Diabetic Foot, Phantom Limb Pain, Big

The two knelt before the patriarch all night, but neither of them was unhappy; they looked at each other and chuckled.

"Master, I guess I won't be able to drive today?"

Su Ziyang pretended to have knee pain and refused to drive.

"I'll drive for you, pshaw. Who told you to get into a fight and get caught..."

Fairy Li drove for Su Ziyang with a smile.

"It's okay, I can drive it, I can drive it!"

Driving is tiring, Su Ziyang felt sorry for Fairy Li, so he naturally couldn't let Fairy Li drive and took the driver's seat himself.

The car started, and as the wheels turned, the three of them finally returned home.

Exhausted from their journey, Mr. Mengfei drove straight back to his residence, while Su Ziyang and Fairy Li rested.

The next day, Su Ziyang returned to work as usual.

The first patient we saw was brought in in a wheelchair.

The man's name is Li Youde, 58 years old, and he has had diabetes for 15 years.

When Su Ziyang saw the patient, he found that the person had a very cheerful personality.

But when he rolled up his trouser leg, Su Ziyang's cheerful demeanor vanished.

The skin on my right leg was very dry and covered with bruises.

Su Ziyang took the percussion hammer and touched the person's skin. The overall sensation was very dull, with almost no feeling.

The left leg was more severely affected, with ulcers on the instep, toes, and calf, but sensation was still present in the left foot, unlike the right foot which was numb.

"Doctor, is there any hope? The hospital wants to amputate the leg."

As Li Youde spoke, Su Ziyang was impressed by Li Youde's magnanimity and breadth of vision. He spoke of cutting off his own foot as if it were someone else's.

"I'll give it a try!"

Su Ziyang couldn't be completely certain about this illness, and said it very subtly.

As usual, we started by taking his pulse. Li Youde's right pulse was quite strong and powerful, especially at the Guan position.

The pulse on the left hand is smaller than that on the right hand, but it is still a strong pulse, and the pulse at the Guan position is also relatively large.

Furthermore, the skin on Li Youde's ulnar side felt stuffy and hot to the touch, indicating that he had internal heat.

The presence of an exceptionally large pulse at the Guan position indicates that this person has pathogenic factors in the middle Jiao (middle burner) and a very strong stomach Qi.

"You must be very hungry every day, right? You eat a lot!"

Su Ziyang withdrew his hand and asked Li Youde.

Li Youde nodded. "Excessive thirst, excessive hunger, and excessive urination—the three symptoms! I've been on a blood sugar-controlled diet for years now, but this problem persists. I'm on insulin. It's just getting worse!"

Li Youde, having been ill for a long time, became a skilled physician, and his poems were often elaborate and well-structured.

In traditional Chinese medicine, diabetes falls under the category of "Xiao Ke Bing" (wasting and thirsting disease).

The so-called "Xiao Ke" (wasting and thirsting syndrome) refers to symptoms such as thirst, excessive hunger, frequent urination, and weight loss.

The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, in the chapter "On Discourse on Unusual Diseases" (Basic Questions·奇病论), states, "Obese foods cause internal heat, and sweet foods cause fullness in the middle of the body; therefore, their qi overflows upwards, turning into thirst."

Therefore, in the understanding of the ancients, eating too much good food, getting fat, and eating too much sweets could lead to diabetes.

Li Youde looked a bit chubby. Su Ziyang thought that if he had tried to lose weight when he first fell ill, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up in such a serious condition.

"Here's a plan: a combination of internal and external medications. The internal medication will regulate your thirst and hunger, and also help lower your blood sugar. The external medication will primarily treat your foot."

"OK."

Li Youde nodded and said nothing more. His family had no other opinions and followed Su Ziyang's plan.

The prescription given by Su Ziyang for internal use is called Baihu White Tiger Decoction with Ginseng).

This formula can treat many concurrent symptoms, but it mainly includes thirst and heat in the stomach.

Therefore, Su Ziyang chose this prescription.

Anemarrhena asphodeloides (30g)

Gypsum (50g, crushed, wrapped in cotton)

Licorice root (10g, roasted)

Ginseng (15g)

7 pay.

