Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1385 The Patient Who Returned with Wang Zhenlin Without Being Hospitalized (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
When Lu Wen heard that "his condition is rare," his brows furrowed again, and his tone was filled with confusion: "Rare? But I usually look stronger than anyone else, so why am I the one with this problem?"

Fang Yan said to Lu Wen:

“You are indeed very robust. When you are not sick, Western medical examinations cannot find anything wrong. However, your current constitution is more inclined towards spleen deficiency and phlegm dampness. This type of constitution is prone to producing phlegm and turbidity. Coupled with tonics, diet, drinking alcohol, and staying up late, it is like ‘dry wood meeting a raging fire,’ so you are naturally more prone to illness than others. On the other hand, those who have similar habits to you but are fine are most likely to have a constitution with ‘strong spleen and stomach’, which can ‘digest’ these factors, so they will not have problems.”

"Just like some people are born allergic to pollen while others are fine, it's not a problem with the pollen itself, but rather a difference in the 'sensitivity' of the body. You are more sensitive to 'phlegm-related triggers' than others, so while others are fine, you get sick. This is also why Western medicine has difficulty finding similar cases, because everyone's constitution and combination of triggers are different, making it difficult to completely replicate."

"However, you don't need to worry too much. Rare does not mean difficult to treat. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes 'treatment based on syndrome differentiation.' No matter how rare the disease is, as long as we grasp the core pathogenesis of 'phlegm and turbidity disturbing the heart,' and then regulate the body's constitution and remove the inducing factors in a targeted manner, it can gradually improve."

Hearing Fang Yan say this, Lu Wen nodded and said:

"Then I'll listen to you. I'll cooperate with whatever treatment you suggest."

"However, I hope it's best not to be hospitalized, mainly because I have quite a lot of business to do, and I don't feel comfortable leaving it to others to help."

Fang Yan considered it for a moment, then said to Lu Wen:

"You don't need to be hospitalized, but you have to strictly follow my instructions to adjust your lifestyle, and you also have to take your medication on time. Can you do both of these things?"

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Lu Wen immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Of course, that's no problem. I can meet both of my requests!"

Fang Yan picked up the prescription and began to write.

Inula japonica 10g, hematite 30g (decocted first), Pinellia ternata 10g, Codonopsis pilosula 18g, Nardostachys japonica 6g, Magnolia officinalis 6g, fresh ginger slices 3g, prepared licorice root 6g, eight doses.

Then there's the Bai Zi Yang Xin Wan (柏子养心丸) from their company.

Fang Yan said to Xia Luwen:
"First, get the medicine from our hospital. After taking eight doses, take Bai Zi Yang Xin Wan for a period of time."

“Okay!” Lu Wen nodded in agreement.

Fang Yan folded the prescription and handed it to Lu Wen, then continued to explain to him: "The hematite in this prescription needs to be decocted first. The pharmacy staff will pack it separately for you. When you get home, put it in a clay pot, add three bowls of water, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Then add the other herbs and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Finally, there will be one bowl of decoction left. Take it warm half an hour after breakfast and dinner. Remember, you can't use an iron pot or an aluminum pot, you can only use a clay pot, otherwise it will affect the efficacy of the medicine."

Lu Wen's assistant quickly pulled out a pen and wrote in his palm, "Simmer in a clay pot with hematite for 20 minutes first," afraid of making a mistake:
"Dr. Fang, what if the heat is too high when decocting the medicine and the liquid is reduced?"

"It's okay to have a little less, just don't burn it. If you're really unsure, ask someone at a nearby Chinese medicine shop for help. They'll be happy to come over and supervise the decoction for a little money. Or you can just go back to a pharmacy and have a Chinese medicine practitioner decoct it for you and deliver it to your home. Do whatever is convenient. The key is not to miss any parts or burn it."

The assistant and Lu Wen both nodded.

He paused, then remembered the emergency situation:
"If you have another attack while taking the medication, don't panic. Sit down and take deep breaths, massage your abdomen clockwise for 3 minutes, and then drink half a cup of warm 'tangerine peel and poria water'. It usually takes about 5 minutes to relieve the symptoms. If it doesn't relieve the symptoms or the frequency of attacks increases, no matter how busy you are, you must come to the hospital immediately."

Lu Wen nodded vigorously:

"I've got it! I'll have my assistant go buy a clay pot right away, and we'll start decocting the medicine tomorrow. It won't be delayed at all."

