Supportive cancer care
Supportive TCM care for cancer patients in Singapore
Herbal medicine to support your strength, appetite and wellbeing through cancer treatment and beyond — always alongside, never instead of, your hospital care.
A cancer diagnosis usually means surgery, chemotherapy or radiation under the care of hospital specialists — and that is exactly where that treatment belongs. Supportive TCM care works alongside it, not instead of it. Our physicians prescribe herbal medicine to help patients keep up their strength, appetite and spirits through a long and draining treatment journey, and to support general health afterwards.
How supportive TCM care works
- Herbal medicine — prescribed to your condition and stage of treatment, as brewed natural herbs or granule powder.
- Support through treatment — helping with fatigue, poor appetite and weakness during and after chemotherapy or radiation.
- Coordination with conventional care — we take your ongoing hospital treatment into account, and encourage patients to keep their oncologists informed.
- Long-term wellbeing — many patients continue with periodic herbal support for years after treatment ends.
Our founder, Dr. Ong Swee Ling, completed specialist tutelage in TCM oncology under leading professors in China.
A patient's story
In 2004, after a TCM health talk Dr. Ong gave at Bukit Batok East Community Centre, a 55-year-old man came to the clinic with his full medical records. His colon cancer, first diagnosed in 1999, had spread over the years to his bladder, liver and lungs; he had been through six operations, each followed by chemotherapy under his hospital doctors — treatment he continued to believe in and follow. He came to us for supportive herbal care alongside it.
He took brewed herbs and granule medicine from our clinic for many years. When a small thyroid cancer was found in 2010, Dr. Ong advised him to proceed with the operation his doctors recommended — he did. He remained a regular patient for over two decades, and as of 2026 he is still active, living with his wife and children, and known in the clinic for his jokes. His own explanation is simple: laugh often. He makes a point of encouraging other cancer patients he meets, showing them his scars and telling them they too have a good chance.
A letter he wrote to encourage fellow cancer patients (published with his consent)
Every patient's situation is different, and outcomes with cancer depend chiefly on the underlying disease and conventional treatment. This account, previously published on our clinic blog with the patient's consent, is shared to encourage — not to promise.
Supportive cancer care FAQs
Does TCM replace chemotherapy or surgery?
No. Our role is supportive. We encourage patients to continue treatment with their oncologists, and our herbal prescriptions are planned around your conventional treatment. Always keep both your oncologist and your TCM physician informed of everything you are taking.
What can supportive TCM care help with?
Patients most often come to us for help with fatigue, poor appetite, weakness after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, and general wellbeing during a long treatment journey. Results vary by individual.
Who will treat me?
Our founder Dr. Ong Swee Ling completed specialist tutelage in TCM oncology under leading professors in China, and several of our senior physicians have long experience providing supportive care for cancer patients.
When should I start supportive TCM care?
Patients come to us at every stage — during active treatment, after surgery, or years into remission to support their general health. Your physician will assess your condition and current treatment before prescribing anything.
Support for the journey
Speak to a physician about supportive herbal care alongside your treatment.