Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1312 Impurities Blocking Meridians: Western Medicine Finds No Abnormalities, But Truly Can't Detect Them? (Combined Chapter)
Zhu Lin nodded and said:
"Hopefully, when they arrive tomorrow, they'll be able to figure things out!"

Then she asked:
"Should we tell Director Liao? This matter sounds a bit risky."

He said in dialect:

"No need. We'll watch it at home tomorrow. Even if we don't find anything out, we won't make a big fuss. Besides, Chen Mengwan brought her here. Her father and she both work at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. They must have given us some advance notice about things that need to be discussed."

Upon hearing Fang Yan say this, Zhu Lin nodded.

Time flew by and it was noon the next day. After class, Fang Yan went home for lunch.

Chu Qiaonan also returned with him. His father's connections had been established, and the shell company in Hong Kong, along with the skin-changing drugs, had begun shipping to Taiwan.

I came back with you today mainly to discuss advertising with Lao Hu.

In Taiwan, if you want to increase sales volume, you need to advertise, but the advertisements need to be redesigned, and even the style needs to be completely changed.

Everything should be approached with caution and prudence.

They started discussing it at the lunch table.

They ate and discussed things at the same time, so the meal took quite a while. By the time Fang Yan and the others came to a conclusion, everyone else had already finished eating, and then Chen Mengwan arrived with her cousin's family.

When the courtyard gate was pushed open, Fang Yan was eating the last bit of food in his bowl with Chu Qiaonan and Lao Hu when he looked up and saw Chen Mengwan leading a group of people in.

At the front was a slightly worn wheelchair, which didn't look like it was made in China. Sitting in the wheelchair was a girl in her early twenties with short, frizzy hair. Her complexion was sallow and her lips were pale. Her hands were resting lightly on her knees, and her eyes were timid. When she looked over, she subconsciously shrank behind Chen Mengwan. Her mental state was indeed as Chen Mengwan had described, something was wrong.

The young man pushing the wheelchair was very thin, with narrow shoulders. His faded blue cotton jacket swayed on his body, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. He must have been pushing the wheelchair quickly. He spoke with a distinct Tianjin accent and a loud voice. He looked around and exclaimed, "This must be Director Fang's house. It's really big!"

The middle-aged couple following behind him looked slightly older than Chen Mengwan's parents. The man was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit with frayed cuffs and was clutching a canvas bag tightly in his hand. The woman was wearing a floral shirt with her hair tied up with a hairnet. She had obvious fine lines around her eyes and her gaze was fixed on the girl in the wheelchair. After entering, she nervously reached out to help the girl straighten her collar.

Fang Yan stopped eating and quickly got up to greet them. Zhu Lin, heavily pregnant, also came to the door.

"Director Fang, Sister Linlin, this is my cousin Chen Fang, her brother Chen Lei, and her parents." Chen Mengwan quickly stepped forward to introduce them, then turned to the Chen family and said:

"Uncle, Aunt, this is Director Fang, whom I told you about, and his wife, Comrade Zhu Lin."

"Hello, Comrade Fang! Hello, Comrade Zhu!" The patient's father greeted Fang Yan and Zhu Lin first, then said:

"Director Fang, I have long admired your name. I feel really bad for troubling you to wait at home."

Fang Yan waved his hand, inviting them:
"Don't say that, the sun is scorching outside, let's go into the study and sit down!"

While Lao Hu and Chu Qiaonan were still eating in the main hall, Fang Yan led them to the study to see a doctor.

Seeing the situation in Fang Yan's main hall, the group realized that Fang Yan hadn't even finished lunch yet, and they immediately felt a little embarrassed.

"Director Fang, why don't you go and eat first? We can wait!" Chen Mengwan said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan waved his hand and said:
"I've finished eating."

Then he shouted to Sofia, who was standing nearby:
"Sophia, make some tea!"

“Okay!” Sophia nodded in agreement.

The Chen family was already somewhat surprised to see two foreigners in Fang Yan's house, and they were even more puzzled when they heard that Fang Yan had arranged for a foreign girl to make tea for them.

What's going on?

Fang Yan seemed to understand their confusion and said:

“They are all my apprentices, learning from me.”

