Chun-Han Zhu: Portrait of a Chinese Doctor

It is a long journey from Beijing, China to Newton, Massachusetts. In 1981, Chun-Han Zhu made the first phase of this journey alone, before his wife, Marie, and his young daughter, Cynthia could follow. He had been offered a fellowship in neurophysiology and neuropharmacology by Harvard Medical School. On October 21 of that year, in a laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Zhu began three years of research centering on the study of a specific neuropeptide present in the brain cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Today, from the office of his comfortable Newton home, he reminisces about his first few years in the United States. Zhu sits behind his desk as he remembers. He speaks slowly and deliberately, with a sincerity and openness that make it easy to imagine how difficult the cultural and professional journey must have been for him and for his family. In Beijing, Zhu was a licensed Western and Chinese medical doctor, and was in charge of a local hospital ward where he practiced both forms of medicine conjointly. He also spent much time studying traditional Chinese medicine with his father, Dr. Mei Zhu, a senior doctor of the ancient art who died two years ago.

In China, where the wisdom of ages is revered, the practice of traditional Chinese medicine is thousands of years old. “Recently,” Zhu explains, “written documents have been discovered which date back over two thousand years and which describe herbs and methods of practice still being used by Chinese doctors today.” According to Zhu, Americans tend to think of Chinese medicine in simplistic terms, as the art of acupuncture alone. “This is because when Western travelers visited China during the Cultural Revolution, they heard about and actually witnessed the use of acupuncture during operations. It seemed like some kind of miracle that Chinese surgeons could make incisions without using anesthesia.... So acupuncture became the focus of much attention in the United States and Europe. Acupuncture points were given numbers which corresponded with their Chinese names so they could be more easily studied by Westerners. And people came to mistakenly believe that acupuncture alone was at the heart of traditional Chinese medicine.” This continues to be a huge misconception. The ancient medicine depends upon much more than knowledge of the points of acupuncture. Herbal medicine, accupressure and Qi Gong are equally important treatment approaches.

Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Zhu was invited to teach a few courses in herbal medicine on a part time basis at the New England School of Acupuncture. In the early 80’s, the school was new, very small, and without much regulation. “It wasn’t until 1988 that the state began to license acupuncturists,” Zhu recalls. “Before that time, there was no such thing. Now there is a licensing board, a committee, and practitioners must get a standard education. In fact, every two years acupuncturists must renew their licenses. They must finish thirty hours of continuing education. Everybody, including myself, must do this. It is the law.” But in the early eighties, the environment, as far as Chinese medicine was concerned, was quite different. And it was under these circumstances that Zhu started to teach his courses in herbal medicine to an increasingly receptive audience. His students were fascinated, and little by little, they began to ask him to treat a wide variety of health problems with traditional Chinese medicine.

By 1984, Zhu sensed he was at a crossroads in his professional life. He could continue his work in his lab at Children’s Hospital, or he could begin the full time practice of Chinese medicine here in the United States. The time to make such a drastic career change seemed right and Zhu decided to seize the opportunity. “The way I saw it at the time,” he says thoughtfully, “was that Western medicine, especially in the Boston area, was at the top level. There were so many fine hospitals here. An individual could get excellent care from Western medicine. But as far as Chinese medicine was concerned, much was missing. I believed then, and still believe now, that Chinese medicine, especially if it is combined with Western medicine, can give people a maximum benefit beyond the use of either medicine alone.... I knew that people were ignorant of this fact. We needed to let people know. They deserved the very best that both medicines could offer. So I began my practice and I also continued to teach herbal medicine.”

In fact, Zhu believes that his teaching, which he still does periodically, is just as important as his practice of Chinese medicine. He strongly feels that people need more education, especially in the vital area of herbal medicine. “Here in the United States,” he observes, “the manufacturers of herbs try to give people the feeling that these natural medicines are harmless, a sort of food supplement. It is easy for them to put their products on the market without FDA intervention. Herbs are falsely advertised and their improper use can lead to serious side effects and problems.” Zhu cites the case of Ma Huang, which is commonly available in the United States, and is improperly advertised as an herb which will boost energy, clear the respiratory system, suppress the craving for nicotine, and even keep people in good mental health. In actuality, an experienced Chinese herbalist knows that Ma Huang’s effects on the cardiovascular system can be similar to epinephrine in many respects. If prescribed incorrectly, it could cause heart problems and have serious side effects. “This is why,” Dr. Zhu says, “in China, herbs are strictly regulated. You must have a prescription for herbal medicine, and you must take it to a herbal pharmacy where is prepared for you....” Zhu believes that this sort of regulation is also necessary in the United States.

