Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1382 Insomnia and High Blood Pressure (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

Fang Yan's eyes lit up when he heard this: "You brought a cured patient? That's great! Traditional Chinese medicine's blood stasis decoction for treating rabies has a few cases like Zhang Fu's. Now, with the personal experience of a cured patient from Zhejiang, it will be even more convincing to promote it."

Director Liao nodded and said:

"Shen Zhanyao is quite thoughtful. He didn't tell him this when he issued the notice, but he still brought the person here himself."

Fang Yan nodded in agreement.

Comparing the two cases makes it clearer how to adjust the dosage of the Blood Stasis Decoction at different stages, such as how to adjust the dosage according to the patient's constitution and how to combine it when complications occur.

This will provide other doctors with more specific references when they encounter similar cases in the future.

Director Liao glanced at the dishes on the table and said to Fang Yan:

"Alright, let's stop chatting. Your family is waiting for you to eat at home, so go back first."

Fang Yan stood up upon hearing this and said:

"Okay, then I'll head back."

Director Liao stood up to see Fang Yan out, but Fang Yan quickly told him to sit down.

It's only a short walk, and they're being too polite by bringing it back and forth.

However, Director Liao still asked Gao Han to deliver Fang Yan's message.

After returning home, Fang Yan began to eat dinner. At the same time, Fang Yan also told his master, Lu Donghua, that Shen Zhanyao had arrived in the capital.

Of course, Fang Yan also told him that Shen Zhanyao had brought the patient with him.

Upon hearing this, Lu Donghua praised Shen Zhanyao for his thoughtfulness, and then inquired about Fang Yan:

"When do you plan to hold that lecture?"

"Should we open it tomorrow, or wait until Zhang Fu is fully recovered?"

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until Zhang Fu is fully recovered before we talk about it. Tomorrow, Shen Zhanyao is bringing his patient to Peking Union Medical College Hospital to report for duty. I can also discuss the lecture with him. He has cured more patients and has more medical records to support his case. I want him to talk more about the lecture. I mainly have Zhang Fu as my patient. It would be best to wait until he is fully recovered and has passed the Western medicine immune test before we talk about it. Otherwise, my medical records will not be complete and I will be questioned by others."

After hearing this, Lu Donghua said:

"Well, that's good. Anyway, you already have enough convincing medical records, so there's no need to panic."

He said in dialect:

"That makes sense. In addition to communicating with Shen Zhanyao, I also need to communicate with some of the professors who will be attending the lecture in advance, and show them the medical records so that they can have a better understanding."

"The main purpose of the lecture is to promote our traditional Chinese medicine to Western medicine practitioners. We need to have confidence in our own traditional Chinese medicine. Many of them haven't seen the whole process of treatment yet, so I need to show them the whole process clearly."

Lu Donghua nodded. Fang Yan's approach was to ensure that Zhang Fu's medical records were complete and credible. In addition, Shen Zhanyao could integrate more authoritative cases and communicate effectively to unify the understanding within traditional Chinese medicine, thereby persuading the Western medicine community in a targeted manner.

Originally, the lecture was meant to be a critique of Western medicine, but after Fang Yan said it that way, the old man suddenly felt that the entire lecture's purpose had been elevated.

After dinner, Fang Yan called the health department in Xicheng District to discuss Shen Zhanyao's accommodation for tomorrow. Shen Zhanyao is currently staying at their guesthouse. When he arrives tomorrow, Fang Yan plans to have Shen Zhanyao and his patients transferred directly to the Xiehe Hospital to avoid them having to travel back and forth.

After the handover is completed here, Shen Zhanyao and the patient will come together tomorrow. They can bring all their luggage, and Fang Yan can arrange accommodation for them here.

……

October 3rd has arrived, and the National Day holiday is over.

Fang Yan was supposed to have a graduate class at noon today, but he had other things to do and had to ask for leave.

Not only did he need to ask for leave, but he also wanted to take Shen Zhanyao to the school in the afternoon to give a lecture to the professors.

The main purpose was to have Shen Zhanyao personally recount the medical cases of treating blood stasis with the decoction.

His medical records are not as detailed as those written in Fang Yan's works; many details are unknown simply by reading the medical records.

It's best to let him explain it himself.

It's like doing a rehearsal for a lecture.

During rounds this morning, Zhang Fu's condition was almost back to normal. Fang Yan had to admire the amazing efficacy of the blood-stasis-reducing decoction.

As for the other patients, their condition is improving today and tomorrow.

Mr. Wei, who had been driven mad by his family, woke up this morning still in a state of dementia. After taking his medication, he immediately regained his senses and repeatedly checked his location with the surrounding medical staff in dialect, while also asking if his family members were really not there.

