Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1374, "The Great Treatise on the Six Elements and the Correct Principles of the Plain Questions," on the Revival of the Divine Elixir (two chapters combined).
Sure enough, someone was stirring up trouble inside. Fang Yan said, "How could one person say they'd donate a building, and the second person also say they'd donate a building? Even if they were really that rich, they wouldn't all make the same choice."

What exactly is Wang Zhenlin up to by doing this?
“We’ve never had this rule here, and this Mr. Wang has nothing to do with me. Don’t believe the rumors,” Fang Yan said to the patient’s family.

The smiles on the faces of the patients' family members froze instantly. They looked at each other, and the oldest one even frowned.
"Mr. Wang said... that you are the best traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Beijing, and that you have cured many difficult and complicated diseases. There was a Mr. Zhou who donated things before he was able to get an appointment and receive treatment. He also said that you don't like to be ostentatious, so this kind of gesture needs to be expressed in advance, otherwise you might not have time to attend to it..."

The patient's wife quickly added:
“We didn’t think much of it at first, we were just worried that my husband’s illness would drag on for too long, and Mr. Wang was very certain that this was the industry standard…”

He frowned as he listened to the dialect.

Wang Zhenlin's move was quite underhanded. On one hand, he brainwashed the patient's family by asking them to "donate things," making them believe that "the disease won't be cured if they don't donate," while on the other hand, he distanced himself completely, claiming that he was just "kindly relaying a message." If he actually accepted the donation, he would be confirmed as someone who "accepts the house for treatment." If he didn't accept the donation, the family might think that he was "disliking and unwilling to treat the patient." He was caught in the middle, unable to please either side.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and then explained to the family in a gentle tone: "Don't panic, and don't believe Mr. Wang's words. When I treat patients here, I only consider the urgency of the illness and the patient's cooperation. There has never been a rule that requires donations to get treatment. Mr. Zhou's donation of equipment to the hospital was his own initiative to help more people get medical treatment, which had nothing to do with the treatment itself. As for your family's illness, as long as you are willing to cooperate, I will definitely do my best to treat it, and it has nothing to do with anything else."

As he spoke, he pointed to Mr. Fei's tense body:
"The most important thing now is to help Mr. Fei detoxify and then find a way to wake him up. Don't waste your time on useless things. If you trust me, do as I say. Starting tomorrow, we'll do enemas and nebulizer treatments, and then I'll prescribe Chinese medicine for nasal feeding. If you don't trust me, you can find other doctors. There's no need to be led by what others say."

The family members finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the oldest family member quickly waved his hand:

"We believe you! We definitely believe you! We were foolish, we listened to outsiders and made wild guesses, please don't take it to heart. We're entrusting our husband to you now, whatever you say you want to do, we'll do without hesitation!"

The patient's wife nodded in agreement: "We were so anxious before. As long as we can wake him up, we are willing to cooperate with anything and will never mention any other nonsense again."

Fang Yan picked up a pen and began writing the doctor's orders:

"Okay, I'll prescribe an enema and nasogastric feeding now. The nurse will coordinate with you on the admission process. We'll get the bowels cleared up a little later, and then I'll go to the ward to treat him."

After speaking in dialect, he began writing down the prescription.

The herbs used in the dialect are raw rhubarb, immature bitter orange peel, lily bulb, talc, poria cocos, calamus, polygala tenuifolia, anemarrhena asphodeloides, rehmannia glutinosa, bamboo leaves, and licorice.

The core idea of ​​the prescription is "first clear, then cleanse, then replenish": first use raw rhubarb and immature bitter orange to clear the intestines and detoxify, then use acorus tatarinowii and polygala tenuifolia to open the orifices and clear the mind, and finally use anemarrhena asphodeloides and rehmannia glutinosa to nourish yin and replenish body fluids. This not only solves the acute condition of "toxin blockage", but also avoids further depletion of body fluids caused by "only attacking without replenishing", while using diuretics to assist the kidneys in detoxification.

After writing it down in a short while, I handed it to the nurse next to me, asking her to take the patient and his family to complete the admission procedures. At the same time, I prepared the medicine and fed it to Mr. Fei via nasogastric tube.

After settling things here, Fang Yan went outside and said to the remaining three people:

"Please wait a moment, I'll make a phone call and be back in a few minutes."

The remaining three patients and their families had no objections and agreed to let Fang Yan make the call. There was already a telephone installed upstairs, which was used for emergency communications. Fang Yan directly called Director Liao first.

