A Tiny Bit of an Impact

The metal elements Geng and Xin in the west belong to the category of killing and are associated with warfare.

Therefore, there are differences between Eastern and Western medicine.

For example, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon also mentioned the differences in medicine in different regions, but we now prefer to call it adapting to local conditions.

Therefore, this is recorded in the twentieth Treatise on Different Methods and Appropriate Prescriptions" in the " Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon ":

"The eastern region is where heaven and earth first came into being. It is a land of fish and salt, by the sea and water. Its people eat fish and crave salt. They are content with their place and enjoy their food. Fish makes people feel hot in the middle, and salt strengthens the blood. Therefore, the people there are all dark-skinned and have sparse hair. Their diseases are all boils and sores. The treatment is Bian stone. Therefore, Bian stone also comes from the east."

The West is a land of gold and jade, a place of sand and stones, a place where heaven and earth gather. Its people live on hills and are often windy. The soil and water are hard and strong. Its people do not wear clothes but wear coarse cloth. Its people eat rich food and are fat. Therefore, evil cannot harm their bodies. Their diseases arise from within, and their treatment is with poison. Therefore, poison also comes from the West.

The North is a region where heaven and earth are closed off and hidden. Its land is high and hilly, with cold winds and ice. Its people live in the wild and eat dairy products. Their internal organs are cold and they suffer from bloating. The appropriate treatment is moxibustion. Therefore, the practice of moxibustion also originated from the North.

The South is where heaven and earth nurture life, and where yang energy is at its peak. Its soil and water are weak, and it is a place where fog and dew gather. Its people crave sour foods and eat meat. Therefore, its people are all healthy and have a ruddy complexion. Their diseases are spasms and paralysis, and their treatment is mild acupuncture. Thus, the Nine Needles also originated from the South.

The central region is flat and humid, a place where heaven and earth give birth to a multitude of things. Its people eat a varied diet and do not labor much, therefore their illnesses are often weakness, fainting, chills, and fever. Their treatment should focus on guiding the qi and pressing the acupoints; thus, guiding the qi and pressing the acupoints also originate from the central region. Therefore, the sage combined various methods of treatment, each suited to its appropriate use. This is why the treatments differed yet all diseases were cured—because the nature of the disease was understood, and the general principles of treatment were grasped.

The original text might be too long, and some people might accuse me of padding the word count, but with a wry smile, I really don't mean it.

My intention is to show everyone the true essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine, so we must use the original text in this way.

My language, ten thousand sentences, cannot compare to a single sentence in classical Chinese.

Every word is full of meaning and significance. We can savor it again and again, unlike today's fast-food culture, which is like chewing sugarcane—sweet at first, but later you find there's no meaning to savor, just dregs.

Of course, what I'm writing about is also fast-food culture, so I won't go into too much detail here.

I'm just going to explain the meaning of this original text a bit more here.

My understanding is that this is the meaning of the original text.

The dietary habits of people in the East make Bian stone therapy suitable for them.

In ancient times, Bian stone was explained as follows: Bian means to use a stone to treat illness.

The dietary and lifestyle habits of Westerners mean that toxic drugs are more suitable for their constitution, such as modern Western medicine, and so on.

The weather in the north is cold, and people are more prone to damaging their Yang energy due to the cold. Therefore, people in the north should use moxibustion and other methods to support Yang energy in the treatment of diseases.

The south is hot and belongs to the Li Trigram, making it more suitable for using the nine-needle technique to treat diseases.

Since we're on the topic, let me introduce the Nine Needles from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon.

Here's a little rhyme for you: The Yellow Emperor's Nine Needles, round and sharp, round and large.

After I explain this, you'll probably understand why acupuncture doctors are primarily effective at treating pain, but less effective at treating other ailments.

As mentioned here, the filiform needle is the most popular acupuncture needle on the market today. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon states that it "treats cold, heat, pain, and numbness in the collaterals." Therefore, in ancient times, this needle was used to treat pain.

Therefore, I still want to introduce the traditional nine-needle technique to everyone.

The first one is the zigzag needle, which is modeled after the towel needle. It is cut off one and a half inches from the end, then sharpened to a length of one inch and six fen. It is mainly used for heat in the head and body.