Over the years, Chun-Han Zhu’s practice has grown tremendously. Word has gotten out about the effectiveness of Chinese medicine, especially within the cancer community. He treats a wide variety of people with all kinds of problems, but a large portion of his patients have had a cancer diagnosis. Although he will work with patients who have refused Western medical treatments for cancer, it is his considered opinion that no Chinese medicines can be as effective against active cancer cells as conventional Western treatments. “To date, surgery, chemo and radiation are the strongest therapies a cancer patient can get,” he says adamantly. “Nothing in Chinese medicine can compare with them. When patients receive this kind of treatment, they already get enough care for cancer cells.... Unfortunately, the chemo and radiation may also effect normal cells and cause side effects like canker sores, diarrhea, anemia and bone marrow suppression.” It is at this time that Zhu believes Chinese medicine can do its best work. “It can be supportive of the patient during and after treatment. It will help a patient get stronger so that he or she can go through the Western therapies without too much damage or too many side effects.” Based on his own clinical experiences, Zhu has seen that many of his cancer patients are able to actually increase their appetites, blood counts and energy levels, during standard therapy while on Chinese medicine.

Specifically, when Dr. Zhu is treating cancer patients, he uses acupuncture, and even more importantly, herbal medicine to boost their immune systems. He listens carefully to specific physical complaints and treats according to individual needs. “Cancer patients have something in common with each other; so the herbal base that we use for them is the same. However, it is what goes on top of the base that differs for each patient depending on the nature of the individual’s complaints. The herbs that we add for a patient with low energy, for example, are different from those added to the herbal base of a patient with a bone marrow problem, or a sleeping disorder....” Each herb that Dr. Zhu uses in his practice is dried and has been imported from a particular region of China. Patients leave his office with a special blend of herbs which are brewed into a tea and are taken four liquid ounces at a time, twice daily. If a patient cannot tolerate the taste of the tea, Zhu suggests mixing it with four ounces of a favorite juice to help mask the taste.

When Chun-Han Zhu speaks of his work with cancer patients and survivors, it is clear that he understands the difficulties implicit in their lives. “Cancer patients hear about so many types of treatments,” he remarks. “They try so many different things that they get overloaded. It can be overwhelming and stressful. And some treatments are questionable.” Zhu shakes his head sadly as he relates the story of a patient who decided to leave the country for therapy. “She called and asked for my advice. A friend of hers worked in an experimental clinic, so my patient was considering the treatment offered there. The therapy she finally decided upon raised the body temperature to a very high degree. The theory was that the heat would kill the cancer cells. But what about the body’s healthy cells?... Also, at this clinic, they gave my patient some sort of coffee enema and put her on a very, very strict diet––mostly carrot juice. When she came back, she was anemic and had to be hospitalized.... It is so difficult for cancer patients. You must use your own judgment, decide if the treatment makes sense to you. Be discriminating....”

In his heart, despite the reticence of some Western scientists and physicians, Zhu knows that traditional Chinese medicine can be of tremendous help to cancer patients. It is not quackery; but rather, one of the sensible choices that cancer patients and survivors can make. It has the wisdom of the ages behind it. As Michael Lerner, the founder of Commonweal notes, “It is one of the most intriguing of the adjunctive therapies for cancer. There is considerable evidence for its benefits in pain control and in alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.... There are also some reasons to believe that traditional Chinese medicine may help in the battle to extend life with cancer and to lower the risk of recurrence...”. Chun-Han Zhu agrees. He has seen the concrete evidence of it in his daily practice and looks forward to the time when there will be many more clinical trials to measure its effectiveness in the battle against cancer.

You can reach Chun-Han Zhu, Lic. Ac., at 617-969-0899, or at his email address, zhu45@rcn.com

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