Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1130 Want to see the secret formula for restoring yang and reversing the decline of the fire of life? (Two chapters combined)
Upon seeing that Fang Yan was about to leave, the patient and his family became somewhat nervous. The patient's daughter quickly asked:

"Can't we say it here?"

Fang Yan said to them:

"There are still some things we need to compare and judge, and discussing them here will affect our colleagues."

Speaking in dialect, he pointed to Wang Zhijun standing to the side.

Wang Zhijun understood immediately and said to Fang Yan and the others:

"How about I go out?"

Upon hearing this, the patient felt somewhat embarrassed and said:
"Oh, okay, then please make yourselves at home?"

Then Fang Yan and Li Zhengji walked out, and the others who were with Fang Yan also walked out together.

The group moved to a relatively quiet corner in the corridor, away from other patients. Li Zhengji immediately lowered his voice and asked Fang Yan:
"How about it?"

Fang Yan didn't answer, but asked in return:

How did you make that judgment?

Li Zhengji said:
“I see that this patient’s illness is really complicated. He is afraid of cold, weak, short of breath, dark skin, edema, excessive thirst and urination. He has spleen and kidney yang deficiency, blood stasis, liver and kidney yin deficiency and yin and yang deficiency. In addition, too much has been removed by surgery, and his vital energy is too severely depleted.”

Fang Yan nodded and said:
“The root cause is spleen and kidney yang deficiency, and the deficiency is extremely severe. I believe it is already a critical condition.”

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Li Zhengji was slightly taken aback.

The dialect judgment is even more serious than his.

"How so?" Li Zhengji asked Fang Yan.

Fang Yan looked around at the group of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and said:
“Look at the patient. He has edema all over his body. When I press on his left hand, the indentation stays for a long time. His tongue is swollen with a white and moist coating, which is a sign of excessive dampness. His hands are as cold as ice. No matter how many clothes he wears, he still feels cold. His pulse is deep, thready, and hesitant. I can hardly feel the pulse at the cun position. This is a sign of deficiency of the fire of the gate of life. The yang energy in the whole body hardly reaches the four extremities. This is close to pure yin without yang. His stool is loose and watery. His face is swollen in the morning and his legs are heavy in the afternoon. All of this points to deficiency of spleen and kidney yang and retention of dampness.”

"How do you relieve thirst, excessive drinking and sweating, and frequent urination? And what about those lumps?" Li Zhengji asked immediately, as this was one of the key points that puzzled him.

At this moment, Lin Wenfeng, who was standing to the side, also said:

"That's right. Normally, people with pure yang deficiency shouldn't have such obvious 'heat' symptoms from drinking too much and sweating too much."

“That’s precisely what makes her illness so strange and troublesome!” Fang Yan glanced at Lin Wenfeng and said:

"Yang deficiency is an extreme form of yang deficiency, while yin deficiency and internal dryness also exist. It is the result of 'yin damaging yang,' but at this moment, yang deficiency has become the dominant and critical contradiction in the overall situation."

The Treatise on Febrile Diseases (Shanghan Lun) clearly states: "The face is flushed with heat because of deficiency in the lower body." This refers to the deficiency of kidney yang, which causes the deficient yang to float upwards, resulting in symptoms of false heat such as a flushed face and thirst. The contradictory manifestation of "cool skin but red tongue, thirst, and night sweats" is called "flushed yang syndrome" in ancient books.

After speaking in dialect, he said to Li Zhengji:
“I encountered a patient like this before, remember? I even told you about her, her name was Liu Yu!” (See Chapters 720 and 796)
Li Zhengji was taken aback, then realized what he meant and said:
"Oh... I remember now! It's that fellow villager Xiao Peng who..."

Nodding in dialect:

"Yes, that's her."

Then, Fang Yan shifted the topic back to the patient from before, continuing:

"I don't know if you noticed, but that patient just now, although she kept drinking water and sweating a lot, I noticed that her lips were dry and the middle of her tongue was also dry. However, her body shape was not the typical thin and emaciated body type of someone with diabetes."

