Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 911 Malaysian Version of Froggan, Bone Tuberculosis Patient Scammed by British Expert (Two-in-One Chapter)
“However, this soil of mine is different from the local Malaysian red soil, which can be used to treat indigestion.” Mr. Liu took out a glass bottle from his pocket, which contained sifted fine soil, along with a delicate silver or tin spoon.

As he spoke, he placed it on the table in front of Fang Yan.

Fang Yan didn't pick it up; instead, he gestured to Fang Yaozhong to take a look.

Fang Yaozhong understood, and immediately picked up the exquisite bottle of clay, unscrewed it, looked at it, smelled it, and then said:

"Traditional Chinese medicine also uses soil as medicine. For example, the soil from the bottom of a stove is yellow soil that has been burned with firewood. It is warm in nature and pungent in taste. It can warm the middle and strengthen the spleen, stop bleeding and stop vomiting. It is suitable for symptoms such as spleen deficiency and failure to control blood, vomiting and diarrhea. In our Chinese medicine, it is called Fulonggan."

He paused after speaking:

"However... we're not going to eat it directly."

Mr. Liu said somewhat embarrassedly:

"This is a folk remedy from that area."

Fang Yan asked him:
"You don't have that kind of fetish yourself, do you?"

Mr. Liu said:
"Of course not. If I hadn't gotten this disease, I wouldn't be eating dirt at all. But I still have no choice. The regular hospital found out that I'm just anemic, but with so many problems, I feel like something's definitely not right. So I have to find a way myself."

Fang Yan asked him:
"Does it feel useful?"

"For example, after eating it, do you really feel better?"

Mr. Liu considered it for a moment before speaking:
"To say it's useful... it seems to be somewhat useful, but it feels more like psychological."

"My face was yellow and swollen before, but after eating this soil, the swelling did go down. Now only my face is still a little yellow."

Fang Yan nodded thoughtfully.

Then he asked him to switch to his other hand to take his pulse.

After touching Mr. Liu's other hand, Fang Yan said:
“In some parts of southwestern China and Southeast Asia, there is indeed a phenomenon of consuming red soil. For example, some women of the Bulang ethnic group in Nuofu District of Lancang County are good at selecting moist and clean red soil near the village, processing it carefully, and storing it in bamboo tubes for consumption when necessary.”

“In Shan State, Myanmar, soil is also sold that can treat ailments such as indigestion.”

"In addition, there are cases of consuming processed soil in some parts of Africa."

Upon hearing the dialect, Mr. Liu's expression improved significantly.

The fact that he spoke in dialect at least proves that he is still normal and did not lie.

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Fang Yaozhong and the other four classmates all showed expressions of having learned something new, and they did not doubt that Fang Yan was talking nonsense.

There's no need to lie to them about dialects.

Now it's clear that Mr. Liu doesn't have pica; he's just using folk remedies to treat his illness.

Fang Yan said to Fang Yaozhong:
"Mr. Liu's spleen deficiency after surgery led to internal retention of dampness, manifesting as a yellow and swollen face. Our traditional Chinese medicine, the hearth soil (Fulonggan), is warm in nature and pungent in taste. It can warm the middle and strengthen the spleen, resolve dampness and stop bleeding. It seems that this Malaysian red clay may also have similar medicinal properties to the hearth soil. By strengthening the spleen and enhancing the digestive function, it can promote the metabolism of dampness in the body, thereby reducing the edema."

Fang Yaozhong nodded and said:

"Well, Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that 'earth can control water.' Red soil entering the middle jiao (spleen and stomach) may improve edema caused by spleen deficiency and dampness, but this still needs further verification."

He said he suddenly realized this might be a new drug, so he asked Mr. Liu:
"Mr. Liu, could you sell me some of this soil?"

"I want to take it back and study it."

Mr. Liu said:
"No need to buy it, you can take it. I have plenty more."

Fang Yaozhong didn't stand on ceremony, immediately expressed his gratitude, and accepted the medicine.

However, they still took the spoon out and returned it to Mr. Liu.

"Take it, take it," Mr. Liu insisted.

They insisted on giving away the whole set.

Finally, I had no choice but to accept the medicine.

The diagnosis using dialects was then completed.

