Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 943: Deadly Indian Medicine? Traditional Chinese Medicine is Still More Reliable! (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 3K Chapters)

Seeing that Fang Yan's expression was a bit strange, Wang Jin assumed he hadn't understood, so he reminded him:

"Dr. Fang, you may not be very familiar with the food culture in India."

"That area is more rugged..."

Mr. Wang chimed in:

"It's extremely rugged!"

"Their environment is quite dirty and chaotic, and there is no one to specifically regulate it, so it basically depends on individual behavior. They probably don't even know what's in their food. Although the locals are used to it and it's fine, we tourists who aren't in good health are more likely to get sick."

"The people who went with me were also vomiting and having diarrhea, but the local tour guide was fine."

After saying that, he continued:

"Furthermore, I also suspect that their hospital treatment is a mess."

“At the time, I only felt vomiting and diarrhea, but after the treatment, I started to have stomach pain. I even suspected that the IV drip was not clean. Anyway, I never want to go there again in my life. It was like a giant garbage dump.”

It's not that he doesn't understand dialects; he understands them perfectly.

The food and healthcare conditions in that country were truly eye-opening. Back when the internet wasn't as developed, some people could blatantly lie and bully those who had never been abroad, saying things like:

"Their society as a whole is very peaceful and peace-loving. On the streets of India, you can see many people with smiles on their faces, and the atmosphere is peaceful and pleasant. Compared with the people in the capital and Shanghai who are always in a hurry, Indians are not tense and busy because of the pressure of life. Their peace is an attitude towards life."

"They are a nation where 70-80% of the population are vegetarians. Vegetarians are naturally kind-hearted, which leads to slow movements and therefore they are not good at fighting." This is also one of the reasons why he believes India is generally peaceful.

"Although the slums are large, the crime rate is very low, and you can hardly see any thieves because you can hardly see any police on the streets." This leads to the conclusion that India has good public security.

After the internet becomes more developed, people will see the real situation.

You'll find that the pollution levels are "mild, moderate, heavy, and India."

Fang Yan composed himself and said to Mr. Wang:

"What did the hospital say when you were hospitalized in India?"

Mr. Wang responded:
"They said it was a problem with my digestive system, that I wasn't used to the local food and that's why I had a stress reaction."

"This is a typical case of traveler's diarrhea in Western medicine."

"I don't even know if the name is real."

"When I left, they changed their story and said it was acute gastroenteritis, claiming that I had ingested unclean food, which caused intestinal flora imbalance or pathogen infection, triggering a stress response in my digestive system."

Fang Yan explained to him:

"These two are actually the same disease."

Mr. Wang suddenly realized.

At this moment, Fang Yan's mind quickly began to analyze the situation.

If I am hospitalized in India, what medications will I be given?

Fang Yan thought for a moment and guessed that antibiotics would be used first.

For example, conventional medications for bacterial infections, such as fluoroquinolones.

However, it may disrupt the gut microbiota due to overuse.

There are also antidiarrheal medications, such as loperamide, which are used to relieve diarrhea symptoms, but this medication may delay the expulsion of pathogens.

In addition, pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs will most likely be used to relieve abdominal pain, but they will mask the inflammatory response.

There was also intravenous infusion to replenish fluids and electrolytes, but Mr. Wang suspected that the infusion was not clean, so it was possible that the poor hygiene conditions could lead to secondary infections.

"After I left India, I went to a hospital for treatment and told the doctor about my condition. The doctor told me that this is how things are in India, and that their medicines may be fake," Mr. Wang said.

It's clear he deeply regrets that trip.

At this moment, Wang Jin also said:
“I consulted doctors, and they said that even if I had received intravenous infusions and medication in that situation, problems could have arisen. For example, overuse of antibiotics could have suppressed beneficial gut bacteria and exacerbated mucosal repair disorders.”

“An unsanitary environment for intravenous infusion or treatment may introduce new pathogens and worsen stomach infections, just like my father-in-law did before.”

“Initial acute gastroenteritis was not completely cured, and repeated irritation of the gastric mucosa, especially since my father-in-law had undergone gastrectomy, eventually developed into chronic gastritis or recurrent gastric bleeding.”

He said in dialect:

"Yes, he was treated for half a month, but due to the limitations of local medical resources, the condition could not be controlled in a timely and effective manner. Even half a month would be difficult for an ordinary person, let alone someone with a history of surgery. It is very likely that the acute inflammation will eventually turn into chronic damage."

Everyone else is being conservative; saying something like "very likely" means it's definitely true.

Wang Jin walked to the table, found a recent medical report, and said to Fang Yan:

"Look, it says on the test report here: anastomotic stomatitis."

"It means there's a problem with the location of my father-in-law's surgery twenty years ago."

Anastomotic inflammation refers to an inflammatory reaction that occurs at the anastomosis site, which is the site where the two gastrointestinal ends are connected during surgery, after gastrointestinal surgeries such as gastrectomy or intestinal resection.

The common causes of this condition are usually infection, poor local blood supply, irritation from digestive juices, and postoperative malnutrition.

His condition is clearly caused by an infection of the surgical site by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, leading to inflammation.

Bacteria can invade the anastomotic tissue on the basis of surgical trauma, leading to infectious inflammation.

Clinically, patients may initially experience indigestion symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, and loss of appetite.

Then comes the pain, which can be a dull ache, a throbbing pain, or a stabbing pain, and usually worsens after eating. Next comes fever.