"If you can't quench your thirst and sweat profusely but your hands are still cold, this is not true thirst caused by excessive internal heat."

"This indicates that the Yang energy is extremely weak and the defensive Qi is not secure!"

"When the essence of sweat is lost, it's like opening a floodgate. The body's fluids cannot be vaporized and evaporated to moisturize the upper body, resulting in dry lips and tongue. At the same time, when Yang is deficient, the gates are wide open, and when the kidney Qi is not consolidated, frequent and clear urination occurs. 'Thirst' is a false appearance caused by the dysfunction of Qi transformation and the failure of body fluids to rise!"

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Li Zhengji nodded, confirming that the patient was indeed in critical condition.

He asked in dialect:

"So what do we do now? She has quite a few health problems. She had treatment in Shanghai for over ten years, and the lumps on her body kept recurring after being removed. If we take over now, where should we start?"

After thinking for a moment, he said:
"I believe that multiple surgeries have completely weakened a person, causing their defensive qi to collapse and their vital energy to be severely depleted."

"Although we have always had the saying that urgent measures can be taken to address the symptoms while slow measures can address the root cause, today's situation is somewhat special."

“Those lumps are the most serious problem, but if we attack them now, we will only completely destroy her remaining strength.”

Hearing Fang Yan's analysis, everyone nodded.

He said in dialect:

"Therefore, I believe the most important task at present is to urgently support the Yang of the spleen and kidneys, strengthen the fire of the gate of life, rebuild the order of Ying and Wei, and protect the Wei Qi."

"Only by gradually restoring the scattered defensive qi to its proper place and guarding the gate can we gradually eliminate internal evils, namely those phlegm, blood stasis, and lumps."

"When the life fire is restored, the cold will gradually recede, and the dampness will dissipate."

"With the restoration of Yang energy and the strengthening of Wei Qi, her uncontrollable sweat and intestinal fluids can be gradually contained."

"To give an analogy, it's like a dilapidated house in the dead of winter. The most important thing right now isn't to rush to clean up the dust, but to repair the roof and light the stove. Once the house gradually warms up, the frozen water will naturally thaw and flow away, and then it will be easier to start cleaning up the dust."

Li Zhengji nodded slowly and said:
“That’s right. So what are the specific treatment principles? How should the medicine be used? Among the people I know, no one can surpass you in the field of warming yang and rescuing from collapse. What do you think we should do?”

Li Zhengji is right. Fang Yan's use of the "Breakthrough Heart-Saving Decoction" is the most famous, and he also uses far more aconite than the average person. So, Fang Yan is probably the best in this field among the people Li Zhengji knows.

From a technical standpoint, Fang Yan is indeed deserving of the title. He is now much more professional than Li Ke, essentially a fully-fledged Li Ke with an added cheat code. It would be strange if he wasn't strong.

The others who heard this information were also intrigued. They had heard about how Fang Yan had saved Zhou Zhaoqin in twenty hours. Although they probably couldn't see the secret recipe he had, they could definitely see similar methods.

As long as you see it, it's worth it.

Not only Ho King-wai and his son Ho Tung, but everyone except Kim Wu-bing had a brighter look in their eyes.

Fang Yan, of course, knew who the people around him wanted to see, and he said:

"The patient just now had severe water retention, so we need to combine her with a formula that promotes diuresis and eliminates dampness. At the same time, we also need to address the issues of disharmony between the Ying and Wei Qi and the deficiency of the body's vital energy. My idea is to use a modified Si Ni Tang combined with Zhen Wu Tang as the main formula. We will use Si Ni Tang as the base to support the true fire of the Mingmen, warm the spleen and dispel cold. Then we will use Zhen Wu Tang to warm the Yang, promote diuresis, strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness. Finally, we will use a large dose of raw Astragalus membranaceus to replenish Qi, raise Yang, consolidate the exterior and stop sweating."