The lips and tongue are pale, and the coating is white and slippery.

The pulse I felt this time was particularly rare; it's called the "kōu" pulse.

Simply put, feeling this pulse is like feeling a hollow scallion. If you lightly place your finger on it, you can clearly feel the pulse beating. But if you press down a little harder, it feels hollow in the middle, with little strength. You can only feel a slight pulsation on both sides.

Many people easily confuse the hollow pulse with two other types of pulse.

One type is the common floating pulse, and the other is the less common leather pulse.

The floating pulse is easy to feel; you can feel the pulsation with a light touch. But if you press down harder, although the pulsation isn't as obvious, you can still feel something there, and the amplitude of the pulsation is not large. The hollow pulse is different; not only does it pulsate with a large amplitude and feel soft, but when you press down hard, the center feels completely empty.

There is another type of pulse called the "leather pulse," which feels like it's floating on the surface and beats very strongly, like pressing on a taut drumhead. It's not only hollow in the middle but also feels hard on the outside. The "hollow pulse," on the other hand, feels soft and is completely different from the leather pulse. Distinguishing between these pulse types requires a doctor's long-term experience and a particularly sensitive touch.

Generally speaking, if a person suddenly vomits a lot of blood, or has blood in their stool, or if a woman's menstrual flow is so heavy that it cannot be stopped, and the blood in the body suddenly decreases too much, it is easy to develop a hollow pulse.

Because there is less blood, the blood vessels cannot be filled, and it will feel empty to the touch.

Moreover, when there is less blood, the body's "yin" is deficient, and the yang energy cannot be suppressed and runs rampant, which will also cause the pulse to look like this.

Based on his previous description of dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, fatigue, poor appetite, and constipation.

This is actually a deficiency of both qi and blood, resulting in blood not nourishing the brain.

In other words, the Western medical diagnosis of anemia is actually correct to some extent, but it does not take into account the Qi (vital energy).

So how did his condition arise from the treatment of internal hemorrhoids?

Fang Yan picked up a pen and started writing the medical case while quickly analyzing it in her mind.

Mr. Liu previously underwent an injection necrosis surgery for internal hemorrhoids. This surgery was originally intended to treat hemorrhoids, but during the process of hemorrhoid tissue necrosis and shedding, there may be some bleeding.

Although Mr. Liu did not notice any obvious rectal bleeding, these small amounts of bleeding can accumulate over time and eventually lead to anemia.

When examining the causes of anemia, Western medicine may not have considered the impact of this long-term, minor bleeding.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, Mr. Liu's current problem is a deficiency of both qi and blood.

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the spleen is responsible for regulating blood and preventing it from flowing erratically.

After the surgery, the "temperament" may be damaged, like a small hole in a dam, making it easier for blood to flow out.

Furthermore, if the spleen is not functioning well, the body cannot metabolize water properly, leading to water retention and swelling. This explains why Mr. Liu's complexion is yellow and his tongue is white and slippery.

When Fang Yan took her pulse, he found it was a hollow pulse, like touching a hollow scallion. This indicates that there is not enough blood in the blood vessels and that the qi and blood are insufficient.

In addition, the body needs to recover after surgery, and since the body is already deficient in qi and blood, the surgery further depletes the vital energy, making the body even weaker.

Although Mr. Liu felt better after eating red clay, as it seemed to alleviate his spleen deficiency and edema, his fundamental problem was that he had issues with both qi and blood, and eating red clay alone could not solve the root cause.

Also, after Mr. Liu had hemorrhoid surgery, his digestive system became "disobedient," and he was always constipated.

Constipation makes it difficult for the intestines to absorb iron.

Iron is an essential building block for hemoglobin production; if less iron is absorbed, anemia will naturally become more severe.

Western medical examinations only revealed that Mr. Liu was anemic, but they failed to notice that the "qi" in his body was out of balance.

Just like a blocked water pipe at home, he had a weak spleen, and the dampness in his body couldn't be expelled, so he was trapped by "dampness".

Because this point was not taken into account, Western medicine's explanation for why Mr. Liu experienced so many uncomfortable symptoms was not clear or comprehensive enough.

