问：
我的家人得了癌症，医院说已经是晚期，不具备手术条件，也不能进行后期的放疗、化疗。医生建议寻找中医治治试试。但我们找了很多中医师，吃了很多苦中药，花了很多钱，感觉还是没效果，有人说是没有找到对的中医师。那请问，用中医的方法，治成什么样子才算是对路的？
Q：
My family member has cancer, and the hospital has stated that it is already in the advanced stage and not suitable for surgery or later-stage radiation and chemotherapy. The doctors have recommended trying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment. However, we've consulted many TCM practitioners, taken numerous bitter herbal medicines, and spent a lot of money, but it seems like there hasn't been any improvement. Some people say it's because we haven't found the right TCM practitioner. So, I'd like to ask, what does successful treatment with TCM look like, and how do we know we are on the right path?
答：
肿瘤作为一种病气，一种邪气的累积和凝结，它是有形之物。
这个有形之物，如果不手术拿掉的话，也可以运用人体内在的各种化合的力量，最终让它消失。这也就是中医所讲的“气化”。
A：
Tumors, as a type of illness, an accumulation, and condensation of pathogenic energy, are tangible entities. This tangible entity, if not removed through surgery, can also be gradually made to disappear by harnessing the various inherent chemical forces within the human body. This process is what traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) refers to as "qi transformation."
那么，这个气化之后会有代谢产物，代谢产物是要排出人体的。
经过得当的施治，病气要离开人体，通常有三个出路，一个无形的，和两个有形的。
After this transformation, there will be metabolic byproducts that need to be expelled from the body.
Through appropriate treatment, the pathogenic energy is intended to leave the body, typically through three routes – one intangible and two tangible.
一种是气态出路，即无形的，会通过呼吸及皮肤毛孔释放的（古人所称的呼吸本就远不仅是口鼻的呼吸）。这个出路，即古人所谓“开鬼门”。
一种是液态出路，顺从人这个生命体正常代谢的渠道，主要以小便（也有汗液和其它液态分泌物的形式），来释放并排出体外。
一种是固态出路，同样顺从人这个生命体正常代谢的渠道，主要以大便的形式，排出体外。
后两种是有形的，以生命体垃圾的形式出现和排出体外的，即古人所谓的“洁净府”。
One is a gaseous route, intangible, released through respiration and the pores of the skin (the ancient concept of respiration extends beyond just the nose and mouth). This route is what the ancients referred to as "opening the ghost gate." The second is a liquid route, following the normal metabolic pathways of the human organism, mainly through urine (and, to some extent, in the form of sweat and other liquid secretions), to be released and expelled from the body. The third is a solid route, also following the normal metabolic pathways of the human organism, mainly in the form of feces, to be expelled from the body. The latter two are tangible, appearing and being expelled from the body in the form of biological waste, the ancient concept of the "cleanse repository."
一般来说，恶性肿瘤的通路侧重于气态，良性肿瘤的通路侧重于大便小便。
In general, the pathways for malignant tumors lean toward the gaseous route, while for benign tumors, the routes focus more on feces and urine.
那么，如果中医师施治得当，则患者的表现中常常会有呼吸发热发烫，有时皮肤会瘙痒，发红疹，小便发黄，大便胶粘鼻涕状发黑或黑绿等等现象发生。而患者的自我感觉也常常是饮食排泄睡眠等趋于正常，精神转好，精力转旺，病痛转轻等等等等。
So, if a TCM practitioner administers treatment appropriately, the patient often experiences symptoms such as a warm sensation in breathing, occasional itching or skin rashes, yellowing of urine, sticky or mucous-like black or dark green nasal discharge, and more. The patient's self-perception is also often a tendency toward normalcy in dietary habits, excretion, sleep, etc. The patient may feel improved mental well-being, increased energy, and a reduction in pain.
当然，也有一些排病反应表面看起来比较吓人，比如出现有些恶心、呕吐、晕眩等等，这个时候，有可能是病气的分解和排出速度过大，不需要担心，只需要医师做出相应的调整就是了。
古人云“药不瞑眩，厥疾弗瘳。”大概也是指类似这种现象。
Of course, there are some reactions that may initially seem alarming, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and so on. At such times, it is possible that the pace of breakdown and elimination of pathogenic energy is too rapid, but there is no need for concern; the practitioner can make the necessary adjustments.
As the ancients said, "Medicine does not spare dizziness; diseases do not heal without discomfort." This likely refers to phenomena of this nature.
当然，现代西医的非伤害或微伤害性检测手段，可以检测出肿瘤的性质、体积、质地等的变化，也是可以让病家直观看到施治效果而安心的。
Certainly, modern non-invasive or minimally invasive diagnostic methods in Western medicine can detect changes in the nature, volume, and texture of tumors. This provides the patient with a tangible way to observe the effectiveness of the treatment and find reassurance.
肺癌是不是也是有这样的表现呢？