The call went straight to the point as soon as it connected: "Director Liao, Wang Zhenlin is stirring up trouble. The second patient's family member just said that he was the one who instigated the donation of supplies for treatment, and he even spread rumors that Mr. Zhou was cured because of donated equipment. This is clearly an attempt to accuse me of accepting gifts for treatment."

Director Liao on the other end of the line was silent for two seconds, then his tone suddenly turned serious: "This person is definitely up to no good! I just received preliminary feedback from the Tianjin Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, saying that more than forty years ago there was indeed a young man named Wang Zhenlin who followed itinerant doctors, but few people remember him practicing medicine properly. On the contrary, some people mentioned that he often dealt with some Japanese merchants back then. As for the matter of him collaborating with the Japanese and opening a clinic in the Japanese-occupied area, we are still trying to verify it with the older generation."

"And there's also that John. There's news from Tianjin that there was indeed an American businessman named John around 1953 who mainly dealt in the import and export of medical equipment. As for whether he was related to Wang Zhenlin, we don't know," Director Liao added.

“We will investigate his background as soon as possible. Otherwise, it’s a small matter if it affects the diagnosis and treatment, but if he gets access to the core prescriptions by using his status as a Chinese medicine practitioner from overseas, it will be a big problem.”

"Don't worry too much about his side. I've already had Gao Han send more people to keep an eye on him. He didn't go to the hospital today; he went to the Summer Palace with other overseas Chinese businessmen. They're following him everywhere he goes." Director Liao's voice was confident. "Also, I'll let them know and have someone remind the other overseas Chinese businessmen not to easily believe Wang Zhenlin's words, lest anyone else be misled by him. For now, keep the treatment stable and don't let his little tricks disrupt the process. I'll let you know as soon as there's any new information."

“Okay!” Fang Yan agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Fang Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his vigilance. Wang Zhenlin's true colors had been revealed. Now he just had to wait for the investigation results. No matter what this kid was up to, he definitely had no good intentions.

Fang Yan rubbed his temples, turned around and walked towards the examination room. Just as he reached the door, he heard low voices coming from inside. It was the remaining patients' family members discussing what had just happened.

Upon seeing Fang Yan enter, the family members immediately stopped talking. One of the middle-aged men spoke up, "Dr. Fang, we just heard that Mr. Wang is actually not familiar with you, right?" Fang Yan paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "That's right, I'm not familiar with him at all, and you shouldn't believe what he says."

"Hey, I knew it! This guy struck up a conversation with us yesterday, saying you're amazing at treating illnesses, but you're too busy. If you want us to pay more attention to you, we'll have to..."

Fang Yan picked up the conversation and said:

"So you have to donate a building, right?"

Others nodded.

Fang Yan waved his hand and said:
"This is completely fabricated; please don't believe it."

Upon hearing this, the others wore expressions of "I see."

Then, without saying anything else, he called the next patient in for treatment.

This time, the patient was a young man, probably in his early twenties.

She was also pushed in by her family in a wheelchair.

However, unlike the previous one, he was in a very clear-headed state.

After entering the house, he greeted Fang Yan.

"Tell me what exactly happened?" Fang Yan asked the patient.

If the patient is able to describe their own situation, it is best to let the patient describe it themselves.

The patient should only speak on their behalf if they are unable to speak.

“Three years ago, I went to Thailand for a business trip for half a month. After returning to Singapore, I felt that I had to use a lot of force to open my eyelids. I didn’t pay attention to it at the time and thought it was just because I was tired. But after resting for a week, I found that the situation was more serious.”

"Then we had a check-up at a local hospital in Singapore, where we were diagnosed with myasthenia gravis."

“We started with Western medicine treatment at the hospital, but it didn’t work after four months. So we went to the United States to continue treatment. We were diagnosed with myasthenia gravis there. After eight months of treatment, my eyelids were able to open, but other parts of my body were more severely affected.”

"Now I need to rest after walking about 20 meters. I can't carry things with both hands at all. If I sit for a long time, I feel like my back is going to break. I can't eat anything, and I can't sleep well at night. I keep having dreams."

Fang Yan nodded after listening and said to him:
"Come here, let me take your pulse."

At this point, the patient's family took out a file folder and placed it directly on Fang Yan's consultation table.

"Dr. Fang, these are the diagnostic results and treatment processes from several hospitals."

Fang Yan nodded without looking at the patient and said:
"In traditional Chinese medicine, myasthenia gravis is called 'Wei Zheng,' with symptoms such as eyelid weakness, limb weakness, poor appetite, and poor sleep. These are clearly signs of organ deficiency. Do you also sweat easily with the slightest movement? And do you feel very tired after talking to me like this?"