"When you get home, add three handfuls of rice to the decoction. Once the rice is cooked, the medicine will be ready."

Su Ziyang pointed to the prescription and gave Li Youde instructions.

Japonica rice is also an important component of White Tiger Decoction).

In his book "Changsha Explanation of Medicinals", Huang Yuanyu mentioned japonica rice in the following way.

"It has a sweet taste and enters the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, and Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. It enters the Taiyin Meridian to replenish the spleen essence, enters the Yangming Meridian to transform stomach qi, strengthens the earth element and harmonizes the middle jiao, separates the clear from the turbid, generates fluids to quench thirst, promotes urination and clears heat."

It can nourish the spleen and stomach, and promote the production of body fluids and quench thirst.

It has many benefits, so it is an important component of White Tiger Decoction (White Tiger Decoction) and absolutely cannot be omitted.

When prescribing medicine, the Sage of Medicine would never use an unnecessary herb, nor would he omit a useful one.

Therefore, every prescription and every ingredient must be carefully considered and thoroughly appreciated.

After instructing on how to prepare the medicine, Su Ziyang finished writing the prescription and began writing another prescription for external use.

This prescription is very simple, containing only one ingredient.

"Sucrose"

Sucrose is sugar extracted from sugarcane.

Su Ziyang asked Li Youde to dissolve the cane sugar in warm water and then soak his feet in it.

The sugar and blood that have accumulated on the legs will dissolve in the water, thus alleviating the symptoms of diabetic foot. Then we can see what the next step of the treatment plan is.

Li Youde had never heard of such a novel treatment method before, and he nodded in agreement.

Li Youde's family pushed him downstairs to get medicine, while Su Ziyang was also busy. He took his computer and started organizing the information on the Eight and a Half Locks, as well as the results of the past few days.

Er Biao called to say that he and Su Ziyang would be coming to learn from each other again in the next two days, and that he was also bringing a very novel skill that would impress Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang knew that Er Biao probably didn't have any real special skills, and was probably just using some strange and unusual ones.

For example, the breast enhancement technique I learned last time was quite effective.

"Xiao Xiao Su."

Fairy Li appeared at the door with a smile.

"Why did you come here? Aren't you tired? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Fairy Li usually never comes during working hours.

"I need to let you know, I have to go out for a bit. There's something I need to do with a client. Then my older brother comes back, and I need to tell him about what happened between us."

"Your older brother is back!"

Su Ziyang was a little intimidated by this brother-in-law he had never met before.

Fairy Li was the apple of her family's eye, with two older brothers. Because Fairy Li had grown up in a Daoist temple with her master since childhood, her two brothers doted on Fairy Li.

"So... should I go?"

Su Ziyang asked hesitantly.

"No need. Are you scared? Hahaha. What are you afraid of him for! I'm just passing by and dropping by to see my older brother."

Fairy Li said to Su Ziyang with a smile.

"I'm not scared, I'm just a little nervous. Hahaha."

Su Ziyang chuckled, trying to appear calm.

"You rascal, I'm leaving. I'll call you when I get there."

Fairy Li left with her small suitcase full of equipment.

As soon as Fairy Li left, Su Ziyang suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart. He felt really awkward without her around.

Su Ziyang smiled and shook his head, then sat down to continue organizing the documents.

Around noon, another person was pushed in through the door in a wheelchair.

Su Ziyang discovered that he really did have a special connection with wheelchairs today.

This person wasn't as lucky as the diabetic patient from before. He was an amputee and came to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor because he had developed a peculiar symptom.

Phantom limb pain.

Phantom limb pain refers to the phenomenon where, after amputation, a patient subjectively feels that the amputated limb still exists and experiences severe pain.

In most cases, people would consider this a psychological problem, and some studies suggest it's due to the central nervous system habitually controlling this area of the limb over a long period.

The sudden loss of this limb causes the central nervous system to be unable to react in time, resulting in this strange sensation in the human body.

However, in Su Ziyang's view, this kind of question involves the level of the soul, which is what traditional Chinese medicine calls "spirit"!

