Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1143 Traditional Chinese Medicine Understanding of Demyelination of the Central Nervous System (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"What exactly is this 'shedding syndrome'?" Jin Wubing asked Chen Mike, who was standing next to him, after hearing about the severity of the situation.

He knew that Chen Mike had studied Western medicine for a long time, so he might know something.

Mike Chen opened his mouth, then spread his hands and said:
"Western medicine has a particularly complex system when it comes to the brain, and I haven't studied it much."

Seeing that Chen Mike didn't know, Jin Wubing turned to Fang Yan and asked:
"Brother Fang, do you know?"

He said in dialect:

"It's a bit complicated to explain. Simply put, what Western medicine calls demyelinating disease is a problem with the 'protective sheath' on the outside of the nerve."

"You can think of nerves as electrical wires, and the outer insulating layer is called the 'myelin sheath.' Its function is similar to that of electrical wire insulation, allowing nerve signals to be transmitted quickly and accurately."

"But if this 'myelin sheath' is damaged or lost, nerve signals cannot be transmitted properly, just like a broken wire insulation will leak electricity and the signal will be interrupted. As a result, the body will have various problems, such as numbness in the hands and feet, weakness, blurred vision, or unsteady walking."

Upon hearing Fang Yan's explanation, Jin Wubing looked enlightened, while the six people from Guangzhou looked at Fang Yan with some surprise. They probably didn't expect that Fang Yan would know about Western medicine.

However, after listening to his down-to-earth explanation, some people even had doubts about whether the dialect he was speaking was correct or not.

At this moment, Fang Yan continued:
“Demesis is roughly divided into two types: one affects the brain and spinal cord, which is called central nervous system demyelinating disease; the other affects the peripheral nerves in the arms and legs, which is called peripheral nervous system demyelinating disease.”

"She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at another hospital. This is a relatively common type of central nervous system disease. According to foreign statistics, it is more common in women aged 20 to 40."

"The characteristic is that the illness recurs frequently, and each time it affects different parts of the body. This time it might be numbness in the arm, and next time it might be blurred vision, gradually getting worse. Common symptoms include numbness in the hands and feet, weakness, decreased vision, eye inflammation, double vision, unsteady gait, and memory loss."

Upon hearing the explanation in dialect, some people looked enlightened, while others looked skeptical.

Those guys from Guangzhou, not only are they so skilled in traditional Chinese medicine, but they also know about Western medicine. How much energy do they have to do so much?
Now they suspect that the dialect was used to shoot arrows first and then draw scars, but no one here knows, right?

But just then, the patient's husband said to Fang Yan:

“My wife is forty years old this year. She was unlucky and ended up catching the last train. Other doctors gave similar explanations to Dr. Fang, but none were as simple and clear as he said.”

Upon hearing this, Jin Wubing said:

"Some professionals like to explain things in a way that laypeople can't understand, in order to highlight their expertise. But true masters can simplify complex things so that ordinary people can understand them."

Jin Wubing is always thinking about how to flatter someone.

Even if he were the only one here today, he would still cheer loudly for Fang Yan.

At this moment, Li Hui also spoke to Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, you know so much."

Dialectal wave:
"No, I just know about these diseases from reading a lot of foreign journals."

Lin Xueling asked Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, what does the journal say causes this disease?"

He said in dialect:

"There are many reasons. Some are due to personal factors, such as genetics, for example, if an elder in the family has this problem. Others are due to the environment, such as infection with viruses or bacteria, carbon monoxide poisoning, or some chemotherapy drugs, which can directly damage the structure here."

Mike Chen, who was standing nearby, asked:
"The treatment method should have been mentioned in the journal, right?"

He said in dialect:

"Yes, as mentioned before, the current Western medical treatment for multiple sclerosis involves long-term use of immunomodulators to reduce the frequency of relapses, slow progression, and prevent blindness and paralysis." Hearing the dialect-accented answer, the patient's family member exclaimed in surprise:

"so serious?"

He asked:

Is there no cure?

This thing is indeed incurable, but he couldn't say that in front of the patient and their family, so he said:

"The journal article was written in a rather simple way and did not list any cases of cures, but I guess there are indeed cases of cures."

At this moment, Li Hui asked Fang Yan:

"So, how would this disease be considered a problem in Traditional Chinese Medicine?"