Fang Yan took out paper and pen again and began to write down the dietary restrictions:

"Avoid spicy, greasy, and sweet foods, especially seafood and beer, as these can worsen phlegm and dampness. Instead, eat more winter melon, yam, and millet. Cook a bowl of millet porridge every morning and add a spoonful of yam powder for a good spleen-strengthening effect. Also, take a 10-minute walk every day, but avoid strenuous exercise. Walking helps the blood and qi circulate, allowing phlegm and dampness to be expelled faster."

After speaking in dialect, he handed it to Lu Wen and then said:

"Also, stop taking your fitness supplements for now."

Lu Wen smiled wryly:
"I know, I know, these are the things I don't usually eat, and I don't know if I'll be able to eat them." "You don't have to completely change them all at once. You can do it gradually. For example, you can replace the protein powder in your favorite fitness meals with boiled eggs and steamed fish, and replace fried chicken breast with grilled chicken breast. This will ensure you get the protein without putting extra strain on your stomach."

"If you find millet porridge too bland, you can add a spoonful of pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree in the morning. It's sweet but not greasy and can also strengthen your spleen. If you want to eat meat at noon, choose lean beef or skinless chicken and cook it by stewing or blanching. Don't add too many seasonings. After a few days of getting used to it, you won't find it hard to swallow."

Lu Wen's eyes lit up:
"Is that okay? I thought I'd have to be completely vegetarian. If I could eat chicken and beef, I'd definitely be able to handle it."

“Of course,” Fang Yan nodded. “Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes dietary therapy, and the key is to make it suitable for your constitution. Since you have spleen deficiency and phlegm dampness, as long as you avoid 'greasy, spicy, and sweet' foods, you can eat other light and easily digestible foods. You don’t need to be too hard on yourself.”

Lu Wen was finally satisfied and thanked Fang Yan repeatedly.

Before leaving, he pointed to the gift box on the table and said to Fang Yan:

"Dr. Fang, please put this away carefully. It's a limited edition watch."

Fang Yan was taken aback, then nodded and said to him:
"Okay, you're interested."

After seeing Lu Wen off, Fang Yan called in the third patient.

Fang Yan recognized the family member who came in with the patient; he was the same person who had sat at the same table as Wang Zhenlin before. They had all returned from Japan. Surprisingly, Wang Zhenlin still didn't come over this time. He seemed to be having a good time with his master, Lu Donghua, next door. Fang Yan also didn't see An Dong come over to talk to him.

No one knew what the old man was up to, but Fang Yan still followed his usual practice and asked the patient about his symptoms.

"Bone tuberculosis has relapsed." The patient, wearing a mask and sitting in a wheelchair, said in a dialect:

“I started suffering from several types of tuberculosis when I was 20 years old, including tuberculous meningitis, tuberculous pleurisy, and coccyx tuberculosis. All of them were cured in Japan. In March of this year, I felt lower back pain and could not turn my head left or right. It quickly progressed to the point where I could not walk. After examination in Japan, it was found that the bone tuberculosis had recurred, so we came back.”

Fang Yan frowned upon hearing this. Recurrent tuberculosis? Could it be a trap?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an "opportunistic pathogen," meaning it only causes illness when the immune system is weakened.

The fact that the patient suffered from tuberculosis in different parts of the body multiple times indicates that his immune system has been in a weakened state for a long time.

Another possibility is that the bacteria in the body were not completely eliminated before. Tuberculosis treatment requires long-term, standardized medication, usually for more than a year. If there were cases of "insufficient course of medication", "insufficient dosage", or "failure to follow the doctor's advice to stop medication" during previous treatment in Japan, some tuberculosis bacteria may have entered a "dormant state" and remained dormant in the bones, lymph nodes, and other parts of the body.

When the body's immunity declines, dormant pathogens can become active again, triggering a relapse.

Especially in cases of bone tuberculosis, the blood supply to bone tissue is relatively poor, making it difficult for drugs to penetrate fully. If the treatment is not thorough, the recurrence rate will be higher than that of tuberculosis in other parts of the body.

If you don't take good care of his body, even if the disease is cured, relapse is very common.

Fang Yan nodded, picked up the medical record of what the patient had just said, and asked them:

"By the way, what is your relationship with Dr. Wang?"

PS: I got 100 more monthly votes, so I still owe everyone 47,000 words after finishing this chapter.

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

(End of this chapter)