Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 979 The Hereditary Liver Qi Stagnation of the Institute of Physics, the Reason for Comrade Zhu's Hair Loss (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 3K Chapters)

"Tell me about it," Fang Yan said to Comrade Zhu.

Comrade Zhu said:
"Besides palpitations, I sometimes feel short of breath and experience intermittent insomnia and vivid dreams."

"I feel weak when I wake up in the morning, my mouth is dry and bitter, and I also have constipation and dark yellow urine."

Fang Yan nodded:
"Let me examine your tongue."

Comrade Zhu then opened his mouth and let Fang Yan check his tongue.

The tongue was found to be reddish with little coating, and the center of the tongue was slightly yellow and dry.

"Let me take your pulse again."

Comrade Zhu cooperated by placing his hands on the examination table. Fang Yan examined both hands and found that the pulse was triggered when it came in.

This is the "rushing pulse" in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The characteristic of a rapid pulse is that the pulse beats quickly and has irregular intervals (either a fixed number or an indefinite number).

In traditional Chinese medicine, this type of pulse is often seen in cases of excessive Yang and heat, or stagnation of Qi, blood, phlegm, and food.

It may also appear in conditions such as organ dysfunction.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and asked:
Do you often feel anxious, irritable, or experience significant mood swings?

Comrade Zhu said:
"When the workload is heavy, this kind of feeling is unavoidable; everyone will experience it to some extent."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan wrote it down in the medical record:
Long-term high-pressure work can easily lead to liver stagnation and internal heat, aggravating symptoms such as palpitations, insomnia, and bitter taste in the mouth.

Then, in dialect, he asked again:
"Is your insomnia and vivid dreams caused by difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, or early awakenings? Are your dreams mostly turbulent or stressful?"

Comrade Zhu thought for a moment and said:

"I have difficulty falling asleep, and I wake up easily, and I also wake up early. When I'm busy, I usually only get about four hours of sleep a day, and sometimes I don't even get any sleep at all."

"I dream about all sorts of random things when I'm asleep. Some dream about not recognizing words on their exam papers when they were young, while others dream about making mistakes in experiments that lead to major accidents. In short, I don't have any good dreams."

"They all say that it's best to forget your dreams as soon as you wake up, but I've found that I have a really good memory; I remember all my dreams."

Instead of writing anything down, Fang Yan continued to ask:

What are your eating habits like?

"Light flavor, or stronger flavor?"

Comrade Zhu did not answer directly, but explained:
"I am from Yichang, which is located in western Hubei. Its cuisine is heavily influenced by the surrounding areas, especially Chongqing."

He understood the dialect and said:
So, you mean the taste is relatively strong?

Comrade Zhu said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Well, relatively speaking, at most I just add some of my own homemade side dishes when I eat, just to add some flavor."

Comrade Deng, who was standing to the side, said:
"Old Zhu actually has a strong palate and likes very spicy food, which I personally can't get used to!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan asked:

"What do you mean by 'side dishes'?"

Comrade Zhu scratched his head and said:

Chili peppers mixed with dried radish!

I'm speechless at the dialect; this is definitely a rather unusual taste.

he asked:
How much can you eat in one meal?

“A little,” Comrade Zhu said.

Comrade Deng, standing to the side, chuckled and added:
"His point refers to two fist-sized bottles, about half-full."

Comrade Zhu explained:

"It wasn't just me eating; the others shared it too."

"Anyway, you eat the most!" Comrade Deng said.

It's easy to understand why someone might eat such strongly flavored food to regulate their emotions when they're under a lot of work pressure.

He asked Comrade Zhu:
Have you ever experienced dizziness, tinnitus, lower back and knee weakness, or night sweats?

Comrade Zhu paused for a moment:
"...Yes, I think? I don't remember clearly, but it probably happened before, but it was very rare."

Fang Yan asked again:
How many hours do you work each day? Do you often stay up late or overwork yourself?

Comrade Zhu said:
"Working overtime is a frequent occurrence when I'm rushing to meet deadlines. I try my best to rest well when I can, and my body can still handle the work when I'm rushing to meet deadlines."

Fang Yan asked again:
Have you taken any other medicines or supplements?