Traditional Chinese medicine has always believed that "all sores, pain, and itching are related to the heart."

The heart is the abode of God, and all kinds of pain problems can be considered to fall under the category of God.

In the "Discourse on the Rooted Spirit on the Fundamental Spirit" of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon's Inner Classic, the spirit, soul, and soul are explained as follows, "Therefore, the origin of life is called essence, the interaction of two essences is called spirit, that which follows spirit is called soul, and that which goes in and out with essence is called soul."

When the two essences interact, that is, when the essences of Yin and Yin and Yang unite and transform, the spirit is generated. The soul that comes and goes with the spirit is the soul, while the spirit that moves with the essence is the soul.

This illustrates a very important Yin and Yang concept: the spirit (神魂) belongs to Yang, while essence (精) and vital energy (魄) belong to Yin.

This explains the saying, "The soul rejoices in life, the spirit yearns for death."

Because things that are yang, things that are sunny, are positive, are uplifting. They like life and are full of vitality.

The yin aspect is calm, downward, passive, and dissipating. Therefore, the soul (魄) is inclined towards death.

In our lives, when you are happy or joyful, it means your spirit is experiencing happiness; but if you are sad or grieving, it means your body is being controlled by your vital energy (魄).

Therefore, in the process of cultivation, Daoists pursue a goal called "refining the seven spirits to form the three souls."

It's essentially about eliminating all the dark and negative things, and becoming a positive and energetic individual.

Okay, we've gone off-topic again. Let's get back to phantom limb pain.

Su Ziyang believed this was a problem with the spirit and soul, so a treatment plan that could directly address the spirit and soul was needed— the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate.

Since Yang Tianzheng Su Ziyang the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate technique, Su Ziyang Su Ziyang has not used it. Moreover, after learning the technique, his masters repeatedly warned him not to use it lightly, lest he end up like Yang Tianzheng did last time.

But you have to use it when you need to; hiding it away isn't a solution.

"I'll give you acupuncture first, just one needle, and then we'll talk."

Su Ziyang took out acupuncture needles and then prepared sterile cotton swabs.

"Can you stop the pain, doctor?" The man was in a lot of pain, his forehead was furrowed as he spoke, and he was a little scared when he saw Su Ziyang say he would give him acupuncture.

"Yes. The pain will subside after a while! Is that okay?"

Su Ziyang comforted the man and told the patient's family that everything would be alright and the pain would subside soon. Hearing Su Ziyang's reassuring words, the patient's family felt much more at ease.

Su Ziyang held the needle, recited a protective incantation in his mind, and began to administer the acupuncture.

Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to fill all Thirteen Ghost Needles completely. This is called "leaving a way out for future encounters" and also allows the pathogenic factors to have a place to enter and exit. It is like surrounding three and leaving one open to prevent a trapped beast from fighting.

The first needle was inserted into the Renzhong (Ghost Palace) point on the left and withdrawn from the right. The patient cried out in pain as soon as the needle was inserted.

"Ouch, it hurts!"

The area between the nose and upper lip is extremely painful; you can try scratching it with your fingernail if you don't believe me.

The second needle is placed under the thumbnail, called "Ghost's Faith," and is a short, shallow prick. The pain caused the patient to groan for quite some time.

By this time, the man was sweating profusely, but as a real man, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Because this person had one leg amputated, leaving only one leg, the third stitch was placed under the nail of the big toe.

This acupuncture point is called Guilei, and it only needs to be inserted shallowly to a depth of two fen (approximately 0.3 meters). To Su Ziyang's surprise, this needle should have been very painful, but the person did not react at all.

This made Su Ziyang twist the needle handle a few more times before the man could feel anything.

The fourth needle was placed at the Daling acupoint on the base of the palm. This acupoint is called Guixin. As soon as Su Ziyang inserted the needle, the patient let out a scream, which startled Su Ziyang.

Not only Su Ziyang, but even the two family members who brought him there were startled. At this moment, a lot of patients had gathered outside to watch the commotion.

Su Ziyang couldn't care less about the onlookers; he could only focus on holding the needle and carefully inserting it into the wound.

Because when using needles, intention is key!

