🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Professor Zhou Daitan, aged 63, always wears a rosy face and a kind smile, his humorous speech often makes young people laugh heartily. Having studied tumors his entire life, he says the rising incidence of cancer is essentially a "disease of modern eating habits." "Preventing cancer is a noble aspiration, but the path is long and arduous. The most fundamental step is cultivating good living habits—among which, what Chinese people value most: 'eating'—is paramount."
Medical Secret: Treat Apples as Medicine
Zhou Daitan enjoys excellent health and is well-versed in dietary therapy. When asked about his health secrets, the elderly gentleman acts like a child, wanting to keep it confidential. Others jokingly reveal that his unwavering daily habit is the most ordinary apple.
Whether imported "Fuji" apples or domestic ones, as long as they are apples, eating two every day has become Zhou Daitan’s fixed routine—"Apples are wonderful; whether imported or common, their nutritional value is the same." His wife once puzzledly asked him, "Are apples really so delicious? Don’t you get tired of eating them?"
"If apples aren’t tasty enough, just eat them like medicine!" he replied. Eating apples seems simple, but it actually involves deep wisdom. Modern people consume excessive protein in daily diets. These proteins break down into amino acids, making most people’s body fluids acidic. In the past, people engaged in heavy physical labor, allowing acidic fluids to be expelled through sweat. But modern lifestyles offer fewer opportunities for sweating, so acidic fluids accumulate in the body, easily causing fatigue and weakness.
Among fruits, apples contain the most comprehensive nutrients—rich in various vitamins and low in sugar. Most importantly, apples contain potassium ions that neutralize acid radicals in acidic body fluids, reducing acidity. Furthermore, studies suggest that flavonoids in apples have cancer-preventive properties.
Another food Zhou Daitan cherishes daily is hot congee. Poet Lu You wrote a poem titled "Eating Congee": "Everyone seeks longevity, unaware it lies before their eyes. I follow the simple method of Yuanqiu—only eating congee brings me to immortality." Daoists emphasize, "To live long, keep your intestines clean; to stay alive, keep your gut free of residue." Modern diets favor hard-to-digest foods, burdening the gastrointestinal system. Congee is the easiest to digest and best at stimulating digestion—thus, he cannot live without it daily.
Medical Explanation: Cancer Is a Disease of Unhealthy Lifestyle
As a tumor expert, Zhou Daitan says humanity has entered the "post-genomic era" in treating tumors. Research shows tumor cell formation relates to environment, lifestyle, and cultural background. Nasopharyngeal cancer, known as the "Guangdong cancer," is a typical example. WHO clearly classifies tumors as diseases of "unhealthy lifestyle."
In Zhou Daitan’s view, cancer is largely a "disease of eating." Why is cancer incidence rising? "Because people today eat far differently than in the past—whether for meetings, guests, chatting, or work communication, everything revolves around eating." Overeating and consuming too much rich food overburden the digestive system, affecting other systems like circulation and excretion, harming overall health. Thus, many modern health indicators are declining: reduced white blood cell count, decreased sperm count, joint degeneration, osteoporosis, increased insomnia and gastric issues. Overall immunity drops, making suppressor genes downregulated and oncogenes upregulated, leading to uncontrolled cell apoptosis and cancer development in certain organs.
Medical Guidance: Prevent Cancer Through Diet—Master the "Less Is More" Principle
Zhou Daitan stresses that dietary cancer prevention hinges on mastering the "less is more" approach. Many so-called "healthy foods" are actually unsuitable for excessive consumption; improper use of nutrition can backfire.
For instance, many believe freshly squeezed carrot juice is highly beneficial. However, raw carrots should not be eaten excessively—overconsumption leads to yellowish skin and hands, a classic case of "carotene poisoning." Not just carrots, but also papaya, pumpkin, oranges, and tomatoes—commonly considered healthy—are rich in beta-carotene. Unlike apples’ water-soluble components, the body poorly absorbs fat-soluble beta-carotene. Thus, these foods are better cooked rather than eaten raw in excess.
Similarly, calcium supplements may not suit the elderly. As they suffer from osteoporosis and reduced calcium utilization, excessive calcium intake may cause urinary tract stones, kidney stones, or bladder stones.
He points out that colorectal and breast cancer rates have risen sharply in China over the past decade—both are "Western-type cancers"—mainly due to excessive meat consumption, leading to excess fat and calories, elevated bile acids and deoxycholic acid, hormonal imbalance, and ultimately tumor induction.
Patients Need to Avoid Certain Foods—There Is Scientific Basis
For cancer patients, the issue is not merely "health maintenance" but "recovery." Although full nutrition is required, the traditional concept of "avoiding certain foods" persists. Zhou Daitan confirms that analysis of dietary factors in cancer patients reveals real instances where certain foods are inappropriate—providing scientific basis for clinical experts and patients concerned about "avoiding triggering foods" or "hot foods."
Studies indicate that "triggering foods" for cancer include dog meat, rooster, lamb, silkworm pupae, shrimp, crab, snails, clams, tobacco, alcohol, and any pungent, spicy, fried, greasy, stale, moldy items. Zhou Daitan explains that although eating these foods doesn't necessarily trigger cancer immediately, most people experience allergic reactions. Some patients may be particularly sensitive to certain foods, leading to flare-ups and further weakening of the body.
He analyzes that cancer is a systemic disease. At this stage, drinking strong alcohol, overindulging in shrimp, crab, or fatty, rich foods can provoke allergic reactions to stimulants or foreign proteins, causing fever, abdominal pain, reduced appetite, further weakening constitution and immune function, thus promoting cancer progression or recurrence. Hence, avoiding "triggering foods" for cancer patients has solid theoretical and clinical evidence.
<Disease>