The length of one inch and six fen (approximately 1.6 inches) is derived from the concept of "Heaven generates water, Earth completes it with six parts," and the needle is made of metal, which in turn generates water.

The second is the round needle, which is modeled after the cotton needle. It has a tube-like body and an egg-shaped tip, and is one inch and six fen long. It is mainly used to treat interstitial qi.

"Round needle" means the same thing.

The third method is needle lifting, which uses the tip of a millet grain, three and a half inches long, to press the pulse and draw out the qi, thus expelling the evil.

The needle is three and a half inches long. Three is the number of wood. Its main purpose is to release evil spirits rather than kill them, so the standard size is three and a half inches.

The fourth is the sharp needle, which is modeled after the cotton needle. It has a tube-like body and a sharp tip, and is one inch and six fen long. It is mainly used for carbuncles and bleeding.

This is similar to Little Hand, used for bloodletting during surgery.

The fifth is the lancet, which is modeled after the tip of a sword. It is two and a half fen wide and four cun long. It is mainly used for large boils and abscesses, and for cases where two types of heat are competing.

All sores and pain originate from the heart. The width is two and a half fen, with two representing the number of fire. Swellings are caused by fire toxins, and the length is four inches, which is the number of metal. When they break, it is the heat toxins in the skin.

The half-point in this context represents the number of Earth, which nourishes all things, hence the extra half-point.

The sixth is the round and sharp needle, which is modeled after the yak needle, but with a slightly larger tip and a smaller body, allowing for deeper insertion. It is 1.6 inches long and is mainly used to treat carbuncles and numbness.

The seventh is the filiform needle, which is modeled after a fine hair and is 1.6 inches long. It is mainly used for treating cold, heat, pain, and numbness in the collaterals.

The eighth method is the long needle, which is modeled after the Qi needle. It is seven inches long and is mainly used to treat deep-seated and distant numbness.

The ninth is the large needle, modeled after the sharp needle. Its tip is slightly rounded, and it is four inches long. It is mainly used to draw air from areas where the vital energy does not leave the joint. This completes the method for the size and length of the nine needles.

What this means is that everything in ancient times actually followed a natural order; it wasn't something that appeared rashly or arbitrarily.

It's not like I can do whatever I want just because I'm happy.

Su Ziyang sometimes speaks impromptu, not prepared, so his words surprised everyone present.

"Doctor Su, now that you say that, I feel unworthy to be a descendant of the Chinese people."

Zhang Yu said in surprise.

"Well, I sometimes have these kinds of reflections. I'm not trying to preach. Please excuse me, two directors of such advanced age, for listening to the ramblings of a young upstart."

Su Ziyang took a sip of tea, laughed heartily, and said modestly to Song Liangtao and Zhang Yu.

"You're being modest."

Song Li listened with great interest. Ever since he met Su Ziyang, Song Li had developed a great interest in health preservation.

He often sleeps in the office with a copy of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon in his hand. Although he can't understand it, he is still "always engrossed in reading".

Hearing Su Ziyang say this now, I feel my confidence has been strengthened, especially my confidence in traditional Chinese medicine, and my determination to have my daughter become my apprentice.

"Yes, I must make sure my child becomes this person's teacher!"

Song Li thought to himself.

As it turned out, Su Ziyang's words had a tremendous impact. Song Liangtao, who had studied traditional Chinese medicine his whole life, was moved by Su Ziyang's few words at the end.

He then turned to studying traditional Chinese medicine. As the saying goes, "A scholar who studies medicine is like catching a chicken in a cage."

It turns out that cultured and thoughtful people are like chickens caught in a cage.

Song Liangtao is the best example of this. Song Liangtao later became good friends with Su Ziyang, and the two often discussed issues related to traditional Chinese medicine.

Su Ziyang's remarkable development and Song Liangtao's self-taught talent often demonstrate his unique perspectives and ability to achieve excellent results.

We'll talk about it later.

After learning about Su Ziyang's prescription, Song Liangtao actually began conducting experiments.

However, as Su Ziyang had predicted, the Guoguo was not satisfactory, and the matter was dropped.

It was this incident that sparked Song Liangtao's strong interest in traditional Chinese medicine.

That concludes my overview of the experiment.

It's just a general overview, so don't take it too seriously. Just get the general idea.

