Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 985 Treating Allergic Rhinitis, the Zhu Family of the Association and the Zhu Family of Wuyuan Tea House (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 3K Chapters)

Fang Yan then remembered that the pink and white petals of the crabapple tree on the east side of the building had been blown away by the wind, and the weather today was indeed suitable for pollination.

However, this thing is terrible for people with allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis in children is a common respiratory allergic disease.

It is mainly caused by contact with allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and animal dander, with symptoms such as itchy nose, sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion. In severe cases, it may affect a child's sleep, learning, and growth and development.

Allergic rhinitis and asthma are often referred to as "the same airway, the same disease," and poor control may increase the risk of asthma.

The grandson of Professor Zhu Guangqian in front of us has been suffering from allergies for three years.

Such long-term allergies can lead to adenoid hypertrophy, sinusitis, and secretory otitis media.

Dialect inquiry:

"How old is the child this year?"

Professor Zhu Guangqian said:
"Twelve years old."

Fang Yan nodded.

At this moment, the child is rubbing his nose with his palm.

His nostrils were completely blocked by a large amount of clear, watery mucus, so he could only breathe through his mouth, with the mucus moving in and out of his nostrils with each breath.

Fang Yan squatted down and came to him. She saw that he still had symptoms of conjunctival congestion in his eyes and that his eyes were tearing.

Then, Fang Yan asked the child:

Are the sounds the same in both ears?

The child paused for a second upon hearing the question about dialect, and then said:

"Speak louder in your left ear!"

If the sound is louder in the left ear, then the sound is softer in the right ear. This is also one of the accompanying symptoms of allergic rhinitis: ear fullness.

It is caused by a blockage in the Eustachian tube.

Another possibility is tinnitus.

My maternal grandfather, He Xiu, wrote in his notes that when children get allergic rhinitis, the root cause is "deficiency in the root and excess in the branch".

What does "fundamental emptiness" mean?

To put it simply, it means that the lungs and spleen are too weak, like the front door of a house is not closed tightly, and the wind blows in.

When the lungs are weak, the body is like it's missing a protective shield, and it has little resistance to external stimuli.

When the spleen is weak, even the metabolism of fluids can't keep up, and the whole person is like a deflated balloon, with immunity plummeting.

"Biao Shi" means that it has been targeted by the evil wind.

This wind-evil is like a naughty child, changing in an instant. So when a child falls ill, they often suddenly sneeze and have a runny nose, coming on like a storm.

But once the wind-evil is gone, the symptoms quickly subside like the receding tide.

Why is the nose the first to be affected?

When pathogenic wind enters the body through the mouth and nose, it first hits the lungs, and the "window" to the lungs is the nose.

If the lungs cannot "breathe" properly (in traditional Chinese medicine, this is called "Xuan Su"), it's like a blocked chimney in a house. The air is not flowing smoothly, so you'll keep sneezing and having a runny nose.

To cure this disease, we must "walk on two legs": on the one hand, we must drive away the wind and evil, and make the nose clear (dispelling wind and opening the orifices); on the other hand, we must nourish the lungs and spleen, and make the body's "gates" close tightly again (strengthening the spleen and benefiting the lungs). Only by taking care of both the inside and outside can we cure the disease at its root.

Speaking of this disease, Fang Yan had encountered several adults with allergic rhinitis when she was practicing medicine at Tongrentang.

What impressed me most was a schoolteacher who always said that his nose would get stuffy whenever the wind blew, as if someone had stuffed cotton into it.

After thinking it over, I realized that the root causes of these adults' illnesses were mostly the same: First, the body's yang energy was insufficient (defensive yang was not consolidated), just like not wearing enough clothes in winter, with the cold wind penetrating straight into the bones; second, the cold evil "frozen" the lungs, causing the qi to circulate wildly in the body (qi imbalance); third, the kidney qi was too weak, unable to contain the lung qi, just like a kettle without a lid, with all the qi escaping.

If this illness is left untreated for too long, it's like the roots of a tree rotting. On the surface, it's a problem with the nose, but in reality, it's a sign that the body's overall health is weak.