When Fang Yan was explaining, he was actually analyzing this problem while multitasking.

Western medicine must have discovered this relatively late. The corresponding theories in traditional Chinese medicine would have to be traced back further. He quickly scanned through various ancient books and classics in his mind, trying to find a completely corresponding one, but finding one was always somewhat difficult.

Since there are no matching symptoms for all of them, we can only find some that match, or break down the symptoms into their components.

After a moment of contemplation, the crowd pinched their brows before speaking:

“There is actually no such term as demyelination in traditional Chinese medicine. It is difficult to completely match the contents recorded in ancient books. However, judging from the symptoms, it is more like a combination of problems such as ‘atrophy,’ ‘bi syndrome,’ and ‘blurred vision.’ Therefore, I believe it is still closely related to ‘qi and blood,’ ‘meridians,’ and ‘liver and kidneys.’”

Upon hearing the dialect expression, everyone showed thoughtful expressions.

This involves breaking down the problem, finding commonalities among the symptoms, and then connecting them together.

In other words, there are no ancient books that can be used as a reference.

He quickly sketched a simple human figure on his notebook, then looked at everyone and explained further:
"From my understanding, the 'myelin sheath' outside the nerve is like the 'fascia' wrapped around the tendons and bones. Traditional Chinese medicine says that 'the liver governs the tendons and the kidneys govern the bones.' If the liver and kidneys are insufficient, the fascia will not be nourished, just like the bark of an old tree slowly withers and cracks. This is the 'root cause'. As for qi and blood, they are like the fluids that nourish the fascia. If qi and blood are not flowing smoothly, the meridians will be blocked, and the fascia will not be nourished, so it will be easily damaged. This is the 'symptom'."

“Take numbness and weakness in the hands and feet, which are common symptoms of multiple sclerosis, for example. This is a type of arthralgia caused by insufficient blood and qi reaching the extremities. Decreased vision and blurred vision are caused by ‘insufficient liver blood and lack of nourishment for the eyes.’ As for unsteady walking and poor balance, these are mostly due to deficiency of kidney essence and insufficient marrow. These symptoms are scattered in different diseases, but at their root, they are often a case of deficiency in the root and excess in the branch. That is, the root deficiency lies in the qi and blood of the liver and kidneys, while the branch excess lies in phlegm and blood stasis blocking the meridians.”

He paused, then looked at the patient's family and added:

"For example, emotional fluctuations, catching a cold, and overwork are all triggers in traditional Chinese medicine. They can make the Qi and blood more disordered and the meridians more blocked. It's like an electrical wire that's about to break; if it gets windy and rainy, it's more likely to break down."

"Therefore, I believe that in terms of conditioning, we should not only nourish the liver and kidneys and replenish qi and blood to build a good foundation for the fascia, but also clear the meridians and resolve phlegm and blood stasis so that qi and blood can smoothly 'moisten' to where they should go."

The patient's family members seemed to understand but not quite.

At this moment, Li Hui asked thoughtfully:

"Isn't that similar to the treatment approach for a stroke?"

Shaking his head in dialect:

"They are different. Stroke is mostly caused by disordered qi and blood and obstructed cerebral blood vessels. The onset of the disease is relatively rapid. This disease is more like a slow knife cutting flesh. The deficiency is more severe. It needs to be replenished slowly and unblocked gradually. It's like watering parched land. You can't pour it in all at once. You have to let the water flow slowly and steadily."

He concluded by saying:
"Ultimately, what we in traditional Chinese medicine are looking at is not the 'myelin sheath' itself, but rather what deviations have occurred in the body's overall flow of qi and blood, and the functions of the internal organs after the myelin sheath has malfunctioned. Once we find the deviations and adjust the path accordingly, the body can gradually repair itself."

P.S.: That's all for today. On a side note, my mother was almost tricked into a pyramid scheme by my uncle these past few days. We found out in time, but we're still having conflicts at home. We told her about the scheme, and she thinks we're trying to harm her. We can't reason with her; she says we have a bad attitude and tone. This has happened several times, and we had another big fight at lunch today... Ugh, it's making me so angry. I've prescribed some medicine and am taking it myself. I'm not feeling well, so I'll be back early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)