Upon hearing this, the patient nodded repeatedly and said:

"Yes, I get tired after just a few words with people, and my clothes get wet even when the weather isn't hot, just by moving around a little."

The dialect made him open his mouth to look at his tongue coating. His tongue was pale white with a thin and sparse coating, and the edges had teeth marks.

"Did you use hormones or other immunosuppressants when you were receiving treatment in Singapore and the United States?" Fang Yan asked.

The patient said:
"I used it. The doctor in the US prescribed hormones. After taking them, my eyelids could open, but my legs were even weaker. I always felt hungry, but I couldn't eat much."

At this point, the patient's family members had already pulled out the treatment documents and displayed them to Fang Yan.

I checked the dialect, and it's true that these things have been used for a long time.

Then, Fang Yan continued diagnosing the patient's right hand, asking questions as before:
"Do you often feel bloated? Do you have trouble digesting food, sometimes experience acid reflux, or lose your appetite?" Fang Yan placed his fingertips on the patient's right pulse and could more clearly feel the weak pulse, which is a typical manifestation of spleen deficiency and poor digestion.

The patient nodded repeatedly, his voice weary: "Yes! Especially after eating in the morning, my stomach feels heavy until noon, sometimes I have acid reflux, and even though I'm hungry, I have no appetite when I see food. I can only manage a few bites before feeling bloated." Fang Yan then asked the patient to raise his arm. The patient gritted his teeth and tried, but his arm only reached his chest before falling back down, a thin layer of sweat instantly appearing on his forehead. "Could you bend your back a little?"

The patient tried to bend over, but frowned halfway down: "No, my waist feels like it's being pulled by something, and it's very sore. I can't hold on even if I bend over a little bit."

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"You have a deficiency of both spleen and kidney, and insufficient qi and blood. Although the hormones you used before temporarily relieved the eyelid problem, hormones are drying and have damaged your spleen yang and kidney yin, so the more you treat it, the weaker you become."

Fang Yan withdrew his hand, picked up a pen, and began writing down the key points of diagnosis on the medical record, saying at the same time:
"The spleen governs transformation and transportation. If the spleen is weak, it cannot transform food into qi and blood, so you eat less, have abdominal distension, and feel weak. The kidneys govern bones and produce marrow. If the kidneys are weak, you will have weakness in your lower back and legs and poor energy. If qi and blood are insufficient, you cannot retain body fluids, so you sweat easily and feel tired even when you move around a little."

The patient nodded, then asked curiously:

"So what happened in the beginning?"

Fang Yan said to him:
"In Thailand, the climate is humid and hot. This damp heat can easily invade the body and stay in the muscles. Over time, it can make the muscles weak and unable to move normally, which is what we call weakness and uselessness."

"The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic also says something similar: If damp heat cannot be expelled from the body, it will affect the tendons and veins. Thick tendons will become soft and short, and thin tendons will become loose and weak, eventually leading to problems with limb movement."

"Simply put, when you were on a business trip there, the hot and humid environment allowed pathogenic factors to penetrate your body and trap your muscles. In addition, if these pathogenic factors cannot be expelled, your muscles and tendons will lose strength, resulting in weakness in your limbs and an inability to move normally."

At this moment, someone nearby said:
"So Singapore's climate is actually similar to Thailand's?"

The patient's mother was the one who asked the question. She clutched the hem of her clothes, her tone filled with confusion: "We've lived in Singapore for over ten years. It's humid and hot there. How come we were fine before, but after just two weeks in Thailand, we suddenly fell ill?"

Fang Yan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he handed the patient a glass of warm water and waited for him to finish drinking before slowly speaking: "The humidity in Singapore and Thailand looks similar, but they are actually different. Singapore is a maritime humid heat. Although it is humid, there are many sea breezes, so the moisture is easy to dissipate. Thailand is an inland humid heat, especially places like Bangkok and Chiang Mai that you went to. They are surrounded by mountains, so the moisture cannot dissipate and is also wrapped in summer heat, like a stuffy steamer. This kind of stagnant humidity is more harmful to people than flowing humidity."

He picked up a pen and drew two simple diagrams on the paper: "Look, the humidity in Singapore is caused by the movement of air, so even when it's damp, the sea breeze helps to carry some of it away; the humidity in Thailand is caused by the stagnation of air, with the dampness trapped in the muscles, and the summer heat accelerating the invasion of pathogenic factors. In addition, you were busy with business at that time, with irregular work and rest, high pressure, and a weak body resistance, so the pathogenic factors naturally got in."

