ABSTRACT
Complex diseases are difficult to cure. Despite tremendous technological developments which allow our observations and treatments to penetrate into the molecular level, the overall rate of cancer mortality has been basically flat for a long time, and diabetes remains an incurable malady. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can kill a subset of cancer cells, but the remaining cancer cells soon develop drug-resistant potency. Molecule-targeted therapy can potentially bestow more reliable performance while significantly reducing toxicity to patients. Unfortunately, the usefulness of the approach is limited and patients often relapse from the disease. A complex disease thus behaves like a master of martial arts who has an extraordinary capacity to evade attack and fight back. It has obtained “enlightenment” for survival and development. In the language of traditional Chinese philosophy, the disease has obtained Tao. As a manifestation of the Tao, every treatment of the disease would create counteractions to neutralize the treatment. First, the treatment would often lead to unpredictable and undesirable side effects, which limit further treatments. Second, the disease would remain robust in response to the treatment, possibly even with enhanced malignancy.