Western medicine treats allergens only, which is different from the approach of traditional Chinese medicine.

He spoke to the child in a dialect:

"Open your mouth, let me see your tongue."

The child obediently opened his mouth, and Fang Yan could see that his tongue was pale red with a thin white coating and teeth marks on the sides.

Then Fang Yan took his pulse and found it to be weak and thin.

Tongue appearance: Pale red tongue with thin white coating and teeth marks on the edges indicates spleen deficiency and dampness, and poor nourishment of qi and blood.

A weak and thready pulse indicates deficiency of lung and spleen qi, and insufficient vital energy.

Furthermore, considering what Professor Zhu Guangqian said earlier, the child's repeated attacks over three years, which worsened with pollen exposure, also align with the typical manifestation of "wind-evil causing frequent changes."

In addition to the local symptoms observed in the previous dialect:
Clear nasal discharge, nasal congestion, and sneezing indicate that wind-evil has invaded the lungs.

Conjunctival congestion and tearing are signs of wind-evil disturbing the sensory orifices.

Dullness in the ears and involvement of the Eustachian tubes indicate obstructed Qi flow.

This aligns with He Xiu's theory of "empty in essence, substantial in appearance":
This deficiency is due to deficiency of both the lungs and spleen.

Lung deficiency indicates a weakened defensive constitution, making one susceptible to wind-evil.

Spleen deficiency indicates the inability to transform dampness, as evidenced by teeth marks on the tongue and a weak pulse.

The symptoms are actually caused by external wind-evil invading and obstructing the nasal passages.

Fang Yan nodded at this point, and Professor Zhu Guangqian, seeing this, asked:
"How about it?"

The dialect responded:
"His condition is not too bad. He has a deficiency of lung and spleen qi combined with wind-evil invading the orifices. A couple of acupuncture treatments and some medicine to dispel wind, clear the orifices, and strengthen the spleen and lungs will cure him."

As he spoke, he took out a pen and notebook that he was carrying:

"I'll write you a prescription first, and you can go pick up the medicine later."

Professor Zhu Guangqian quickly expressed his gratitude:

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Fang!"

They even asked the children to say:

"Quickly thank Uncle Fang..."

The child sniffled a few times and said in dialect:

"Thank you, Uncle Fang!"

Fang Yan said with a smile, "You're welcome!"

As he spoke, he picked up a pen and began to write rapidly.

A prescription was written down in no time:
Xanthium sibiricum 6g, Angelica dahurica 6g, Magnolia biondii 6g, Cicadae periostracum 6g, Astragalus membranaceus 12g, Atractylodes macrocephala (fried) 10g, Saposhnikovia divaricata 6g, Schisandra chinensis 6g, Pheretima aspergillum 12g, Pseudostellaria heterophylla 30g, Poria cocos 12g, Terminalia chebula 6g.

The approach of addressing dialects is both symptomatic and root cause-related:
Xanthium sibiricum, Magnolia biondii, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and Cicadae periostracum dispel wind-evil and clear nasal passages (treating the symptoms);
Astragalus, Codonopsis, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Poria cocos nourish the lungs and spleen (treating the root cause).

The use of Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus in large quantities replenishes Qi and strengthens the exterior, improves the constitution of "deficiency of both lung and spleen", and reduces the recurrence of allergies.

Earthworms promote blood circulation and prevent asthma, while Schisandra chinensis and Terminalia chebula astringe and stop nasal discharge, comprehensively covering symptoms of the nose, eyes, and ears.

Fang Yan then handed the list to Professor Zhu Guangqian and instructed him:

"The cocklebur seeds here are poisonous. Only those processed in a pharmacy can be used, and you must pay attention to the dosage. Also, don't pick them up from outside and use them as a substitute."

Zhu Guangqian nodded after hearing this:
"Understood! Don't worry, we definitely won't do that."

Only then did he realize that the others at the table were still waiting for Fang Yan to eat; they hadn't finished their lunch yet.

After realizing this, Professor Zhu Guangqian said somewhat awkwardly:
"I'm so sorry to disturb your lunch."