"In the initial consultation, we didn't dare to expect the lump to disappear immediately. The aim was to warm the Yang and strengthen the body's defenses, alleviating the fundamental crises such as edema, sweating, chills, and diarrhea, allowing the body's vital energy and defenses to stabilize and stop attacking itself."

After saying that, he took out paper and pen and started writing. He finished in no time, and everyone's eyes fell on the paper, which read:

Raw aconite root 30g (decoct for two hours first), dried ginger 20g, prepared licorice root 15g, raw astragalus root 60g, ginseng 10g (stew separately), atractylodes macrocephala 20g, poria cocos 30g, fresh ginger 3 slices, white peony root 15g, dragon bone 30g (decoct first), oyster shell 30g (decoct first), cinnamon twig 10g.

Then, in dialect, he said:

"The base is Si Ni Tang, with 30g of aconite. It is decocted for two hours to remove its toxicity, specifically targeting the deficiency of fire at the gate of life. Her state of 'pure yin without yang' is like a furnace that is about to go out. Sufficient aconite is needed as 'firewood' to rekindle the sparks. Dried ginger is paired with licorice to warm the spleen and dispel cold, protect the middle and stomach, and prevent the yang qi from dissipating too much."

“The Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, fresh ginger, and white peony root in Zhenwu Decoction are also indispensable,” he continued. “Atractylodes macrocephala strengthens the spleen and dries dampness, while Poria cocos promotes urination and eliminates dampness. These two herbs are like ‘water pumps,’ guiding the excess water and dampness downwards. Fresh ginger helps dried ginger warm the yang and can also disperse water vapor. White peony root nourishes yin and softens the liver, preventing the warming and drying effects of Aconitum carmichaelii and dried ginger from damaging yin, and also taking into account her ‘false dryness’ symptoms of dry tongue and lips.”

“She was sweating profusely, and her defensive qi was severely depleted,” Fang said. “60g of raw astragalus can replenish qi, raise yang, and strengthen the exterior to stop sweating. It’s like covering a leaky window with paper to guard the ‘door’ first. Then, 10g of cinnamon twig can be added to harmonize the ying and wei, allowing qi and blood to flow smoothly between the exterior and interior, and no longer become scattered.”

“The ginseng should be decocted separately,” he said, pointing to the dosage of ginseng. “She has undergone multiple surgeries, which have severely depleted her vital energy. The ginseng must be decocted separately to extract its pure nourishing power, replenishing the qi of the five internal organs, especially the lung qi. Her shortness of breath when she speaks is precisely because of insufficient lung qi. We need to let the ‘qi’ support her body first.”

"Finally, we'll decoct the dragon bone and oyster shell first. They have a strong calming and astringent effect, helping her to control the 'uncontrollable sweat and the loss of essence,' while also calming the mind and soothing the nerves to deal with the 'floating yang' night sweats and restlessness, preventing the floating fire from further depleting the yin fluids."

He tore off the prescription and handed it to Li Zhengji, saying, "Go back and arrange for her to be hospitalized. The first prescription is seven doses, one dose per day, decocted and taken warm. The aconite should be decocted for two hours first, and a little brown sugar should be added when drinking it to help the medicine go down."

"After you finish drinking the medicine and have a follow-up visit, if the swelling has subsided, you are sweating less, and your hands and feet are a little warmer, then we can consider adding a small amount of blood-activating and mass-reducing medicine, such as Sparganium rhizome and Curcuma rhizome. But you absolutely cannot use it now, so as not to damage the yang energy that has just been restored."

Li Zhengji carefully examined Fang Yan's prescription. Compared to Fang Yan's previous medical cases, the amount of raw aconite used was not actually too strong. He glanced at the group of people around Fang Yan, but didn't ask any further questions, simply nodding and saying:
"it is good!"