Zhu Tongzi nodded and said:

"Yes, they usually prescribe medication after a physical exam, but the effects are generally not good. My problem hasn't been cured yet, which is why I came here."

After saying that, he asked in dialect:

"By the way, Dr. Fang, does heart palpitation cause hair loss?"

Fang Yan picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said:

"Comrade Zhu, in traditional Chinese medicine, we believe that 'hair is the surplus of blood' and 'the health of the kidneys is reflected in the hair.' Hair loss is often related to insufficient essence and blood or blood heat."

"So what's going on with me?" Comrade Zhu asked.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said:
"Based on your current situation, I believe that your long-term high-pressure work has led to liver stagnation and internal heat, which in turn depletes your yin and blood, causing your hair to fall out due to lack of nourishment. At the same time, your palpitations, rapid pulse, insomnia, and excessive dreaming all indicate excessive heart fire and yin deficiency with internal heat. This internal heat disturbs the head and also aggravates hair loss. Therefore, I believe that this hair loss is closely related to your palpitations and physical imbalance."

Comrade Zhu looked slightly bewildered and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Um... Dr. Fang, I didn't really understand."

"Could you describe it like you did when they first came?"

Fang Yan understood; he wanted him to explain in a way that Fang Yan could understand. After thinking for a moment, Fang Yan put down his teacup and gave an example:
"Your body is like a pot that has been boiled dry over a high flame for a long time."

"Work pressure is like constantly adding firewood to the stove. The fire is so strong that it boils away all the water in the pot, and the bottom of the pot starts to sizzle and emit black smoke. That's why you feel dry mouth, constipation, and yellow urine, just like the pot is burnt and tastes bitter."

"Panics and insomnia are like a pot lid rattling loudly under hot steam, and a rapid, erratic pulse is like oil splattering from the bottom of a pot when flames leap high."

"Your love for spicy food is like pouring oil directly into a fire. The spiciness is hot and dry, which will only make the water in the pot drier and the smoke thicker. Now your hair is falling out, just like the brittle wooden handle on the side of the pot. Without the moisture of water, it will naturally crack and fall off."

Comrade Zhu suddenly realized:
"So, I need to put out the fire first?"

Nodding in dialect:

"Yes! First, remove the firewood; second, add water to the pot; third, turn the fire down."

"Once there's enough water in the pot and the fire is stable, the problems of smoke, rattling lid, and burnt handles will naturally be solved."

Then, in dialect, he asked:

"By the way, I have another question. What medicine did they give you for your condition?"

"Western medicine," Comrade Zhu said. "More specific?" Fang Yan prompted.

Comrade Zhu scratched his head.

He thought for several seconds before saying:

"I remember it was... imported from Germany."

After hearing this, Fang Yan tentatively asked:

"Propranolol? The one that you have to take orally three times a day?"

Comrade Zhu nodded:
"Oh, yes, yes, yes! This is the medicine."

Then he said in surprise:

"Dr. Fang was able to guess that?"

He said in dialect:

"There aren't many imported heart medications from Germany. Actually, there are already generic versions of this one called Propranolol. It's specifically designed to reduce sympathetic nerve excitation and decrease the frequency of premature beats, but the side effects are fatigue and it can also worsen yin deficiency and internal heat."

"But it's already considered a very good medicine."

Comrade Zhu said:
"Another type is B-complex vitamins."

He said in dialect:

"That makes sense. He knows you'll feel tired, so this is to improve fatigue, but the side effect is that it can worsen metabolic disorders."

"I see..." Comrade Zhu suddenly realized.

The dialect was written in the medical record, asking:

"Aren't there any other medications?"

Comrade Zhu thought for a moment and said:

"Oh right, there's another one, but the people at the health station gave it to me. It's called lactulose, and it can help with constipation."

Fang Yan nodded, wrote it down, and said at the same time:
"Oh, I know that, it's an osmotic laxative."

"There are also some side effects."

Comrade Zhu was speechless.

It's true that all the medications you take can have negative effects.

"Then what should we do?" Comrade Zhu asked Fang Yan.

He said in dialect:

"Wait a moment, let me think about it."