The fifth needle was Shenmai, which is the Ghost Road. Logically, this acupoint should be treated with fire needles, but Su Ziyang didn't; he inserted the needle directly.

The man's thighs seemed to have no sensation, and his pulse did not show much reaction either.

The sixth needle is inserted at the Dazhui acupoint, also known as the Ghost Pillow acupoint.

After the injection, the man suddenly groaned. Then, as if he had been woken from a deep sleep, he looked around in surprise. "Where am I?"

His question left the family bewildered.

"This is a hospital! Didn't we bring you here for a checkup? You forgot!"

A woman who looked like his wife said with concern.

"You've come to see a doctor?!" The man nodded, seemingly understanding. "Yes, it seems so. My leg is gone..."

As soon as the man finished speaking, tears slowly streamed down his face. The woman beside him also had red eyes and took out a tissue to wipe away his tears.

Does your leg still hurt?

The woman wiped away her tears and asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt, it didn't hurt to begin with. What's there to hurt now that you don't even have a leg anymore!"

His words intrigued Su Ziyang to some extent.

So, he had just entered a state of self-hypnosis, still feeling like his leg was still there. Did those needles wake him up?

"It's okay, it's okay, doctor. Thank you so much!"

When the woman saw that her husband was no longer in pain, she thanked Su Ziyang profusely.

"Hmm. It's good that it doesn't hurt anymore." Su Ziyang nodded and used a cotton swab to remove the needles one by one.

"I'll prescribe two more doses of herbal medicine to consolidate the treatment. That way, there shouldn't be any major problems later. Is that alright?"

Su Ziyang tossed the needles into the sharps box and sat back down. The acupuncture was so effective that the family unconditionally trusted Su Ziyang.

Su Ziyang prescribed two medicines: ginseng and lingzhi.

Both of these medicines have the effect of calming and nourishing the soul. Since the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate can awaken a person, now that the person is awake, their soul must have been damaged. Therefore, Su Ziyang prescribed two tonics.

It is used to replenish the vital energy of the person's five internal organs and the damaged soul.

After seeing the two patients off, Su Ziyang began to carefully organize the documents at hand.

Er Biao called to say he would arrive tomorrow, but Su Ziyang still felt he should quickly organize the information so he could teach Er Biao a thing or two.

Su Ziyang had this idea: no matter how capable he was, he couldn't possibly make everything perfect.

Since Er Biao is fond of massage and bone setting, I might as well train him to be a top-notch massage therapist. That way, these techniques will be widely disseminated under his guidance, and the true essence of these arts won't be obscured!

The next day, Er Biao arrived as promised. When he arrived, Su Ziyang noticed that Er Biao had actually lost weight.

"Brother Biao, you've lost weight!"

Su Ziyang stared blankly at Er Biao.

"No way, bro. I remember you were driving Prado last time, why are you driving Land Rover this time... You really didn't just strike it rich and are hiding it from me, did you?"

Er Biao completely ignored Su Ziyang's words, instead staring intently at the car Su Ziyang was driving.

"It's not mine, it belongs to my master. I'm leaving, or you can drive it! I'm too lazy to drive this thing!"

Su Ziyang saw Er Biao staring wide-eyed at the car, his eyes filled with undisguised delight.

As soon as Su Ziyang suggested that Er Biao drive, Er Biao happily sat in the driver's seat. "This nice car is really something else. Your master's friends are all rich."

"I don't know, I don't know if he's rich or not, but I can drive the car now. Haha!"

Su Ziyang didn't think about all that; whoever he loved, he loved. When Er Biao heard Su Ziyang say that, he also burst into laughter.

"Brother Biao, can you tell me about your special skill now?"

Er Biao had been teasing Su Ziyang. Now that they had met, Su Ziyang quickly asked.

"Damn, bro. This is absolutely brutal. Let me tell you, this can get longer, bigger, and harder!!! This technique is absolutely top-notch! It's not just awesome, it's exceptionally awesome."

Er Biao gripped the steering wheel, spitting out saliva, and said excitedly.

Su Ziyang almost spat out the water he had just taken a sip of.