Fang Yan put down his pen, lightly tapped the quote from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic on the medical case with his fingertip, and continued to explain: "The Suwen Six Elements and Regular Principles states that the Five Elements and Yin-Yang are the way of heaven and earth, which means that the Yin-Yang and Five Elements and the climate change between heaven and earth will directly affect a person's physical condition."

"From the perspective of the Nine Palaces and Eight Winds theory in geomancy, the location, topography, and wind of different regions will form different regional qi, and their effects on people will naturally vary greatly."

He pointed to two diagrams drawn on the paper and further broke them down:
"In the theory of the Nine Palaces and Eight Winds, wind is the flow of Qi in heaven and earth, and also a carrier of evil Qi. Singapore is located on the southeast coast, belonging to the Xun Palace direction. The wind here is the sea breeze, which carries moisture but flows continuously, just like the Xun wind in the Nine Palaces. It can dispel dampness. Even if the humidity and heat are heavy, the flowing wind can help the body carry the dampness out. This is because where Qi moves, dampness moves. So, after living in Singapore for more than ten years, your body can adapt to this dynamic humidity and heat."

"But Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand are located inland in the Indochina Peninsula, in the south of the palace. They are surrounded by mountains, and the terrain is such that the wind does not move and the moisture does not dissipate. This corresponds to the 'virtual wind' in the Nine Palaces and Eight Winds. This kind of wind not only cannot carry away the moisture, but also wraps the summer heat in the moisture, forming a stagnant atmosphere."

"In such an environment, the body's defensive qi, which is like a protective layer, will be trapped by the accumulated damp heat and unable to fight off pathogens. If you stay up late, drink alcohol, or do other things that deplete your energy, your defensive qi will be even weaker. The damp heat will then seep into the gaps between your muscles and get stuck inside. Over time, this will damage your tendons and muscles, which is why symptoms such as eyelid weakness and limb weakness appear."

“Look at his pale tongue and weak pulse now. It’s because the damp heat damaged his tendons and veins back then, and the long-term use of hormones depleted his spleen and kidneys, leading to insufficient qi and blood.”

"If it were just the typical Singaporean heat and humidity, even if it invaded the body, it could be slowly expelled by the movement of air brought by the sea breeze, unlike the stagnant heat and humidity of Thailand, which can take root in the body and damage the meridians."

"In traditional Chinese medicine, we say that the climate of a place shapes a person. The qi (vital energy) is different in different places, and it has different effects on the body. If you are used to the climate of a place, even if you look similar in another place..."

Fang Yan paused, picked up a teacup from the table, poured half a cup of water into it, then picked up another cup, filled it with water, put the lid on, and continued:

"It's like these two cups, one open and one with a lid. The open cup is like Singapore, where moisture evaporates slowly, and even in a humid environment, there's an outlet. The lidded cup is like Thailand, where water can't evaporate, and over time, bacteria and harmful substances can accumulate. You've lived in Singapore for over ten years, so your body is like an open cup, adapted to an environment where moisture can dissipate, and has its own rhythm for expelling dampness. But when you go to Thailand, your body suddenly becomes a lidded cup, and the outlet for expelling dampness is blocked. The dampness can't dissipate, so naturally, problems arise."

"Moreover, different places nurture different people, and there is also the importance of matching diet and lifestyle. Singaporean cuisine tends to be light, with plenty of seafood and fruits and vegetables, which can help clear away damp heat. Thai cuisine tends to be spicy and oily, with dishes like Tom Yum and curry. Although these can dispel cold, in an environment that is already damp and hot, they can actually increase heat and dampness. When you were doing business, you would definitely have to eat these kinds of dishes, which would be like adding fuel to the fire of damp heat in your body, and the illness would naturally develop quickly."

Upon hearing this explanation in dialect, the patient felt a chill run down his spine.

No one had ever told him this before, but now that Fang Yan had explained it to him, he suddenly understood. Everything was actually traceable, but he hadn't connected the dots at all. Fang Yan's words had directly linked all the scattered relationships together.

"Dr. Fang, now that you've explained it, I understand everything!"

"Everything I ate, drank, and stayed at before matches up!"

The patient seemed somewhat agitated.

The doubts that had troubled him for three years were all resolved in one fell swoop.

Actually, there's something else the dialect didn't mention: this young man already had health problems. Even if he hadn't gone to Thailand, he would have had problems elsewhere. Before he went, he was definitely already in the early stages of spleen and kidney deficiency, but the symptoms were mild and didn't affect his normal life, so he didn't notice it.

