Traditional Chinese medicine believes that there are three aspects to the etiology and pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

Traditional Chinese medicine does not have a disease name for "colorectal cancer". Its descriptions of the disease are scattered in "accumulation", "intestinal wandering", "visceral poison", "diarrhea", "blood in the stool", "anal hemorrhoids", etc. Based on the physiological and pathological characteristics of the large intestine, its relationship with other internal organs, and clinical manifestations, traditional Chinese medicine believes that the etiology and pathogenesis of colorectal cancer include the following three aspects.

(1) Heat and dampness combine, causing accumulation of dampness and heat

The stomach is located at the top, and fire rises, so there are many symptoms of dryness and heat; the large intestine is located at the bottom, and dampness tends to go down. Dampness and heat combine, and there are many symptoms of dampness and heat. The stomach is responsible for dryness and is prone to fire, while the spleen is responsible for moisture and is prone to dampness. The spleen and stomach are exterior and interior to each other, and their mutual disease is dampness and heat. Dampness and heat flow down and accumulate in the large intestine, which is another important cause of colorectal cancer.

(2) Yangming dryness and heat, heat and toxicity stagnation

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, long-term intake of high-calorie foods will inevitably lead to internal heat, and the Yangming stomach and large intestine are the first to be affected. Constipation is certainly related to insufficient fiber intake, but more importantly, the patient's Yangming meridian is hyperactive, and the internal and external evils combine, leading to Yangming dryness and heat congestion, heat exuberance, and toxicity, which can lead to cancer.

(3) Heat toxins damage the yin, and the body becomes weak and evil accumulates

The large intestine is located in the lower part of the body along with the liver and kidney. The kidney belongs to water and is yin, while the liver belongs to wood and is the lesser yang in the yin. The liver is often yin-deficient, which generates heat and dampness. The combination of dampness and heat helps dampness and heat in the large intestine. Whether it is dryness and heat in the large intestine or dampness and heat, it can damage the yin fluid and affect the liver and kidney. In short, liver and kidney yin deficiency and large intestine dampness and heat affect each other.

If the patient has liver and kidney deficiency, and the large intestine is dry and hot, damp and hot, which damages the yin over time, the patient may present with a situation where yin deficiency is the main symptom, or heat toxicity and yin deficiency coexist.