Medical experiments come in many forms. For example, the experiments with white mice that are commonly seen and heard about belong to animal experiments, also known as pharmacological experiments.

By observing the final result, we can study how the drug works in animals; that's roughly the idea.

Of course, if you're researching traditional Chinese medicine formulas, there are only a few types. For example, the experiment Song Liangtao did is called: Human Metabolomics Experiment and Traditional Chinese Medicine Serum Pharmacology Experiment.

Such experiments generally do not use small animals, or use them very rarely.

The purpose of human metabolomics experiments is to study how this drug is metabolized in the human body; that's roughly how people understand it.

Let's skip the overly technical terms.

Serum pharmacology experiments of traditional Chinese medicine refer to the study of traditional Chinese medicine or prescriptions, observing the relationship between dosage and time of absorption in vitro.

For example, the different effects of 5g and 15g of rhubarb in the human body are roughly the same idea.

When conducting experiments, it is generally necessary to find a pathway as a starting point.

This pathway refers to substances secreted by very microscopic things within the human body, such as a single cell, a single molecule, or even the brain or some other organ...

This brings us to the differences between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.

This is the concept of micro and macro.

Traditional Chinese medicine uses analogy and metaphor, constantly looking at things from a macroscopic perspective, such as the laws governing heaven and earth. This belongs to a grand cosmology and so on.

There are nine stars in the sky, nine palaces on earth, and nine orifices in humans.

Traditional Chinese medicine associates the universe with the human body, and we are surprised to find that this is indeed the case; there is a clear correspondence.

But Western medicine is different. It goes down to the microscopic level, becoming increasingly detailed, from the internal organs to nerve cells to molecules, to various microscopic pathways and substances...

It's not accurate to say which is better or worse.

It might be better if we could communicate and borrow each other's equipment.

One is microscopic, the other is macroscopic.

One in the east, one in the west.

Opposite worldviews, opposite methodologies.

Perhaps this is part of the natural order of things, but the China are more accustomed to calling it the Way of Heaven.

"Oh my goodness! Hearing your words is worth more than ten years of study!"

Song Li picked up his teacup and clinked it against Su Ziyang's, pretending it was a wine glass.

"Yes, yes, yes. Although we're just having tea, thank you, Doctor Su, for answering our questions!"

Song Liangtao also picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and bowed slightly to Su Ziyang.

People are drinking beer like liquor and tea like alcohol, gradually adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Overjoyed, Song Liangtao said he would immediately go back and start preparing, and might even invite Su Ziyang to exchange ideas, so he wouldn't stay any longer today.

After the two men left, the two bosses who had come with them exchanged a few polite words with Song Li and Han Jinkai before departing as well.

"Hey, those two are pretty interesting."

Han Jinkai watched the group leave and said with a smile.

"Brother, if you ask me, you're being too generous. Why are you even bothering with them? Song Liangtao's attitude was alright, but look at Zhang Yu's arrogant attitude. Is that how someone asks for a favor?"

Song Li, feeling indignant on Su Ziyang's behalf, angrily picked up a small cookie and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hey, don't you understand these kinds of people? The director is the boss of his department; they're the ones who bully and berate others. If you ask them for favors, they'll treat you differently depending on who you're dealing with."

Han Jinkai hit the nail on the head, patting Su Ziyang on the shoulder. "Brother, you're so generous. Hahaha."

"Saving all sentient beings is difficult enough. If they manage to heal the sick and save lives, and achieve anything, that would be a good deed."

Su Ziyang is now seeing things more and more clearly and no longer cares about so many details. As long as it can cure diseases and save lives, that's great.

"Brother, I need to ask you something. Do you have any solutions for uremia?"

Han Jinkai suddenly asked.

"Ah? Well, it's hard to say. This kind of illness... it's difficult to say."

That's true. Although traditional Chinese medicine doesn't pay much attention to the names of diseases, it mainly focuses on pulse and symptoms.

However, for such malignant diseases, no one can be 100% certain; this is common sense.

"I have a classmate, and his mother... well, we're very close. She's 79, almost 80 next year, and the hospital brought her out. They said she's too old for them to suffer."

Han Jinkai sighed. The moon waxes and wanes, and people are born and grow old; these are things that no one can control.

"So you mean you should see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to alleviate some of the pain?"