At this moment, everyone who saw the prescription had different expressions. The core of the prescription was to use strong pungent and hot herbs to restore yang and rescue from collapse, combined with spleen-strengthening and dampness-resolving herbs. The most important part was to strengthen the defensive qi and harmonize the nutritive and defensive qi, supplemented by astringent herbs to stop sweating.

But if they were to drive it, they could do it.

It feels like people using dialects don't really showcase their skills.

But people can't say it directly.

Everyone was feeling incredibly stifled.

At this point, Fang Yan had already instructed Li Zhengji to go back and arrange for the patient's admission.

Once Li Zhengji left, Fang Yan planned to go to the dean's office to report that today's task was completed, and he would need to go back and study the gifts everyone had given him later.

However, just as Fang Yan was about to get rid of these people...

Among the returning TCM practitioners, some still stepped forward and subtly inquired:
"Dr. Fang... I have another question. What should be done about those lumps on the patient's body? How can we prevent recurrence?"

Fang Yan turned around and realized that the person who asked the question was Chen Mike.

This person is the only one among them who has systematically studied Western medicine, so it's normal for him to ask this question.

However, Fang Yan knew what he wanted to ask.

Fang Yan didn't expose him, but smiled and said to him:
"Yes, that's a very good question. Based on my current understanding, the lumps that recur in various parts of the patient's body are, according to Western medicine, endocrine tumors combined with Schmidt's syndrome, which means the immune system is attacking its own cells."

"From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the reason why it grows back after being cut and cut again is due to two points."

Fang Yan raised his finger and said:

"First, the body's vital energy (ying and wei qi) is in great disarray, and the body's vital energy is scattered and out of control, unable to restrain and protect itself. Second, the yang energy is weak and the yin energy is stagnant, with cold energy carrying phlegm, dampness, and blood stasis accumulating in the meridians. Although the surgery removed the tumor at the time, it was another heavy blow to the weakened body, like adding insult to injury, causing the vital energy to become even weaker, and the cold, dampness, phlegm, and blood stasis to accumulate even more stubbornly, like frozen soil that gets harder the more it freezes, making the foundation for the next recurrence even deeper." "You can see that there are obvious ecchymoses on the sides of her tongue, and the dark color of her tongue corresponds to possible stasis in the liver area. Her pulse is also choppy, which is a clear indication of blood stasis. Her body is already 'too weak to be attacked'!"

"Western medicine explains that the immune system attacks the body itself. This provides a perspective for explaining complex pathogenesis."

"We all know that traditional Chinese medicine believes that the Ying and Wei Qi are the key to protecting the human body and resisting external pathogens."

"When the Ying (nutritive qi) circulates within the blood vessels and the Wei (defensive qi) circulates outside the blood vessels, the body is healthy when the Ying and Wei are in harmony."

"I believe that this patient's initial condition was due to insufficient innate endowment, that is, a poor genetic foundation. Later, he suffered from major traumas such as surgery and radiotherapy, which we in traditional Chinese medicine call 'evil disturbance.' This led to 'disharmony between Ying and Wei,' causing the 'Wei Qi,' which should protect the body, to become disordered and even 'turn against' the body, attacking the body's normal blood and qi circulation and the internal organs, especially the liver and kidney Shaoyang meridian system related to the endocrine system. To put it simply, it's like a mutiny on the frontier, causing chaos within."

"It's just like the theory in the Inner Canon of Medicine that 'if the Ying and Wei Qi (nutritive and defensive Qi) do not function properly, great ailments will arise.'"

"This internal disorder and disharmony between the body's vital energy and blood further exacerbates the deficiency of Yang, water retention, and phlegm and blood stasis, which manifests as those constantly growing 'lumps'."

"Therefore, when treating lumps, we cannot rush to 'suppress' them; we must first 'soothe' them."

"Once the yang energy returns slightly and the protective qi can guard the gate, then we can slowly transform it."

