At times, people face a dreadful dilemma. It is like what the herbal doctor would face in traditional Chinese medicine: To save a dying patient, someone with many sets of internal disorders, a dangerous treatment would be in order.

Ferocious medicine, or as the Chinese would say, "tiger-and-wolf" drugs, must be prescribed. But the treatment would be ferocious in both ways - to kill the disease, and to consume, if not entirely, the body system.

If the life of the patient is saved, what follows would be a long time of recovery - accompanied by milder medicines and nourishing food.