Su Ziyang understood what Han Jinkai meant. Han Jinkai didn't say anything, but nodded.

"What's the situation now?"

Su Ziyang wanted to hear the details first. Han Jinkai didn't know much either. After thinking for a while, Han Jinkai said, "When I went to his house last week, it seemed like he had edema. His legs and stomach were swollen. I really don't know anything else."

"Hey, you mean Liuzi's mom? How about we just grab Ziyang, drive over there, and that's it?"

Song Li was impatient and spoke directly. Han Jinkai looked at Su Ziyang, Su Ziyang nodded and said it was okay.

The three of them set off immediately.

Upon arriving at the destination, Su Ziyang was completely surprised to find that Liuzi was actually a woman.

I don't know if it's true that women look younger when they dress up, but Liuzi looks much younger than Han Jinkai. She has short hair, wears light makeup, and looks clean and neat.

"Liuzi..."

Su Ziyang didn't know why, but the name Liuzi sounded really strange to him.

"This is the miracle doctor I told you about, Doctor Su. Su Ziyang. He cured my old maid's illness."

Han Jinkai quickly introduced Su Ziyang to Liuzi.

Su Ziyang nodded to Liuzi to greet him, and Liuzi quickly asked them to sit down, then brought out several plates of fruit and nuts.

"Sigh. I'll be home for the next couple of days. You guys have some fruit and rest a bit. I'll go make you some tea."

Song Li seemed to be quite familiar with this Liuzi as well, and quickly waved his hand. "Alright, alright. Let's do it ourselves, why bother with all this? Why bother making tea!"

"I don't care about you two. Where's Doctor Su?"

Liuzi smiled and took a tea cake from a tea cabinet.

Su Ziyang quickly added, "No need to be so polite. I'm good friends with both Brother Han and Brother Song, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Yes. These are all Huiru's teachers. Given our relationship, there's no need to be so polite."

Song Li then introduced Su Ziyang again with a smile.

"Come on."

Liuzi smiled, didn't stand on ceremony with the others, and went to boil water to make tea.

After the tea was brewed, Liuzi sat down.

"How's the old lady?" Han Jinkai asked, getting straight to the point.

"She's sleeping inside. She always sleeps whenever she comes to my place. She doesn't seem very energetic."

Liuzi frowned as he spoke of his mother.

"Don't tell me, talk to Doctor Su about it."

Han Jinkai pointed at Su Ziyang, Liuzi looked at Su Ziyang and said, "Her main problem right now is swelling. Her stomach is very swollen, as are her navel, legs, and head. Both of her legs are swollen. I've noticed her face is also a bit swollen these past few days."

"Hold head high..."

There's a folk saying about edema, "Men fear wearing boots, and women fear wearing hats."

It means that men are afraid of swollen feet, while women are afraid of swollen faces.

Actually, there's some truth to that statement.

According to the concept of Yin and Yin and Yang, the head is Yang and the feet are Yin.

Swollen feet in men indicate yin deficiency, a yin-related illness. Men are yang in nature, and when yang suffers from a yin-related illness, it is considered a serious condition.

Swelling of the head and face in women is a sign of yang edema, a yang disease. Since women are yin, a yang disease affecting yin is considered a serious illness.

Of course, just because the swelling isn't so bad doesn't mean you're cured. It's still better to be healthy.

"Is it mainly swelling? Are there any other symptoms?"

Su Ziyang continued to ask.

"Besides that, I just feel weak and listless, tired, and all I do is sleep all day."

Liuzi thought for a moment and then said.

What medication are you taking now?

Su Ziyang asked.

"Wait a moment. I'll go look for it."

Liuzi got up to go find the medicine. Han Jinkai secretly nudged Su Ziyang's arm and whispered, "Brother, is this illness not good? You've been frowning the whole time."

"It's hard to say. I'll have to check on the old lady first."

Su Ziyang also whispered.

Liuzi ran inside and searched for a while. When he came back, he was carrying a large bag filled with medicine.

Liuzi put the medicine on the table and took it out, lining up the boxes one by one. "Look, Doctor Su. This is the medicine my mother takes. The doctor prescribed it, saying that she just needs to take it to maintain her condition."

Su Ziyang picked up the medicines on the table and looked at them one by one.