Hearing Fang Yan's words, the Chen family members' doubts did not lessen; they exchanged bewildered glances. Fang Yan, too lazy to explain, said to them:

"Come inside, let's talk about Comrade Chen Fang's situation first."

The group nodded and quickly followed Fang Yan into his study.

The spacious study once again amazed them; the place was truly enormous.

It was only after Fang Yan reminded them again that they realized what was happening. Chen Fang's mother said to Fang Yan:

"Director Fang, look at Fangfang's legs. She hasn't felt anything since the end of April, and they're even spreading to her thighs. Doctors in Tianjin can't find anything wrong, and some even say it's psychological, but the muscles have shrunk. How can it be psychological?" As she spoke, she tried to lift up Fangfang's trouser leg to show Fang Yan her shrunken calves.

Fang Yan waved his hand and said to her:
"Don't rush, let Comrade Chen Fang explain her situation herself." Fang Yan turned to look at Chen Fang in her wheelchair and said to her:
“I learned some things from your cousin yesterday, but it would be best if you told me yourself.”

Whether it's traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, relatives often miss key information or make subjective interpretations when speaking on behalf of others, so it's necessary to let her speak the dialect herself.

At the same time, dialects can also be used to observe the patient's physical and mental state. From language expression and emotional state, it can help determine whether "impure qi obstructing the meridians" is accompanied by emotional factors causing illness.

Hearing the dialect, Chen Fang became a little nervous. She opened her mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, with a slight Tianjin accent:
"At the end of April... I went to the warehouse to inventory the parts. As soon as I opened the door, I smelled a strong odor of gasoline, so strong it made my nose hurt. I was thinking of finishing quickly and leaving as soon as possible, but after taking only a few steps, I felt dizzy, my vision went black, and then I knew nothing more..."

Fang Yan frowned and asked:
Could you elaborate?

Chen Fang thought for a moment before saying:

"The warehouse door was ajar that day. When I pushed it, I felt something was wrong. Usually, it takes some effort to open that door, but that day it opened easily. As soon as I stepped inside, the smell of gasoline hit my nose like it had been splashed. It wasn't the faint smell that usually lingers on the machines; it was pungent, and it made my eyes water immediately."

She raised her hand to rub her nose, as if she could still smell the odor, her eyes filled with lingering fear.
"I wanted to leave, but I was still holding the inventory book, thinking I should quickly finish counting the box of parts at the back of the shelf and leave. But after taking only three steps inside, my head started to feel heavy, like it was wrapped in a wet cotton ball, and my ears were ringing. My colleague called my name at the door, and I wanted to answer, but I couldn't open my mouth. Then everything went black, like the lights were turned off, and when I woke up, I was on a hard bed in the infirmary."

She paused, her expression somewhat dazed, as if recalling that painful experience.

Fang Yan didn't urge her, waiting for her to continue recalling the details.

Chen Fang said:

"I don't remember the details very clearly. What I remember most vividly is when I woke up. I found myself in the factory clinic. My colleagues said I had been unconscious for a while and was only discovered by others. They asked me how I was feeling. At that time, I felt numbness in my left leg, like it had been pressed down after squatting for a long time. I thought it would be fine after resting for a while and didn't think much of it. But by evening, my calf was still numb, I couldn't feel it when I touched it, and I couldn't move my toes..."

At this point, her voice trembled with tears, which streamed down her face: "Later, my parents rushed me to a hospital in Tianjin. They did a CT scan, an electromyography, and even a lumbar puncture, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me."

"I pinched my calf with my hand, but I couldn't feel anything. My toes wanted to move, but it felt like they were tied up with ropes, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't move. The doctor at the infirmary said I fainted due to lack of oxygen and told me to rest for a while. But after resting all afternoon, my leg was still numb. When I got home and lay in bed at night, my left leg was ice cold. Even with two blankets, it wouldn't warm up. My mom applied a hot towel, but I still couldn't feel anything..."

"I was hospitalized for four months, taking vitamin B1 and B12 every day, as well as some nerve medication, but it didn't help at all. Later, my legs became increasingly numb, and it slowly spread to my thighs. Now I can barely feel my groin..."

