TCM Perspective On Leukemia
According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, leukemia belongs to category of "consumptive diseases". For most patients, the disease is caused by
the internal heat toxins which damage the essential substance and invade the bone marrow, resulting in the consumption of blood and impairment of Yin. At the same time, this disease has a close connection with overstrain, starvation and overeating, and the the seven human emotions. Clinically, according to the different symptoms of leukemia, it can be classified into four types of syndrome: accumulation of heat toxin, deficiency of Qi and Yin, deficiency of liver and kidney, and Qi-stagnation and blood stasis. In recent years, clinical practice has showed that TCM treatment for leukemia not only relieves the symptoms, but also increases survival rate of the sufferers. TCM can also reduce the side-effects of chemoradiotherapy.

Western Point of View
Leukemia is a form of cancer that begins in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow-the soft, inner part of the bones. Leukemia, which literally means "white blood" in Greek, occurs when there is an excess of abnormal white blood cells in the blood. Known as leukocytes, these cells are so plentiful in some patients that the blood actually has a whitish tinge. Under normal circumstances, the blood-forming (hematopoietic) cells of the bone marrow make leukocytes to defend the body against infectious organisms, such as viruses and bacteria. If some leukocytes are damaged and remain in an immature form, they become poor infection fighters that multiply excessively and do not die off as they should.

These damaged leukemic cells accumulate and lessen the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells (erythrocytes), blood-clotting cells (platelets), and normal leukocytes. If untreated, these leukemic cells overwhelm the bone marrow, enter the bloodstream, and eventually invade other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and central nervous system (brain, spinal cord). In this way, the behavior of leukemia is different than that of other cancers, which usually begin in major organs and ultimately spread to the bone marrow.

There are 4 types of leukemia:
1) Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of leukemia in children. It is the result of an uncontrolled production of a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. This causes a buildup of the immature forms of lymphocytes. The high numbers also interfere with the production of red blood cells and platelets.

2) Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) most often occurs in people over 55 years of age. It is the most common type of leukemia overall, and occurs about twice as often in men as in women. It develops at a slower rate than ALL. Gradually, leukemic cells outnumber the normal-functioning cells in certain tissues in the body, including the bone marrow where other blood cells are made.

3) Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) causes uncontrolled production of another type of white blood cell called myelocytes. This causes an overgrowth of their immature cells called myeloblasts. This interferes with the levels of functioning red blood cells, platelets, and normal white blood cells. AML is the most common form of acute leukemia in adults.

4) Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) occurs more slowly than AML and has less effect on the development of other cell types. Chances of getting CML are very low for children but increase with age. CML is associated with the Philadelphia chromosome.