"Brother, can't you get down to business? I'm saying you're so dark and skinny now, is it because you did this to yourself? What, did all the fat on your body move to your crotch?!"

Su Ziyang choked and coughed, but still managed to tease Er Biao.

"Damn, you don't know anything. Do you know how busy I am right now? I can turn away thirty people a day. Do you think that's why I've lost weight? Let me tell you, if you want to contact me again, you'll have to make an appointment!"

Er Biao chuckled and said with great pride.

"Alright, alright, from now on you'll be Dean Biao, I'll work for you."

The two walked home, laughing and joking.

The two grabbed a quick bite to eat outside at noon and then went home to start talking.

Er Biao couldn't hide his excitement and was the first to demonstrate his "ga ga ga si" technique to Su Ziyang.

Er Biao told Su Ziyang to lie down, and then reached out to pull down Su Ziyang's pants, which startled Su Ziyang so much that he jumped up from the bed.

"What are you doing, Brother Biao? This won't do, I still need to remain chaste for my wife."

Su Ziyang covered his pants and yelled.

"Get the hell out of here. You son of a bitch, you're got nothing better to do. How am I supposed to do my job if you don't take your pants off? Your jeans are so thick!"

Er Biao chuckled and cursed, and Su Ziyang grinned. "Then you can tell me, I'll take it off myself. But, you know, I think mine is big enough, I don't really need this technique."

Su Ziyang smiled slightly and took off his pants.

"Get out of here! Stop pretending. I'm serious, and you're completely unreliable right now. Hurry up, I need to teach you this technique quickly!"

Er Biao two chatted and laughed as they talked, and Er Biao explained the technique to Su Ziyang in detail.

This technique works by promoting the circulation of Qi and blood in the surrounding area, thereby improving the Qi and blood in the tendons and muscles, making them larger and longer.

The first area to massage is the thigh muscles, allowing all the muscles on the inner thigh to relax completely. This full relaxation promotes blood circulation.

This step mainly focuses on relaxing the muscles. The massage technique should be gentle and comfortable, not forceful, as that will make the muscles more tense.

It always maintains a gentle, powerful, and penetrating purpose.

If you feel any hard nodules or cord-like objects in your thigh muscles, massage them thoroughly and then release them. Repeat this 3-6 times.

The second characteristic of this technique is to relax the nodules and cord-like structures as much as possible. Because the muscles in this area are relatively thick and firm, it is essential to relax them completely.

Er Biao spoke earnestly, while Su Ziyang struggled to hold it in.

Because this position was so sensitive, Su Ziyang wanted to laugh whenever Er Biao touched it, but seeing how serious Er Biao was, Su Ziyang felt embarrassed to laugh and could only hold it in.

"Let me tell you, you really need to pay close attention to this area, the large tendon at the groin..."

Before Er Biao could finish speaking, he saw Su Ziyang's face turn bright red, which startled him. A little embarrassed, Er Biao Er Biao, "What's wrong? Does it hurt? I didn't use any force, brother. Is my technique still not good enough?"

"Pfft, hahahahahaha!"

Upon hearing Er Biao's question, Su Ziyang burst into laughter. "No, no, Brother Biao, I can't hold it in anymore, it's so itchy, so incredibly itchy! Hahaha. Stop it, stop it!"

Er Biao thought he had hurt Su Ziyang, but then Su Ziyang laughed like that, so Er Biao kicked Su Ziyang's butt hard. "I'll teach you to laugh!"

"Hahahaha, ugh, why is your technician hitting people? Replace her, I want a replacement!!!"

Su Ziyang kept laughing, and while laughing, he shouted, which made Er Biao jump up and down in anger.

"You son of a bitch, are you going to study or not?!"

Er Biao looked at Su Ziyang's expression of laughing until tears streamed down his face, and he was also a little dumbfounded.

"Stop, stop, I'm going to find a dummy. I can't take it anymore, it's so itchy."

Su Ziyang suggested getting a mannequin from the clinic so Er Biao could demonstrate. Er Biao thought it was feasible because Su Ziyang seemed too unserious, and he doubted he could figure it out himself!