Having figured all this out, Fang Yan began writing in the medical records:
After receiving injection treatment for internal hemorrhoids, Mr. Liu developed iron-deficiency anemia due to chronic blood loss from a Western medicine perspective; from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, the surgery depleted his qi and blood, leading to spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation, resulting in a complex pathogenesis of "qi and blood deficiency as the root cause and dampness stagnation as the manifestation."

Treatment should focus on strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, nourishing blood and heart, while also addressing dampness and promoting bowel movements.

First, relieve anemia-related symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, and fatigue.

The fundamental pathogenesis of postoperative spleen deficiency and dampness, and insufficient production of qi and blood is repaired.

Modified Gui Pi Tang combined with Shen Ling Bai Zhu San

Formula:

To strengthen the spleen and replenish qi: Astragalus membranaceus 30g, Codonopsis pilosula 15g, Atractylodes macrocephala 15g, Poria cocos 15g.

Nourishing blood and calming the mind: Angelica sinensis 12g, longan pulp 10g, jujube seed 10g.

To dispel dampness and promote diuresis: 20g of coix seed, 15g of white hyacinth bean, and 10g of atractylodes lancea.

For bowel movement: 15g of hemp seeds and 10g of apricot kernels.

To regulate Qi and blood: 6g of costus root (to prevent the tonic from being too rich), and 6g of prepared licorice root.

After finishing writing, Fang Yan thought for a moment and then wrote:

If the tongue coating is thick, greasy, and damp, add 10g of Magnolia officinalis and 6g of Amomum villosum (to enhance the dampness-resolving effect).

If insomnia is severe, add 10g of Polygala tenuifolia and 10g of Albizia julibrissin bark (to calm the mind and relieve depression).

If spontaneous sweating is significant, add 15g of floating wheat and 20g of calcined oyster shell (to strengthen the exterior and stop sweating).

Next is acupuncture treatment, which Fang Yan plans to have Lao Fan do.

However, he still wanted to write down the chosen burial site. After a moment's thought, he wrote in dialect:

Acupuncture point selection:

Zusanli (bilateral): strengthens the spleen and stomach, and replenishes qi and blood.

Sanyinjiao (bilateral): Strengthens the spleen and eliminates dampness, harmonizes the liver, spleen and kidneys.

Xuehai (bilateral): Nourishes and invigorates blood, improves anemia.

Zhongwan (CV12): Regulates the middle jiao (middle burner) and enhances the spleen and stomach's digestive function.

Tian Shu (bilateral): Regulates the intestines and relieves constipation.

The technique of tonifying and purging should be used 3 times a week for 2 consecutive weeks.

Then, speaking in dialect to Mr. Liu:
"You should stop using Malaysian red clay now. Although the swelling will subside in the short term, long-term use may lead to the intake of heavy metals and other risks. It also conflicts with the medication we prescribed. In addition, you must adjust your bowel habits. Go to the toilet at the same time every day and avoid sitting or squatting for long periods of time. This can help prevent hemorrhoid recurrence."

Mr. Liu nodded quickly: "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."

"We also need to pay extra attention to our diet," Fang Yan continued.
"I suggest eating more foods that can nourish the spleen and stomach and replenish blood and qi, such as red date and millet porridge, yam and lotus seed soup, and longan and goji berry soup."

"There are also some iron-rich foods, such as pork liver and black fungus. You can have your assistant write them down and order these dishes from the Yanjing Hotel."

Mr. Liu nodded and instructed his assistant to write these down.

Fang Yan then added: "You also have to avoid raw, cold, and greasy foods, such as ice cream, fatty meat, and fried foods. You also have to avoid spicy and stimulating foods like chili peppers and black pepper, as well as alcohol, as these will aggravate damp-heat in the intestines, so you must resist eating them."

"Understood!" Mr. Liu replied.

"Your condition should improve in about two weeks. Also, please pay attention to the color of your stool. If it is black, please report it to the nurses on your hospital floor immediately."

"Okay, okay." Mr. Liu nodded.

Fang Yan said to them:

"Alright, go outside and find a nurse to admit you. The medicine will be prepared and brought up later."

Mr. Liu then took his leave and walked out of the room, while Fang Yan began to complete the medical case notes in her hand.