Ji Xianlin said with a smile:

"It's alright, getting the child medical treatment is the most important thing."

At this moment, his wife slipped a steamed bun to the child and asked:

"Eat or not?"

The child sniffled twice, then shook his head.

The Peking University professor's family is not short of food, and given his upbringing, he generally wouldn't crave this kind of treat.

At this moment, Zhu Guangqian noticed that Zhu Xian was also on the table, so he asked:

"Xiaoxian is here too?"

Zhu Xian nodded:

"Yes, I'm having dinner with my brother-in-law and his family."

"Your brother-in-law?" Zhu Guangqian looked at Fang Chen and Fang Yan with a questioning gaze.

Zhu Xian pointed to the dialect.

"..." Fang Yan had basically guessed it by now.

My father-in-law is named Zhu Guangnan, and this man is named Zhu Guangqian. They are most likely related by the same surname and even by a generational order, meaning they are both descendants of Zhu Xi.

At this moment, Zhu Guangqian realized what was happening and said:
"Oh, I see..."

He then explained that Zhu Guangqian came from the Zhu family of Huili, which in turn originated from the Zhu family of Chayuan in Wuyuan.

Zhu Xi was from the Zhu family of Chayuan, Wuyuan.

In the third year of the Tianyou era of the Tang Dynasty (906 AD), Zhu Gui was ordered by the governor Tao Ya to lead 3,000 troops to garrison Wuyuan. He established a tea house as an official, and later his family moved to Wuyuan, becoming the ancestor of the Zhu family in Wuyuan, hence the name "First Generation Tea House".

Zhu Xi claimed to be the ninth-generation descendant of the Chayuan family in Wuyuan. His ancestor was Zhu Gui, the first ancestor of the Zhu family in Chayuan, Wuyuan.

Okay, then it's settled.

After all that, they really are relatives.

"Hahaha... So it turns out you're all family!" Ye Shengtao laughed loudly after hearing this.

Ji Xianlin and his wife were the same.

“That doesn’t make sense. Since you’re relatives, and not that far apart, why didn’t Professor Zhu Guangnan invite you to his daughter’s wedding?” Ji Xianlin asked from the side.

Zhu Guangqian said:
“They’re not direct relatives, how would I know about this? I only found out about it by chance when I saw Zhu Xian taking pictures with her camera and asked her to take a couple of pictures for me.”

Zhu Xian said:

"That camera was given to me by my brother-in-law."

Ye Shengtao laughed heartily:
"Well, now we're back to dialects again."

Now it all makes sense. Fang Yan is Zhu's son-in-law, and according to seniority, Fang Yan should call Zhu Guangqian "uncle".

Zhu Guangqian was quite happy to learn that he had such relatives.

It means I will definitely visit when I have time; relatives should visit each other more often.

Fang Yan readily agreed and even gave him her phone number and address.

Just then, the child weakly reminded him:
"Didn't you say you were going to give me acupuncture? Now you're not going to?"

Everyone was taken aback, and Zhu Guangqian immediately said:
"Stab! Why aren't you stabbing?"

"..." The child was speechless, realizing that he had really been being cheeky!
Fang Yan had originally planned to give acupuncture, but Zhu Guangqian interrupted him earlier. Now that his grandson brought it up, Fang Yan immediately took out the needles from his person.

The child shuddered at the sight of those needles; they were much longer than the needles used for Western medicine.

Seeing these needles made me feel like I was half cured.

Fang Yan said to him:
"Don't worry, it won't hurt at all."

The child shook his head:
"I do not believe!"

He said in dialect:

"Don't believe me? Try it! It really doesn't hurt!"

child:"……".

He said in dialect:

"Only three acupoints: Kongzui, Hegu, and Yintang. It'll be quick!"

As he spoke, he inserted the needle, and the child felt a sudden swelling as the needle pierced through the skin.

He was surprised to find that it really didn't hurt.

asked:

"What's going on?"

PS: I got another 100 monthly votes, so after finishing this chapter, I still owe everyone 86000 words.

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

(End of this chapter)