Fang Yan paused for a moment, then said:

"Let me give you another analogy. Those lumps are like ice blocks in a gutter. Now that it's freezing cold, trying to break them open will only crack the gutter walls and damage the vital energy. We have to wait for the sun to come out so the ice blocks will loosen on their own, then slowly rinse them with warm water, and finally clean away the dirt. That way, we won't leave any future problems."

He glanced around at everyone, then fixed his gaze on Mike Chen again, and said:
"Western medicine says that the immune system attacks randomly, so we regulate the Ying and Wei (nutritive and defensive qi). When the Ying and Wei are in harmony, it's like the immune system 'returns to the team' and stops attacking itself randomly. This is the 'root cause treatment'. As for those phlegm, blood stasis, and lumps, they are the 'symptoms', but these symptoms are 'cold phlegm and stagnant blood,' which can only be removed by using Yang Qi as a 'shovel'."

Chen Mike wanted to grit his teeth when he heard this. Fang Yan's reasoning was indeed sound, but he didn't explain the specifics of how to do it. He only got the general direction. What Chen Mike was thinking about was Fang Yan's detailed techniques, which were the key.

However, he maintained his composure on the surface and nodded seriously.

Then he asked in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, could you be more specific?"

Fang Yan smiled and said:
"Of course, specifically, I plan to proceed in three steps."

"The first step is to support Yang and strengthen the body's defenses, just like now. Once her hands and feet are no longer so cold, she sweats less, and she can sleep soundly for two or three hours, that means that her 'Ying and Wei have returned to their proper places' and her 'Yang Qi has a root.' Only then can we say that she has passed the critical stage of saving her life."

"The second step is to warm the yang and dispel cold, while also gently resolving phlegm and blood stasis. My idea is to add roasted ginger and cinnamon to the original formula, and then add a little peach kernel and safflower..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan paused, and Chen Mike's eyes finally lit up.

But Fang Yan stopped again. Chen Mike was anxious, and the others were anxious too. They stared at Fang Yan and said:

"and then?"

He said in dialect:

"Then you need to be careful to be gentle, like sprinkling some de-icing agent on frozen soil. You can't use heavy hammers like sparganium or turmeric at this stage, lest you shake down the newly grown yang energy."

"If this step makes the bruises on the tongue fade and the lumps stop growing, then it's considered effective."

"The third step is when the symptoms are truly eliminated..."

Fang Yan paused here, looked at everyone, and could tell that they were all very anxious.

But everyone was holding it in for a very long time.

Fang Yan smiled and then continued:
"The rest is simple. We need to wait until her pulse is less hesitant and the ashen look on her face has dissipated, which means her blood and qi are flowing again. Then we can slowly add herbs like turtle shell, oyster shell, and fritillaria thunbergii, which are known to 'soften and disperse nodules,' like grinding a stone, gradually dissolving the swelling. At the same time, we also need to nourish her liver and kidneys..."

“We all know that the liver and kidneys are the source of ‘ministerial fire’. The endocrine system is most closely related to these two organs. When the liver and kidney qi is replenished and the Shaoyang meridian is unblocked, it will be less likely for new lumps to form.”

He paused, then emphasized:
"The most crucial point is that we must not lose sight of the root of 'supporting Yang' throughout the entire process. Even in the third step, the dosage of aconite and dried ginger must be gradually reduced. We cannot stop abruptly. It's like warming a fire in winter. When the weather gets warmer, we can add less firewood, but we cannot remove the stove directly. Otherwise, when the cold air returns, the ice will still form."

"As for preventing recurrence? Ultimately, it's about letting the body guard itself. When the body's defensive energy is strong and the yang energy is sufficient, there's nowhere for phlegm, dampness, and blood stasis to accumulate, so it naturally won't recur. It's like a perfectly good house with tight doors and windows, a warm interior, so mold and bacteria won't grow in the corners."