After confirming, Mr. Wei relaxed completely and began to fall into a state of extreme relaxation, giving Fang Yan a sense of déjà vu as seeing the mental state of the protagonist in "The Shawshank Redemption" after his prison break.

However, Fang Yan didn't have time to chat with him.

After quickly finishing his rounds, he immediately went to the outpatient building.

Although it was only 7:40, Old Zhou and her husband were already waiting.

Fang Yan quickly greeted them:

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Regardless of whether they came early or not, just be polite; retired cadres appreciate that the most.

Old Zhou quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "No problem, no problem. We came early and wanted to finish reading as soon as possible so as not to delay your later matters. This is my wife... her surname is Liu."

"Aunt Liu! Is it okay if I call you that?" Fang Yan asked as she opened the door to her clinic.

The other party smiled and agreed:
"Sure, sure, why not!"

Fang Yan pushed open the door to the clinic, stepped aside to let Old Zhou and Aunt Liu come in first, and casually opened the window a crack.

The morning breeze is cool, which makes the air in the clinic fresher.

He pointed to the chairs in front of the table: "Please sit down, I'll take Aunt Liu's pulse first. You can tell me the situation slowly, no need to rush."

Aunt Liu had barely sat down when she couldn't help but sigh:
"Dr. Fang, my insomnia is really agonizing. I lie in bed until two or three in the morning every night and still can't fall asleep. When I finally do fall asleep, I wake up at the slightest noise outside and then I can't fall back asleep. During the day, my head is always foggy and I have no appetite. I've even started taking sleeping pills recently, but they don't seem to help much."

Fang Yan reached out and placed his hand on her wrist, saying:

"It's very common. My parents, father-in-law and mother-in-law all had these problems before, and I've seen quite a few patients with this condition. It's nothing more than the same few symptoms. Just take some medicine and you can fall asleep naturally."

"Come on, open your mouth, let me see your tongue."

After speaking, Aunt Liu opened her mouth, and Fang Yan could see that her tongue was large and had teeth marks, with a thin white coating that was moist.

Fang Yan said to Aunt Liu:
"Hmm, alright, you probably have a bit of internal heat. Even sleeping pills won't help with this." Aunt Liu nodded, seemingly understanding.

Fang Yan touched his left hand and then his right hand for a while. After a while, he was sure that his judgment was correct.

He said:
"Okay, it's alright, it's not a big problem."

"Your pulse is deep and slow, and your tongue is large with teeth marks. This is a typical case of 'deficiency of both heart and spleen, with internal retention of dampness and turbidity.' You mentioned feeling irritable and having insomnia before, which seemed like you had internal heat. In fact, it was because your spleen was deficient and unable to transform and transport fluids. The dampness and turbidity trapped the spleen and in turn affected your mind. This is a case of 'deficient heat,' not 'excess heat.' That's why sleeping pills didn't work. Sleeping pills only forcibly suppress the nerves and don't address the root cause of the spleen's inability to nourish the heart and the dampness and turbidity disturbing the mind."

After hearing this, Old Zhou said:

“She had been seen by traditional Chinese medicine doctors before, and they all said pretty much the same thing: that she had a weak spleen and prescribed medicine to strengthen it, but she didn’t get better after taking it.”

Fang Yan was taken aback. A traditional Chinese medicine doctor of their level who could prescribe medicine for them must be quite skilled. How could the doctor have prescribed the wrong medicine?

He asked in dialect:

"Did you take other Western medicines while taking Chinese medicine?"

Old Zhou paused slightly upon hearing the question about dialect, then looked at his wife, Aunt Liu, and said:

“Yes, yes. I was worried that traditional Chinese medicine would take effect too slowly, so every morning when I took my blood pressure medication, I would also take a vitamin C tablet. My daughter said it would boost her immunity… Could these two medications be conflicting?”

Hearing this, the dialect became clear.

He said:
"Generally speaking, you shouldn't take medications together, because their effects can interfere with each other."

"You have a constitution where dampness and turbidity accumulate internally, just like a damp floor in your house. You need to open the windows to ventilate and dissipate the moisture before mopping the floor to make it effective. Acidic vitamin C is like splashing vinegar on a damp floor; it not only fails to dissipate the moisture but also causes the dampness to stick to your spleen and stomach. The previous spleen-strengthening medicine was equivalent to 'mopping the floor,' but it didn't solve the 'ventilation' problem, so the medicine's effectiveness was naturally negated."

After a pause, Fang Yan said to her:
"I'll prescribe a medicine for you, but you should stop taking the Western medicine for a while and see if it helps you sleep better."

After speaking in dialect, he began to write a prescription. Because of the need for review, he used a classical prescription.

That is, Gui Pi Tang.

However, some additions and subtractions were made.

"Dr. Fang, how long do I need to take this medicine? If I stop taking Vitamin C, can I still take the blood pressure medication normally?" Aunt Liu asked Dr. Fang.