Bailin Capsules

Haikun Shenxi Capsules

Torasemide tablets (Texamin)

Zhibitai Capsules

Enteric-coated aspirin tablets (Bayer aspirin dosage: once daily orally)

Bailin capsules contain Cordyceps sinensis powder, which is mainly used to relieve symptoms such as cough, asthma, hemoptysis, lower back pain, and facial edema.

Haikun Shenxi Capsules can relieve clinical symptoms of chronic renal failure in the compensated stage, decompensated stage, and early stage of uremia, such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, heaviness of body, and edema.

Both of these medications treat symptoms and relieve discomfort.

Torasemi tablets are primarily used to treat edema caused by congestive heart failure, and can also be used for patients with essential hypertension.

Lipitor capsules are a digestive aid and a traditional Chinese medicine.

Enteric-coated aspirin is even simpler; it's a hemolytic drug that can prevent blood clots.

Half of these medicines are traditional Chinese medicines. This suddenly raises another issue: most of the doctors prescribing traditional Chinese medicines in China are actually Western medicine doctors.

Authentic traditional Chinese medicine practitioners rarely prescribe prepared Chinese medicines because their prescriptions are fixed and lack flexibility. Instead, they prefer to use decoctions, which offer greater flexibility and variety.

How is the elderly person feeling after taking these medications?

Su Ziyang looked at the table full of medicine, frowned, and pondered for a while.

"It doesn't seem to be working very well. Anyway, there's no other way, so I just keep eating it. The swelling seems to be getting worse these past two days. At first, it seemed only my waist was swollen, but now it looks like it's spreading to my belly button."

Liuzi sighed.

"I'd like to see the old man, take his pulse, and have some physical contact with him, is that alright?"

Su Ziyang looked at Liuzi and asked.

Liuzi immediately nodded in agreement. "Of course. I'll go wake her. She's probably asleep again by now."

"No need. I'll go inside and take your pulse directly. The elderly person probably has difficulty moving around."

"I'll go check on her first and call her. Please wait a moment, Doctor Su."

Liuzi got up and quickly walked into the bedroom.

"Mom, are you asleep?"

Hearing Liuzi's voice from the bedroom, Su Ziyang saw Han Jinkai and Song Li glance at Su Ziyang and then say softly, "Just do your best, brother. We all understand what it means to have this disease."

"I know." Su Ziyang nodded.

Su Ziyang sat for a while longer, and then Liuzi actually helped his mother out of the bedroom.

"Oh, no need, I'll just go directly there. It's inconvenient for the event, don't bother going back and forth."

Su Ziyang quickly got up and helped Liuzi support the old man.

"I can still walk! I can still walk!"

Su Ziyang didn't know why, but this old man seemed to have some kind of set of rules in his mind. Liuzi's mother patted Su Ziyang 'Su Ziyang hand and said, "Don't move."

"Oh dear, I can still walk. A doctor has come to check my pulse. I need to get up; what's the point of lying here?"

"Come, come, ma'am, please sit down and take your time."

Han Jinkai and Song Li both stood up and helped the old lady to sit on the sofa.

Actually, the old man was a bit weak, and he was somewhat tired after walking just a few steps.

"Please have a seat. How have you been eating lately?"

The old man moved around a bit, and his pulse was unstable. So Su Ziyang chatted with him for a while and asked him about his diagnosis.

First, check if the stomach has any vital energy; that's the most important thing right now.

For malignant diseases, you must check whether you can still eat.

If they don't eat or drink, then it's dangerous.

If you can feel hungry and eat, no matter how much or how little you eat, it means that there is still a breath of life in your stomach, and you can have a chance to survive.

"My appetite is alright. I can eat a little, but not as much as before. Before, I could eat two big bowls of stewed vegetables."

Surprisingly, the old lady was quite optimistic and spoke very frankly with Su Ziyang.

"Now? If you gave me two bowls of stewed vegetables, would I still be able to eat two bowls?"

Su Ziyang chatted with the old lady with a smile.

"Not now." The old lady waved her hand. "It looks tempting, but I can't eat it. I can only have some porridge and noodles for now. I love noodles."

Can you eat a big bowl of noodles?

Hearing the old lady say that, Su Ziyang felt more confident and continued to ask questions.

"Eat half a bowl. Haha!"