Bleeding will only occur at the end, because inflammation may cause erosion and ulceration of the anastomotic mucosa, which in turn leads to bleeding.

This type of bleeding is further divided into two levels: mild and severe.

Mild cases present with a positive fecal occult blood test.

In severe cases, symptoms such as vomiting blood and black stools may occur.

It is clear that Mr. Wang's five episodes of stomach bleeding indicate a very, very serious condition.

Fang Yan looked at Mr. Wang and asked him:
What discomfort or discomfort are you experiencing?

Mr. Wang thought for a moment and said:
"Right now, the area around my belly button is swollen and painful, and the area below my chest near my stomach always feels blocked and bloated."

"Especially when I have free time, I get angry when I think about that trip, and that feeling of discomfort is even more intense, it's unbearable."

Fang Yan nodded, picked up his pen, and while writing the medical record, asked:
Have you noticed the color of your stool?

Mr. Wang said:

Sometimes it's yellow, sometimes it's black.

Fang Yan asked again:
Are you constipated? Or do you have loose stools?

Mr. Wang said:

"I also experience constipation, but my stools are often unformed."

"Does black stool indicate a stomach bleed?" Fang Yan asked.

Mr. Wang thought for a moment and said:

"This... seems to be it!"

Fang Yan said to him:
"Open your mouth, let me see your tongue."

"Bring your hand here, I want to take your pulse."

Fang Yan noticed that his tongue was pale and appeared large, with a moist coating, and his pulse was wiry.

A pale, swollen tongue with a moist coating indicates that the patient has spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation. The spleen's inability to transport and transform fluids leads to the retention of dampness internally, resulting in a pale and swollen tongue due to lack of nourishment. The upward flow of dampness causes the tongue coating to be moist.

A wiry pulse indicates stagnation of liver qi and obstructed qi flow. A wiry pulse is commonly seen in liver qi stagnation or pain-related conditions, which is consistent with Mr. Wang's symptoms, which were aggravated by anxiety.

Based on his previous symptoms, we can make a judgment.

He has abdominal distension and a feeling of fullness in his stomach, which is called "epigastric fullness" in traditional Chinese medicine. This is due to stagnation of Qi in the spleen and stomach, caused by spleen deficiency and impaired function, resulting in the stomach Qi failing to descend and obstructing the Qi flow in the middle Jiao.

Vomiting blood and black stools in gastric bleeding are both due to blood not returning to its proper channels. This is caused by mucosal ulceration and bleeding due to anastomotic inflammation. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is classified as "distant blood," which is related to damp heat damaging the blood vessels or qi deficiency failing to retain blood.

Alternating constipation and loose stools reflect spleen deficiency and dampness obstruction, resulting in impaired intestinal function. Dampness obstruction leads to loose stools, while qi stagnation and fluid deficiency lead to constipation.

He also mentioned that symptoms appear when he's angry, indicating that emotions cause liver stagnation affecting the spleen, and anger leads to liver qi flowing in the wrong direction and invading the stomach, further damaging spleen and stomach function.

The root cause is that the gastrectomy 20 years ago led to a deficiency of the spleen and stomach, resulting in impaired blood and qi circulation at the anastomosis site.

The unclean diet in India and the unsuccessful treatment over half a month led to the invasion of damp-heat toxins, damaging the stomach meridians.

In addition, he actually delayed treatment for two years, experiencing five bouts of stomach bleeding, which damaged his vital energy and caused a vicious cycle of malnutrition.
Initially, damp heat accumulates in the stomach and intestines, scorching the blood vessels and causing repeated stomach bleeding and black stools.

Next, liver qi stagnation obstructs the ascending and descending functions of the spleen and stomach, causing abdominal distension and fullness.

Finally, prolonged illness affects the collaterals, causing blood stasis and obstruction, leading to a prolonged and intractable condition.

Therefore, in summary, the essence of Mr. Wang's condition is that his spleen and stomach were already weak, and he was further invaded by external damp-heat pathogens, causing stagnation of liver qi. This led to a further aggravation of the dysfunction of the spleen, stomach and other middle jiao organs, ultimately resulting in a complex condition where the body's vital energy was weak and pathogenic factors were strong.

In terms of treatment, it is necessary to simultaneously soothe the liver and regulate qi, strengthen the spleen and stomach, clear damp-heat from the body, resolve blood stasis, and stop bleeding.

"Dr. Fang, how is it? Is my father-in-law's condition treatable?" Wang Jin asked Fang Yan.

"It's a bit complicated. I need to sort it out and come up with a treatment plan that takes both sides into account."

"A bit complicated?" Mr. Wang asked, his heart skipping a beat.

Fang Yan explained to him:

“When we, as practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, treat patients, we need to consider the patient as a whole. We must take care of all the organs and meridians in the body so as not to cause you any sequelae. After all, your current physical condition cannot withstand any more stress, so I need to think this through.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang nodded in sudden understanding.

Wang Jin also said:
"That definitely needs to be thought through! We can't afford to make any more mistakes!"

After saying that, he turned to his father-in-law and said:

"After all this, doctors from our own country are still the most reliable!"

"Yes." Mr. Wang nodded repeatedly.

PS: After finishing this chapter, I currently owe everyone 115000 words.

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

Lao Feng is working hard to write tomorrow's!

(End of this chapter)