Fang Yan frowned and asked:

"Do you have high blood pressure?"

"It's not so high now, but I'm still taking medication," Aunt Liu said.

At this moment, Old Zhou said:
"Why don't we just let Dr. Fang take a look at your high blood pressure and treat it all at once?"

He said in dialect:

“There is no term ‘hypertension’ in traditional Chinese medicine because we don’t focus on the number ‘blood pressure value’ but rather on the ‘root cause’ behind that number. Just like if the water pressure in your home is high, it could be that the pipe is blocked or the water pump is too powerful. We have to find the cause first, rather than simply installing a pressure reducing valve.”

“Aunt Liu, your pulse is now deep and slow, and your tongue is swollen. You also mentioned that your legs feel heavy and you have no appetite. This indicates that your blood pressure is high. The root cause is spleen deficiency and dampness. Your spleen and stomach are not functioning properly, and dampness is accumulating in your body. It's like a riverbed being silted up, causing high pressure upstream. Blood pressure is just a manifestation of this upstream pressure, not the disease itself.”

Old Zhou frowned and asked, "Wasn't it wrong for the Western doctor to say that she had high blood pressure and prescribe medication for a long time?"

“Western medicine treats ‘pressure’ by taking medication, like installing a pressure reducing valve on a water pipe. It can temporarily lower the pressure, but it doesn’t clear the blockage,” Fang Yan explained, giving an example. “Traditional Chinese medicine treats ‘blockage’ by taking medication. For example, if you are using Gui Pi Tang to regulate the heart and spleen, and add tangerine peel and stir-fried radish seeds to disperse dampness and turbidity, once the spleen and stomach function well, the dampness will dissipate, the ‘river channel’ will be cleared, and the blood pressure will naturally gradually decrease. This is not ‘treating high blood pressure,’ but ‘treating spleen deficiency and dampness that cause high blood pressure.’”

Aunt Liu said, seemingly understanding but not quite:

"So that means my high blood pressure will be cured after I take this medicine?"

Instead of nodding directly, Fang Yan picked up a pen and drew a simple "river map" on the prescription slip, patiently pointing to it and explaining:

"We can't say we 'cure high blood pressure,' but rather we help you address the root cause of your high blood pressure. You see, dampness is like silt in a riverbed. The more silt clogs the river, the greater the pressure upstream, and that pressure is high blood pressure. Now we use Gui Pi Tang to nourish the heart and spleen, and add tangerine peel and stir-fried radish seeds to dispel dampness. It's like clearing away the silt little by little. Once the silt is reduced and the riverbed is clear, the upstream pressure will naturally decrease, and your blood pressure will stabilize."

He paused and added:
"Moreover, your blood pressure is not high now, and the antihypertensive medication you have been taking is more like a guarantee to 'maintain the status quo'."

“We can do this: first, take the Chinese medicine according to the prescription, and check your blood pressure twice a week. If your blood pressure remains stable, I think we can stop.”

Aunt Liu was still a little worried: "What if my blood pressure goes up again after I reduce my medication?"

Fang Yan said with a smile:
"Once your spleen and stomach function properly and can expel dampness on their own, even without antihypertensive medication, your body can stabilize your blood pressure. Just like a clean riverbed, even if there is more water upstream, it is not easy to get clogged, and the pressure will not suddenly rise."

"Think about it, your blood pressure was normal even without medication. You had your body in good condition, so how could you have high blood pressure?"

"If your blood pressure suddenly spikes, it means I haven't taken good care of your health yet."

"Furthermore, you are currently dealing with insomnia. Improved sleep and a calmer mood will also help stabilize your blood pressure. Once your insomnia is resolved and the dampness dissipates, we will check your blood pressure again."

At this moment, Old Zhou also said:

"You don't trust medical skills based on dialects?"

Hearing this, Aunt Liu thought about the dialect's track record and thought it made sense.

Dialects have been a source of illness for many leaders and overseas Chinese businessmen.

She then took the prescription and carefully put it away: "Then I'll do it according to the dialect and try the Chinese medicine first."

Then Fang Yan saw Old Zhou and his wife off, as they wouldn't pick up the medicine here; they needed to go back and review the prescription first.

After everyone left, Fang Yan looked at his watch; it was just eight o'clock.

It was faster than expected.

At this moment, the nurse outside came in and said to Fang Yan:

"Director Fang, someone is looking for you."

Fang Yan raised his head and asked:

"Who?"

Just as the nurse finished speaking, two middle-aged men in their fifties appeared behind her. One of them, a man wearing glasses, said to Fang Yan:

"Director Fang, I am Shen Zhanyao from Zhejiang. I am here to report to you today."

PS: The 4000-word chapter is now complete. I still owe you 49,000 words after finishing this chapter.

That's all for today, please come early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)