After listening, everyone had different expressions. Lin Wenfeng, who was standing to the side, said:
"Are you saying that the key to treating lumps is not 'eliminating' them, but changing the environment?"

“Yes.” Fang Yan nodded and said to Lin Wenfeng:
“If the soil isn’t changed, simply pulling weeds won’t help. Her body is like a cold, damp, saline-alkali land; it needs to be transformed into fertile soil before weeds can grow.”

"If it's this disease, you have to proceed cautiously step by step; rushing things will only make things worse."

Does this make sense?
Makes sense!
But I still feel that dialects hold hidden meanings.

Although the dialect lists the basic prescription, it does not reveal the specific proportions of the ingredients.

It mentions that "peach kernel and safflower" can be added later to promote blood circulation, but deliberately avoids mentioning guiding herbs and synergistic combinations. It also does not disclose the specific proportions of key herbs in the "warming the kidneys and replenishing essence" stage, such as tortoise shell glue and prepared rehmannia root, in combination with aconite to prevent greasiness.

What people are looking forward to is a reusable operating manual, not a framework guide.

This left many people feeling frustrated, as they "knew what happened but not why it happened."

The dialect sounds like it didn't say anything at all, it's just as if it were spoken!

But everyone knows he's like this, yet there's nothing they can do about it.

They did say it, and they went to great lengths, considering they're not in a master-disciple relationship. It's already quite generous of them to go to such lengths.

You can't just feed everything to someone, can you?
Jin Wubing, who only half-understood the dialect, gave it a thumbs up and said:
"Dr. Fang is very articulate and willing to share with everyone. He is truly selfless!"

He scratched his head:

"I don't have much to tell you, I'm really sorry..."

Fang Yan said with a smile:

"You've helped me enough."

Jin Wubing knew that the dialect was referring to his previous argument with He Jingwei, and he said with a smile:

"Sigh, that's what I should do..."

After Li Zhengji had arranged the medicine preparation and hospitalization, he came over and asked Fang Yan:

"That patient needs to be monitored throughout the entire process, what do you think..."

Fang Yan knew that Li Zhengji wanted to participate in the entire treatment process. This was a rare illness, and if he could be cured, it would be a very valuable experience for him. So Fang Yan said to him:
"You go to the inpatient department and keep an eye on things the whole time. As for the patients who are scheduled for you, let Xie Chunrong take care of them."

Li Zhengji nodded, and then handed over the reins to Xie Chunrong, who had returned.

Then I went to the inpatient building.

Fang Yan said to Chen Wenwei beside him:
"I need to go and report to the dean. You can take everyone to the office for tea now."

Then he said to Zhao Qingkai:
"Qingkai, please keep an eye on this place. If I'm not back soon and something comes up, just call the dean's office."

The two agreed, and Chen Wenwei addressed the crowd:

"Everyone, please follow me."

Chen Mike, who had insisted on drinking tea all afternoon yesterday, directly refused:
"I won't go for tea, Dr. Fang, you're busy..."

The Lin siblings also said:
"We also have some things to take care of, so we won't have any tea."

Fang Yan smiled and said, "Then let's listen to everyone."

At this moment, He Jingwei said to Fang Yan:

"I don't know when I'll be free. I have something to tell you."

Pretending to be surprised in dialect:

"Oh? Is there something you need, Uncle? If it's convenient, let's talk here."

Others also perked up their ears, and then He Jingwei said:

"It's just a family matter, so it's not convenient to talk about it here."

Fang Yan said with a smile:

"Oh, I might not be available then. How about another day?"

"..." He Jingwei was speechless.

He suppressed his temper and said:

"We are very sincere."

After saying this, he continued:
"Okay, you go ahead and do your work. We'll wait for you here. You need to eat lunch, right? Can we chat for a bit during lunch?"

Fang Yan glanced at him, and seeing that the other party was determined to persist, he nodded and said:

"Oh well!"

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words is now complete. There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)