He looked at the medical record he had just written, which clearly described Comrade Zhu's various symptoms, including palpitations, shortness of breath, insomnia, fatigue, bitter taste in the mouth, constipation, and yellow urine.

Meanwhile, traditional Chinese medicine diagnosed him with a reddish tongue, little coating, slightly yellow and dry center, and a rapid pulse.

In addition, Comrade Zhu has a lot of work pressure and a preference for spicy food. He is also taking Western medicines such as propranolol, B-complex vitamins and lactulose.

We need to integrate this information before making a judgment.

Fang Yan touched his brow and glanced at Comrade Zhu.

Then I thought that palpitations, insomnia, and rapid pulse indicated either excessive heart fire or yin deficiency with internal heat.

The tongue appearance shows a red tongue with little coating and a dry, yellow center, suggesting yin deficiency with excessive fire, especially the possibility of insufficient heart yin and liver stagnation transforming into fire.

In addition, like most of the scientists who came to the China Academy of Engineering Physics, he suffered from liver qi stagnation due to long-term high-pressure work.

Prolonged stagnation can lead to internal heat, depleting yin and blood.

This then affected his heart and kidneys, leading to hair loss, because hair is an extension of blood, and the health of the kidneys is reflected in the hair.

Next, we need to consider the impact of Western medicine.

Propranolol is a beta-blocker used to control arrhythmias, but it may cause fatigue and worsen symptoms of yin deficiency.

B-complex vitamins may help relieve fatigue, but their effectiveness may be limited if there is internal heat.

Lactulose is used to treat constipation, but it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

Therefore, after comprehensive judgment, Fang Yan wrote in the medical record.

The etiology and pathogenesis are that long-term high-pressure work leads to stagnation of liver qi, which over time transforms into fire, causing bitter taste in the mouth, anxiety, and rapid pulse.

Fire evil depletes the heart yin, and deficiency heat disturbs the mind, leading to palpitations, insomnia, dreaminess, and rapid pulse.

Staying up late and overworking can deplete kidney yin, triggering occasional lower back and knee pain and hair loss.

A fondness for spicy food exacerbates internal heat, leading to constipation, dark urine, and a dry, yellow center of the tongue.

"Excessive fire and insufficient water" refers to an imbalance between excessive yang heat (fire) and insufficient yin fluid (water) in the body, forming a vicious cycle.

Hair loss is caused by yin deficiency and blood heat leading to insufficient nourishment of the hair, and heart fire scorching the hair roots.

Comrade Zhu's symptoms of hair loss, palpitations, and constipation are essentially the result of a combination of "yin deficiency and fire excess" constitution, long-term high-pressure environment, and heavy diet.

Western medicine controls the symptoms but does not address the root cause, so the condition has not improved.

At this time, the focus should be on nourishing yin and clearing heat, and harmonizing the heart and kidneys, supplemented by soothing the liver and strengthening the spleen. The fundamental solution is to adjust work and lifestyle as much as possible.

High-pressure work continuously "adds fuel to the fire," causing blood heat to persist, leading to hair follicle atrophy and worsening hair loss. Furthermore, excessive heart fire depletes kidney yin, which can cause palpitations to develop into arrhythmia and even abnormal kidney function.

When Comrade Deng, who was standing behind Fang Yan, saw what Fang Yan had written, he realized that it was even more serious than his own.

He said:
"Old Zhu, I think you're the one who should be assigned a personal secretary. Look how serious your condition has become!"

He had initially thought his condition was quite serious, but now it seems Old Zhu's isn't looking too optimistic either. With all these problems, if things continue to develop, it might be even more worrying for Old Zhu than for Old Zhu.

If the heart stops working, a person is gone. He had seen young soldiers in the Gobi Desert test site die suddenly from heart attacks.

Therefore, he pays special attention to heart problems.

"Is that so?" Comrade Zhu stood up and came behind Fang Yan, looking at the written medical record.

After reading it, he was surprised:

"Is it that serious? Can it be treated?"

Fang Yan put down his pen and said:

"Of course!"

"However, you also need to pay attention to many lifestyle habits."

PS: After finishing this chapter, I still owe everyone 90000 words.

That's all for today, please come early tomorrow!
Lao Feng is working hard to write tomorrow's!

(End of this chapter)