She wiped away her tears and continued, "Now my left leg is a whole size thinner than my right, and it feels ice-cold to the touch. Even with two blankets, it's not warm enough. I keep waking up at night, and when I do, my heart races, and I break out in a cold sweat; my pillow gets soaked. The smell of cooking oil or gasoline makes my chest feel tight and I can't breathe. Last time my mom was cooking, I almost fainted again..."

"I have no appetite. I can only eat half a bowl of rice per meal, and I can't swallow any vegetables. I always feel bloated."

"Here, wipe your tears!" Fang Yan handed over a clean handkerchief. After Chen Fang wiped away her tears, he softened his tone and continued to ask, "Besides these, have there been any changes in your menstrual cycle? For example, the cycle, the amount, the color—are they different from before?"

Chen Fang clutched her handkerchief, her eyes looking somewhat uneasy. She said softly, "...Yes. These past few months, my periods have been delayed, sometimes by ten days, sometimes by twenty. The flow is also lighter than before. Before, it would last five or six days, but now it's only two or three days. The color is also dark, and sometimes there are small blood clots..." She paused, then added, "When it comes, my stomach hurts too. It's not the mild, dragging pain I used to have; it's a twisting pain. Drinking brown sugar water doesn't help."

"Do you often feel thirsty? Do you want to drink water?" Fang Yan asked again.

"My mouth is dry, and it always tastes bitter. I don't want to drink water, and even if I do, my stomach feels bloated, as if the water just sits in my stomach." Chen Fang nodded, her eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment. "Sometimes I also feel a strange taste in my mouth. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's different from the smell of gasoline, but it doesn't smell good either."

"How about your bowel movements? Are they regular? Are they formed?"

“It’s irregular. Sometimes it’s once every three or four days, sometimes twice a day. And my stool isn’t formed. It sticks to the toilet and I can’t flush it clean.” Chen Fang’s voice grew softer and softer, as if she was talking about something embarrassing. “My mom said I have internal heat and told me to eat more vegetables, but it doesn’t help.”

Fang Yan's mind raced through these details when, at that moment, a patient's family member handed her the examination report:
"Director Fang, these are the CT scan, electromyography report, and lumbar puncture results from Tianjin. Could you please take a look? The doctors all said there's nothing wrong, but my child's leg..."

It was Chen Fang's father who spoke.

Fang Yan took the canvas bag, took out the CT scan, and held it up to the window of the study. Sunlight shone through the film, and the lumbar vertebrae were clearly visible, with no signs of protrusion or nerve compression. The soft tissues of the lower limbs also showed no obvious abnormalities. Just as the Chen family had said, the Western medical examination did not find any organic lesions.

He then pulled out the electromyography report, which clearly stated that "there was no significant difference in nerve conduction velocity between the two lower limbs, and no neurogenic or myogenic damage was observed." Even the lumbar puncture report indicated that "cerebrospinal fluid pressure was normal and biochemical indicators were normal."

“Just because the Western medicine examination shows no problems doesn’t mean that the TCM diagnosis is correct,” Fang Yan said, putting down the report.

Then he said to Chen Fang:

"Come on, give me your left hand, and stick your tongue out so I can see it!"

Chen Fang obediently did as instructed. Her tongue was covered with a thick, greasy white coating, which looked particularly thick. It was a rare sight in the dialect. It was similar to the state of a child's tongue after secretly eating dried milk powder that hadn't yet dissolved. Moreover, there was a faint bluish-purple tinge on the tip of her tongue.

The white, greasy tongue coating is a clear indication of spleen deficiency and dampness, while the bluish-purple tip of the tongue is a signal of meridian obstruction and poor blood circulation.

At this moment, Sophia brought in the tea. Fang Yan invited them to drink the tea while continuing to check Chen Fang's pulse and asking her questions.

"Comrade Chen Fang, feel these legs yourself," Fang Yan said, looking at her left leg.
"Besides feeling numb, do you also feel extremely cold? When you touch it, your hand feels icy?"

Chen Fang nodded timidly, her voice soft:
"It was...extremely cold, frighteningly cold. Even when my family covered me with a blanket in the middle of summer, I couldn't feel any warmth on my legs; it felt like there was a block of ice inside."

