from gastritis, heartburn, poor appetite, weight loss, pulmonary emphysema, and osteoarthritis. On top of all these, he had cancer.

When this patient consulted with Dr. Siu Chai’s clinic, he was treated with herbal medicine and biostasis therapy. After taking Tian Xian Number 1, this patient started to gain weight. From 63 kilograms when he first started treatment, he gained 8 kilograms within 2 months of treatment, and another 13 kilograms after 5 months. Apart from the marked weight gain, the patient’s CT scan and ultrasound after treatment showed the healing of lesions in his liver and the smoothening of the walls of his stomach.

Before any treatment can be started, the most important condition is that the doctor and the patient should have good relationship with each other. It is important that the doctor respects the patient, cares for him, shows concern and empathy for him, and understands that he is afraid of dying but does not want to undergo any treatment that would cause even more pain and give no guarantee of success.

Dr. Siu Chai calls this the meeting of two experts. The first expert is the doctor, while the second expert is the patient. Disease is the definition that the doctor gives to the patient. But more important than putting a label to this disease is the fact that the doctor has to ask the patient about his illness, his ideas, his feelings, his fears, and his expectations. The doctor should move beyond the physical illness to the social, mental, and emotional anguish that permeates the patient’s being. Only then will the patient feel comfortable enough to open up. It is in this opening up that the doctor can clearly define the symptoms, and go directly to trying to solve the root cause of the problem. No healing can take place without this trust which can translate to confidence that the patient can have in the treatment being administered to him. And if there’s one thing that the patient needs when he is suffering, it is hope. It is hope that can keep him going even when he feels like giving up.