Application of the theory of “conducting fire back to its origin” in treating radiotherapy or chemotherapy induced oral mucositis

• Main Authors: Chen Chen, Li-Qun Jia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editorial Board of Journal of Hainan Medical University 2021-06-01
• Series: Journal of Hainan Medical University
• Subjects: radiotherapy; chemotherapy; oral mucositis; conducting fire back to its origin; traditional chinese medicine
• Online Access: http://www.hnykdxxb.com/PDF/202111/11.pdf

Oral mucositis is a common adverse reaction of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in cancer patients, which reduces the quality of life of patients and affects the progress of cancer treatment. Most of the patients with malignant tumor belong to the syndrome of deficiency in root case and excess in manifestation. When undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy, the patients’ ministerial fire becomes hyperactive, which may cause oral mucositis. With the method of “conducting fire back to its origin”, ministerial fire can be led to vital gate, as well as recovering its physiological functions. In the treatment of oral mucositis, instead of attacking ministerial fire with too much heat-clearing herbs, we should, under the guidance of the theory of “conducting fire back to its origin”, differentiate the syndrome, and then we can use the methods of treatment of clearing and lowering heart fire, warmly invigorating spleen and stomach, nourishing liver and kidney, or warmly invigorating vital gate, to conduct ministerial fire back to vital gate. This article aims to provide theoretical reference for Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment of radiotherapy or chemotherapy induced oral mucositis.