Chen Fang's mother, who was holding a cup of tea nearby, also quickly chimed in:

"Yes! Director Fang, I always say that her legs are never warm. Even in the middle of summer, we have to cover her legs with a thick quilt at night, and she still says that she feels cold from the inside out!"

Fang Yan nodded slightly, confirming his suspicions. He continued to press further:
"Hmm. You just said that the smell of cooking oil or gasoline makes you feel anxious and short of breath, like you're about to faint. When is this feeling most intense? Is it when you're working during the day, or when you lie down at night and can't sleep?"

Chen Fang recalled:
"At night... especially when it's time to sleep, lying in bed with the lights off, that feeling is particularly strong. During the day, when I'm busy doing something and trying to distract myself, if I suddenly smell cooking or the smell of gasoline from a passing car, I immediately feel like a stone is stuck in my chest, my heart is pounding as if it's going to jump out of my throat, I can't take a deep breath, and my vision blurs. It's even worse at night; sometimes I'm so scared that I don't dare close my eyes, always feeling like it's going to happen again like in the warehouse..."

Fang Yan then asked:
"In the past few months, besides irregular periods, light and dark flow with clots, and cramping pain in your abdomen, have you experienced any other discomfort? For example, in your lower abdomen or lower back?"

He gestured with his hands to indicate the location of his lower abdomen and waist. A blush of embarrassment rose on Chen Fang's pale face, and her voice became even softer:

"My lower back always aches, like I can't straighten up. My lower abdomen also... feels like it's constantly dropping and hurting, like something is about to fall down. Warming it with something hot helps a little. I'm afraid of the cold, but it feels like there's a fire inside me, making me feel restless. My mouth is bitter and my throat is very dry."

By this point, Fang Yan's understanding of the core symptoms of the illness had gradually become clear.

He released his left hand and said to Chen Fang, "Okay, I understand. Now switch to your right hand."

Then I switched to my right hand to continue taking the pulse.

On my right wrist, the pulse was slightly clearer than on my left, but it was still thin and weak, like a cotton thread wrapped in wet mud. Each pulse was accompanied by a feeling of stagnation. If I pressed hard, the pulse was so weak that I could hardly feel it. This was a sign that my qi and blood were so deficient that even the qi in my meridians could not support a normal pulse.

He carefully felt the pulse for a moment and could still detect a slight stringiness in it. It was not the tight stringiness of liver stagnation, but a slow stringiness of dampness and turbidity obstructing the flow of qi and blood, which corresponded exactly to the symptoms of lower abdominal pain and backache that Chen Fang had described.

"Alright, that's enough." Fang Yan withdrew her hand, her mental analysis now completely settled.

"Director Fang, how is it? Have you figured out the problem yet?" Chen Mengwan asked Fang Yan impatiently.

At this moment, Lao Hu and Chu Qiaonan also came in.

They all came to see the dialect and then to treat patients.

Fang Yan said to Chen Mengwan:
"Don't get agitated. Your cousin's legs are numb and her muscles are atrophied. It's not that her bones or tendons are injured, nor is it a nerve rupture that Western medical instruments can detect. In our traditional Chinese medicine view, the root of the problem lies in the qi and blood inside her body."

He walked to Chen Fang's side, bent down again, and this time gently pressed his palm directly onto her atrophied calf above her left knee. The sensation was that it was cold and stiff.

He spoke as he felt the unusual chill, as if explaining to the patient's family, and also organizing his own thoughts:

"That sudden, strong smell of gasoline is called 'turbid qi' in traditional Chinese medicine. This turbid qi rushes in suddenly, like pouring a layer of cold, thick, sticky oil on the important meridian channels in your body, instantly sealing them off! Especially the channels that control the qi and blood in your legs and feet, they are completely blocked. The qi can't get through, and the blood can't flow either."

"That's amazing?" Chen Lei exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Mengwan was equally surprised.

She also said:

"A single burst of energy, and it has such destructive power?"

"This is caused by external harmful substances or abnormal environmental stimuli, which trigger bodily dysfunction. Modern instruments are unable to detect clear organic lesions. This is the essence of 'turbid qi' in traditional Chinese medicine."