He then asked the four students behind him:

"Could someone go to the pharmacy for me and ask them to prepare some medicine?"

"Me! Brother Fang, I'll go!" Yuan Qingshan immediately came over. He and Fang Yan were the ones who were relatively familiar with each other among the group. Mainly because he and Lao Fan were both Taoist doctors, and Fang Yan had talked to him about Taoist medicine. They had quite a lot of exchanges.

Hearing him volunteer, Fang Yan didn't stand on ceremony and tore off the prescription, handing it to him and saying:
"You know the pharmacy is just downstairs in the lobby on the first floor, right?"

"I know, I know!" Yuan Qingshan immediately grabbed the prescription and ran out.

Fang Yan continued writing medical case records, and others noticed that he wrote them in great detail, even supplementing previous analyses.

"Very ambitious! Is this intended for others to learn from, or is it a compilation of medical case studies?" Fang Yaozhong asked Fang Yan.

Fang Yan laughed when he heard this and said:

"All."

Fang Yaozhong paused slightly upon hearing this, then laughed:

"Haha...good lad..."

After Fang Yan finished writing the medical record, he said to the remaining three students:
"Can someone go and call the next person in?"

Juliana immediately stepped forward and said she would go.

The others had no objections, so they let her go to the door and call the person in.

There were more people coming in this time. The patient was a young man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties.

However, he was pushed in in a wheelchair.

Fang Yan noticed that he still had a urine bag attached to him, meaning a catheter had been inserted.

The person who pushed him was someone Fang Yan had met at the welcome banquet last time. His surname was Yang, his name was Yang Haosen, and he was about forty years old and from Hong Kong.

My family owns a watch shop in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and also buys and rents out properties.

His rise to wealth is similar to that of another Hong Kong tycoon surnamed Yang.

"Hello, Dr. Fang!" Yang Haosen bowed slightly and greeted Fang Yan.

This person didn't look like a businessman; he looked more like a teacher. Fang Yan nodded at him.
"Hello Mr. Yang, it's nice to see you again."

After speaking in dialect, she didn't mince words and asked him:
What's the situation with this gentleman?

The young man in the wheelchair opened his mouth, his voice a little hoarse. Mr. Yang patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Let me tell you."

The latter then nodded.

Then Yang Haosen said:
“He is my younger brother. This illness has been going on for a while. It happened a few years ago when he and his girlfriend went to Thailand and were kidnapped. They were kept in a cave for a month after being kidnapped. Only after we paid the ransom were they released.”

"He thought that surviving such a disaster would surely bring him good fortune, but he never expected that his health would start to deteriorate after returning to Hong Kong."

"Not long after he came back, he said he felt pain in his lower back, and sometimes the pain would lessen a bit."

"At first, we treated it as rheumatism, but the treatment was not effective."

"By the second year, the condition had become more and more serious, the pain had intensified, and the pain would become even more severe whenever I exercised. I also became thinner and thinner every day."

"Later, after an X-ray examination at the local hospital, it was discovered that there was a lesion in the bone of the fifth thoracic vertebra, and it was diagnosed as bone tuberculosis."

"Bone tuberculosis?" Fang Yan frowned.

This is quite serious.

Moreover, he was referring to something that happened several years ago, meaning it has been dragging on for at least several years.

Yang Haosen said:
"Well, at the time we didn't believe it. We went to several hospitals for checkups, and they all gave the same answer. Later we chose a better hospital to start treatment. Of course, we prioritized Western medicine. We found a British doctor in Hong Kong at the time. We heard that he was very good at treating this disease."

"As a result, the doctor made my brother take anti-tuberculosis drugs for three months, but it had no effect and his condition continued to worsen. My brother developed numbness in his lower limbs and his back pain became more severe."

"After that, we used a plaster cast for treatment, but in less than a month, both of my lower limbs became completely paralyzed and I couldn't move. Then I developed difficulty urinating, and as you can see, I could only rely on a catheter to urinate at that time."

"And later, when it got even worse, he couldn't defecate for more than ten days and needed an enema to do so. At that time, we asked the doctor, and he told us not to worry, that there would definitely be a way. But it dragged on like this until this year, when the doctor was going back to his country, and only then did he say that there was no way..."

