While witch doctors are found in the uncivilised parts of the world, do you think such a voodoo culture is not found in the civilised countries? Let us analyse the following two liver cancer cases.
Story 1: Gan was a 62 year-old male. He had fevers with vomiting and diarrhoea for about two weeks. He was admitted to a private hospital. A CT scan done showed a 9 x 10.5 x 9 cm mass in segments 4 and 8 of the liver. The mass was seen to extend towards the porta hepatis. The intrahepatic ducts were not dilated.
The doctor said Gan had heptocellular carcinoma. Subsequently, he was referred to a university hospital for further treatment but he did not follow up with that. He came to see us on 6 August 2000 and opted for herbs instead. His condition was then fairly alright. He did not have any discomforts except that he had mild midnight fevers. Gan was started on our liver herbs.
Gan responded well to the herbs. After a week, his appetite increased. He slept well throughout the night while previously he had disturbed sleep and woke up every hour of the night. He felt more alert. His facial expression showed that he looked much better than before. The midnight fevers had also disappeared.
On 10 September 2000, Gan told us that he had more energy and was able to go jogging. On 21 September 2001, i.e., after one year and two months on the herbs, I met up with Gan again. He told me that he was not going to do any more blood tests since the alpha fetoprotein levels had increased from 179 in August 2000 (before taking the herbs) to 88,917 in June 2001 (after taking the herbs). He did not see any point knowing about it anymore. However, he was doing fine and had gone back to work as a mechanic. He had no symptoms or discomforts.
Gan obtained amazing relief from all his symptoms after taking the herbs for about only one week. He was able to sleep, eat and work. After three months on the herbs, the results of his liver function went back to normal. However, the rising AFP level pointed to the fact that something was not right with him. We did not know what else to do to help him. Perhaps, this is a case of ‘live and let live’ and hope for the best. Of course, Gan had the option of going for surgery or other medical interventions which he had declined from the very beginning. Looking at it from a positive viewpoint, Gan did not fare that badly compared to those who opted for medical treatments. Many who had surgery died soon afterwards, while others developed more tumors in their liver. There is no certainty in cancer. What is certain about the outcome of such cases is its uncertainty.
Story 2: Danny was a 55-year old man. In September 2001, he had a sudden abdominal pain. Investigations done in a hospital showed multiple liver masses with ascites. He was then referred to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. A CT scan of the abdomen indicated “multiple enhancing nodules throughout the liver. The largest of these measure 12 cm across and lies in Segment 5. This particular nodule shows a mixed density with areas of reduced density in its centre. It hangs down to below the inferior border of the liver and appears to be surrounded by fairly dense fluid. Dense fluid is also seen surrounding the liver. Appearances are probably due to a multicentric hepatoma with bleeding from the largest tumour. Multiple secondaries is another consideration.”
A tru-cut biopsy confirmed a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. The chest X-ray indicated the heart appeared enlarged. The right hemidiaphragm was elevated and mild left pleural effusion was noted.
Surgery was not indicated in this case. Subsequently, Danny underwent transarterial chemoembolisation. After this treatment the blood test results were not encouraging. The doctor told the family members that Danny had only three to twelve months to live.
Danny and his family came to see us on 30 September 2001. He was not in pain but was unable to sleep. He had been on tranquillisers for the previous three or four nights. He was unable to sleep. He had dry coughs and was a bit breathless. Every day starting from 4 or 5 p.m. he had fevers. We prescribed our liver herbs.
After one week on the herbs, Danny reported that he had mild pains. He was able to sleep without having to take the tranquilliser anymore. He lost his appetite. But his breathing was better. The evening fevers had lessened. Before taking the herbs the evening fevers usually lasted for three to four hours and his temperature was around 39 degrees C. After taking the herbs, the fevers lasted for one or two hours only and the temperature was around 37.5 degrees C.
After two weeks on the herbs, Danny reported further improvements. He had no more pains. His breathing had improved and he also slept well. He felt more alert. On some evenings, he either had no fever or when he had them, his temperature was only about 37 degrees C.
After about one month on the herbs, Danny told us that he has declined to go for further chemoembolisation because his condition had improved tremendously. He had no more pains, could sleep, was more alert and his breathing was normal. His appetite had improved. He had fevers only on two evenings and his temperature was around 37.5 degrees C. He told us that his blood pressure was a bit low, at — 100/70.
In November 2001, Danny came and told us that he had no more fevers in the evenings. That was after he had taken the herbs for about six weeks. In late November 2001, Danny reported that his blood pressure had gone back to normal, 110/80. He looked radiant and healthy!
It was indeed most amazing to see Danny doing so well. We had a VCD recording all Danny’s visits. On his first visit, he was wearing a jacket. He looked sick. His movements were stiff, slow and lifeless. He was breathless when he talked. One week afterwards, Danny was different. He had more energy. He walked with much energy.
Again, we would like to pose some questions: This is a man who suffered bleeding due to a ruptured tumour in the liver. He stopped taking chemoembolisation after only one treatment and opted for the herbs instead. Why was he getting better? Why were there no more fevers? Why did his blood pressure return to normal? In this case, no drugs or medical procedures were involved. In fact he suffered bad side effects when he was on medical treatment! This is indeed a miraculous healing.
On 20 Janaury 2002, Danny and his family came to see us. He was in perfect health. Then, barely a month later, Danny came again and was feeling rather down. He had spent time surfing the Internet and learnt that his cancer was a fatal disease. He was depressed and this new information made him feel dejected the whole week.
To understand why this is happening, let us go back a little more at the time before Danny came to see us. Danny’s doctor wrote on 17 September 2001: “the prognosis is guarded and his family has been informed.” And according to the family, Danny was given only three to twelve months to live!
We could predict that the outcome of Danny’s and Gan’s healing would be different, although they suffered similar incurable liver cancers. As William Oslo said, survival largely depends on what is going on in the head. I suspected that Danny is under a voodoo curse. He knew that his cancer was serious and he only had three to twelve months to live. Though he benefited from the consumption of the herbs, he still felt hopeless and unsure of the outcome. He once told me: “I am alright and feel great on the outside, but I don’t know what is happening inside me.” His family members also told me that Danny worried too much. In spite of all the improvements he experienced from taking the herbs, his daughter told me that Danny was just hoping that he could live for another two months, by which time his son would have finished college. He looked forward to his successful graduation and then he was ready to die. No matter how much I assured him that he was going to be alright, he still remained skeptical.
On the other hand, Gan was not under a voodoo curse. His doctor did not have a chance to tell him how long he could live. He opted for herbs and declined further medical attention. He knew that his cancer was serious but he left it at that! When the blood test showed an elevated AFP, he simply stopped going for the test. When I talked to Gan, he did not make any remarks of doubt as Danny did. To me, the prognoses for both the cases were extremely poor. Gan survived for two years but Danny died much earlier — not only because of his cancer but also his mindset.