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| Visit To CAM Cancer Facilities in China- Part III |
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| Sunday, 26 October 2008 | |||||||
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On Sept. 24, we left the sprawling city of Guangzhou and flew northwest to historic Xi'an. Xi'an is the former Imperial capital and is famous for the presence of the "Terracotta Warrior" statues, which attract more than 1 million foreign visitors per year.
Others in our entourage included Xiaohuai Wang, MD, the distinguished Guangzhou oncologist, whom I mentioned in previous newsletters, Ms. Lucy Li, Mr. J.A. Su, Chairman of the Shanghai Haosi Investment Group and President of Beijing Angel Ultrasound Equipment Co. Ltd, and Doug Mitchell, PhD, the former chancellor of Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. We were able assisted by two of Ms. Li's assistants, Dr Ray Zhou, Deputy General Manager of EEC Bio-Tech (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd and her personal assistant, Jessica Tang.
There were monsoons in southern China at this time and our take-off was delayed by tremendous squalls – sheets of water raking the tarmac! The trip itself was uneventful but the severe weather did cause us to arrive later than expected. We were bustled into a small private tour bus and took off to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang Ti. These greater than life-sized figures, dating from around 210 BCE, were first discovered in 1974 by a local farmer in Shaanxi province. According to the story we were told by our tour guide, Jack (Xu Yinggang), this intrepid discoverer was persecuted by the local inhabitants because of their superstitious dread of the life-like hand that he had found while digging a well. Another innovator persecuted for his discovery!
We had read much about the warriors, but nothing prepared us for the monumental nature of more than 2,000 silent but life-like statues. Since we got to the historical compound late (because of the flight delay) we were actually the last people there for the day. This gave us a chance to tour the three "pits" (as they are called) in peace and quiet. The fading afternoon light added to the mood of mystery. It was an unforgettable experience.
That evening, we were taken to another famous Xi'an site, the Huaqing Chi (Hot Springs). This is a famous spot in China, and location of a famous spa and palace. It was here that a celebrated love story, which has been reproduced in an amazing spectacle...part drama, part opera, part acrobatics. The billions of people worldwide who enjoyed the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics would understand the thrill of seeing this incredible play, "The Song of Enduring Sorrow," which at one point "enlists" an entire mountain as part of the backdrop for the action!
On the following day, we got down to business. In the morning we visited Chang An Cancer Hospital. (Chang An is the ancient name for Xi'an).
Some of the distinguished scientists we met with included from the left to the right on the first row: Dr. An Ping Wang. He holds many important titles, including director of the Shaanxi Province Oncology Research Institute and Oncology Hospital, as well as standing director of the China Anti-Cancer Association. He and his colleagues showed me the enormous expansion underway at this major hospital. I also met with Dr Q. Y. Geng (fourth from left in the first row), the Former Minister of Health of Shaanxi Province, who, in this position, was responsible for the health of 37 million people. I also met with Dr. Qui Fang Liu, Professor of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Deputy Director of the Hospital.
I also met Dr. Shang Ziu zhou, a professor of surgery at Chang An Hospital and Fang Hong, MD, PhD, the CEO and director of imaging diagnostic center. I was given a tour of the 1,000 bed hospital by these distinguished individuals. Afterwards, I was honored with an appointment as visiting professor at Chang An Hospital.
We next visited the Shaanxi Cancer Hospital and then met with the leaders of Xi'an Jiao Tong medical college. We met there with Yili Wang, MD, PhD, associate dean of the School of Life Sciences and Technology.
I gave a lecture at Jiao Tong to several hundred students and members of the faculty. I spoke about complementary and alternative treatments in the US, as well as other countries, and how this possibly applied to China. My speech was ably interpreted by a student, Xu Dan. She turned out to be an ideal translator, as she has degrees in both biochemistry and English literature. Afterwards, I was given another three-year visiting professorship at this distinguished institution.
Xi'an Jiao Tong University is administrated directly under the Ministry of Education of China. It grew out of Nan Yang College, which was founded in Shanghai in 1896, and was renamed Jiao Tong University in 1921. The government moved the main body of Jiao Tong University to Xi'an in 1956. It has been chosen by the national government to become a world-renowned university in the 21st century. "XJTU," as it is called, is considered one of the most prestigious universities in Mainland China. It recently placed tenth in a 2008 ranking of all Chinese universities.
On Sept. 27, we reluctantly left Xi'an (before exhausting even a fraction of the sites we wanted to see) and flew to Beijing. We had planned to visit many hospitals there, but were somewhat hindered by the fact that this was the weekend of the national independence day (Oct. 1). Thus, we found that many facilities were closed, while others were incredibly crowded with holidaymakers. Nonetheless, we had a very good time. Not only did we do the usual tourist things (Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, etc.) but also some unusual things as well. For instance, we spent time in both black bamboo park and in the world-famous botanical gardens. We were thus able to study and take pictures of many of the unusual botanical species for which traditional Chinese medicine is famous.
From Beijing we flew to Shanghai, a bustling city of over 20 million people, with an incredible energy. Shanghai was the city in China that historically had the greatest amount of involvement with the West, and there are still signs of these encounters everywhere. Here we met with Dr. Zhiqiang Meng, MD, of Fudan University cancer center, whom I learned of through our mutual friend, Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Dr. Meng, in collaboration with M.D. Anderson, is doing some exciting work with toad venom extracts, as well as acupuncture and mind-body practices. It was exciting to tour this modern facility and learn of their expansion plans. I wish them the best of luck in their war on cancer. The bad news, of course, is that Chinese hospitals are expanding their cancer hospitals in part because of a rise in the incidence of cancer. But this is a topic that would require its own newsletter.
Overall, our trip to China was an astonishing, even a life-changing, event. It broadened my view of CAM cancer treatments beyond what is available in the West. I hope to follow with other trips to other Asian countries, as well as repeat visits to China itself in the not-too-distant future. For English-speaking cancer patients to go to China for cancer treatment may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. China offers some opportunities that are not available elsewhere. I will have more to say on this topic in future publications.
WHERE TO GO? - CAM RESOURCES BY REGION
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 November 2008 ) | |||||||
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