"It does not refer to a specific type of 'gas,' but is a general term for all 'external harmful substances or abnormal stimuli' that can interfere with the body's normal physiological functions, such as strong chemical odors, gasoline, paint, pesticides, mold in humid environments, dust particles in polluted air, and even overly greasy or spoiled food in the diet."

"These 'filth' will not directly cause infection like bacteria and viruses, but they can enter the body through 'inhalation through the mouth and nose' and 'skin contact,' interfering with the balance of 'qi and blood circulation' in the meridians, and thus causing various discomforts."

People of their generation don't feel it as deeply. In the past, some people moved into newly renovated houses and experienced long-term dizziness, fatigue, numbness in their hands and feet, and even memory loss and sleep disorders. However, when they went to the hospital for CT scans, electromyography, and blood tests, the results were all "normal".

People who are exposed to volatile chemicals for long periods of time, such as gas station workers and painters, may experience "chronic limb sensory abnormalities" such as cold hands and feet, tingling, and numbness. Western medicine may diagnose this as "peripheral nerve dysfunction," but no clear evidence of nerve damage can be found.

This perfectly aligns with the traditional Chinese medicine concept of "turbid qi obstructing the meridians." The "turbid evil" of chemical substances interferes with nerve signal transmission and blood circulation, resulting in insufficient "nourishment" of local tissues and causing sensory abnormalities. However, this interference is "functional" rather than "organic damage," so it cannot be detected by instruments.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and explained:

"What is Qi? Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Qi is the driving force that propels blood flow and warms the body. What is blood? It is the energy source that nourishes the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. If Qi and blood cannot reach your legs and feet, it's like the downstream of a river has completely dried up. The crops in the fields cannot be irrigated and nourished, so they will wither and shrink. Therefore, your legs will feel numb, cold as ice, and you will become thinner day by day. If this feeling spreads upwards to the thighs, it means that the 'sticky, oily,' turbid, cold, and congealed Qi has not been dissipated, but instead has a tendency to stagnate and spread."

“Not only that,” Fang Yan’s gaze shifted to Chen Fang’s pale, haggard face and her eyes, which were filled with fear, exhaustion, and a sense of dazedness, “this turbid qi not only blocked the lower body, but also disrupted the qi, blood, yin, and yang of the upper body and the whole body. The heart governs the mind, and when the qi and blood channels are disrupted by the cold and turbid qi, the mind cannot be at peace, which is why you feel anxious and have trouble sleeping at night; the liver and kidneys store essence, and when qi and blood are blocked for a long time, it will affect the liver and kidneys, causing imbalance in the Chong and Ren meridians, which is why you have menstrual disorders, and your lower back and knees feel weak and droopy; as for not wanting to drink water, feeling bloated after drinking, and having sticky, unformed stools, this is because the cold and turbid qi blocking the channels has damaged the spleen yang, affecting its function of transporting and transforming water and dampness.”

He concluded, "This illness isn't a bone problem, nor a nerve problem, and certainly not some 'self-invented' neurosis. It's caused by the invasion and stagnation of cold, dampness, and turbidity—these yin and cold elements—which have blocked the meridian channels and depleted your body's yang energy! It's normal that Western medical instruments can't detect it, but this is exactly the 'syndrome' that we in traditional Chinese medicine diagnose!"

"Therefore, the root cause of this disease is 'impure and turbid substances obstructing the meridians,' which is also accompanied by 'spleen deficiency and dampness' and 'liver and kidney deficiency.'"

"The foul smell of gasoline enters the body through the mouth and nose, and if it is not expelled, it gets stuck in the meridians of the lower limbs, preventing the flow of qi and blood to the legs, so the legs become numb, cold, and lack sensation; over time, the qi and blood cannot nourish the muscles, so they slowly atrophy; dampness and turbidity trap the spleen, and the spleen cannot transform water and dampness, so you have a dry mouth and don't want to drink, a bloated stomach, and sticky stools; if the qi and blood are deficient for a long time, the liver and kidneys will also become weak. The liver governs the tendons and the kidneys govern the bones. When the liver and kidneys are deficient, the lower back will ache, the legs will be weak, and menstruation will become irregular."

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

(End of this chapter)