The heat and humidity in Thailand acted as a fuse, igniting these underlying problems and causing the condition to worsen suddenly.

This is actually related to his lifestyle.

Next, Fang Yan would remind him to be careful.

After explaining the dialect clearly, he began writing down his medical records.

Generally speaking, all things in the world tend to stretch and relax when exposed to heat, and contract and tighten when exposed to cold.

Muscle weakness ultimately stems from muscle atrophy and weakness, making normal movement impossible.

The root cause is that damp-heat pathogens remain in the muscles, leading to muscle atrophy and loss of normal function. Therefore, medications containing bitter and cold herbs that strengthen yin can be used.

The dialect provided the prescription.

Scutellaria baicalensis 6g, Coptis chinensis 3g, Phellodendron chinense 9g, Pueraria lobata 12g, Anemarrhena asphodeloides 9g, Stephania tetrandra 9g, Coix lacryma-jobi 12g, Morus alba twig 12g, Atractylodes lancea 9g, Achyranthes bidentata 9g, Glycyrrhiza ural

Then use a prescription used by a traveling doctor, recorded in the book "Chuan Ya" by Zhao Xuemin, a medical scholar of the Qing Dynasty, as the "Divine Elixir for Curing Waste".

This pill is specifically designed for "muscle weakness," a condition characterized by flaccidity, weakness, and even inability to walk or move.

After Fang Yan finished prescribing the medicine, he called the nurse over and instructed her to have the pharmacy start brewing the medicine, and then began making the "Abandoned God Pill" on the spot.

The patient, who was also hearing about "alchemy" for the first time, asked curiously:

"Does Traditional Chinese Medicine really practice alchemy?"

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, and explained to him:

"It's not the kind of 'alchemy' you're thinking of. You're talking about the kind of alchemy where you use Laozi's alchemy furnace in Journey to the West to burn cinnabar and refine metals. The 'dan' in traditional Chinese medicine is often called 'pills' or 'effective prescriptions,' and it's not the same as 'elixirs.'"

“Look at this ‘Rejuvenating Elixir’. ‘Effective’ means it’s effective for ‘paralysis’ and can help ‘get the disused limbs moving again’. ‘Elimination’ is actually just a mixture of medicinal herbs in a certain proportion. Some are ground into powder and made into pills, while others are decocted into a thick juice and then made into a paste for easy long-term use. It’s essentially the same as the Chinese medicine pills you usually take. It’s not some kind of ‘miracle pill’.”

The patient suddenly realized, scratched his head and laughed, "Oh, I see! I thought I had to use a stove to burn it, I made a fool of myself."

The patient's mother laughed along, saying, "We don't understand these things either. The word 'Dan' sounded mysterious to us, but now that you've explained it, it's clear."

Then, Fang Yan added instructions to him:

"Besides taking medicine, you should also pay attention to your daily habits."

"First of all, it's your sleep schedule. You used to stay up late doing business, which depleted your spleen and kidney's qi and blood. You have to change that now. You must lie down before 10:30 every night and get up around 7:00 in the morning. Even if you can't sleep, don't do anything else. Just close your eyes and rest. Your spleen and kidney need to rest at night to 'nourish qi and blood.' If you get enough sleep, the medicine can work better."

"Then there's diet, which is especially important," Fang Yan continued. "I told you before, don't eat spicy or greasy foods, like chili peppers, curry, and fried foods, as these will worsen the dampness in your body, which is like 'fighting the medicine.' Eat more red beans, poria cocos, and yam, either cooked into porridge or steamed, which can help strengthen the spleen and remove dampness; also eat some lean meat and eggs in moderation to replenish qi and blood, but don't eat too much, because your spleen and stomach are weak, and if you eat too much, you won't be able to digest it and will end up with a bloated stomach."

"There are still activities to do. Don't stop moving just because you feel weak, and don't force yourself," Fang Yan added with a smile. "Spend 10 minutes each morning and afternoon, sitting in your wheelchair, slowly raising your arms and stretching your legs. Don't make the movements too big; the standard is to not feel tired. After you regain some strength, you can walk a few steps slowly with the help of your family. Appropriate activities can unblock the meridians, allowing blood and qi to flow into the muscles and helping the limbs regain strength. But be careful not to overexert yourself, as overexertion will damage your blood and qi."

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words is now complete. The theory of Nine Palaces and Eight Winds also truly exists in *Ling Shu: Nine Palaces and Eight Winds*.

(End of this chapter)