Yang Haosen was clearly angry when he said this.

After controlling his emotions, he continued:

"Later he said he could help us invite more top experts from the country to come and consult, so we had no choice but to listen to him and pay him another sum of money as a fee for inviting these people to come and consult."

"After a consultation this year, they said the disease is now very serious and can basically only be treated conservatively."

At this moment, a boy standing nearby cursed:

"They spent so much money, and this is the result? These people deserve to die!"

Upon hearing this, the Yang family members who had come in with him all nodded in agreement.

The scene was chaotic for a while.

Yang Haosen quickly said, "All done."

Only then did they manage to calm the situation down.

Then Yang Haosen said to Fang Yan:

"Later we heard about Dr. Fang's story, so I made a special trip to visit Mr. Zhou and saw Miss Zhou, who is now living a normal life. That's when we decided to come back."

"Then they recommended Mr. Tang Shengming to me, and then contacted the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, which is how we got the opportunity to come back for medical treatment."

“I told Director Liao that as long as Dr. Fang cures my brother’s illness, we can discuss any conditions.”

Fang Yan said to him

"Don't worry about that. I will do my best to treat every patient who comes to me."

"Let's first discuss Mr. Yang's current medical condition in detail?"

Yang Haosen nodded, then said to a woman in her early twenties standing beside him:
"Ah Hong!"

"You come and tell Dr. Fang the details."

"Okay, good!" The woman named Ah Hong had single eyelids and looked very cold, somewhat like a bodyguard. You could tell from her movements that she had some martial arts skills.

She bowed to the dialect before speaking:
"Hello Dr. Fang, I am Mr. Yang's nanny and bodyguard, taking care of his daily life and safety."

"Yes, hello!" Fang Yan nodded to her.

Ah Hong began speaking in dialect:

"Mr. Yang is now not only having problems with urination and defecation, but he has also lost a lot of weight, weighing only a little over 90 kilograms. His lower limbs are cold and numb, his muscles have shown signs of atrophy, he has a poor appetite and can't eat anything, he has nightmares and can't sleep at night, and he often has pain in his lower back and numbness in his hands."

"The muscle control in other parts of the body has also decreased significantly. That's the general situation. If you want to know anything else, feel free to ask me."

Fang Yan nodded, then asked Ah Hong:

"Did Mr. Yang experience yellowing of the skin or bleeding gums while taking anti-tuberculosis medication?"

“Yes!” Ah Hong nodded and said.

The dialect was quickly recorded.

Then he asked:
Is Mr. Yang's lower back pain a sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache? Does the pain wake him up at night?

At this moment, Ah Hong was taken aback and realized that she hadn't paid attention to this issue.

Mr. Yang, sitting in a wheelchair, opened his mouth and said in a hoarse and somewhat weak voice:

"A dull ache, but it won't wake me up at night."

Fang Yan simply asked him:
"Is your lower limb coldness constant throughout the day or intermittent? Is it also cold above the knees?"

Mr. Yang said:
"It's been going on all day, and above the knees... it shouldn't be too cold, but I can't feel anything right now."

Fang Yan nodded, then looked at Ah Hong and asked:
Was Mr. Yang's urine cloudy or contained blood? Did his stool contain mucus during the enema?

“My urine is normal, and my stool is dry with no mucus,” Ah Hong replied.

Fang Yan then asked Mr. Yang in the wheelchair:
"Are the nightmares related to the experience of being trapped? Do you experience heart palpitations when you wake up?"

"Yes, that's true." Mr. Yang nodded, confirming the dialect's assessment.

Fang Yan said to him:
"Stick out your tongue so I can see it, and take my pulse with both hands."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yang turned around and glanced at his brother, Yang Haosen, who then pushed him to the dialect clinic table.

Fang Yan began to take his pulse and examine his tongue.

Fang Yan quickly noticed that his tongue was pale and the area under his tongue was bluish-purple and swollen.

The pulses in both hands were weak and thready, almost undetectable to the touch.

His physical condition was more serious than Fang Yan had thought.

PS: As of the time of publication, I have gained 500 more monthly votes (currently 7400), so I owe you another 10000 words.

I currently owe everyone a total of 90000 words.

There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)