Chapter 524: Chapter 223: A Physician Without a Soul Is No Different Than a Charlatan Wandering the Martial World (2)

Speaking of the wonders of traditional Chinese medicine, Zhang Guangli pondered for a moment, then seemed to think of something and said, "Speaking of which, it reminds me of an event from more than ten years ago."

"What is it?" Lu Xuan asked curiously.

Zhang Guangli thought for a moment and said, "Back in the ’90s, I knew a patient with gouty arthritis, but this patient was rather special; he was a surgeon at a major hospital..."

"How to put it..."

At this point, Zhang Guangli hesitated before saying, "He was someone who used to regard traditional Chinese medicine as a loathsome evil as a Western doctor, but it was precisely because of that bout of gouty arthritis that his opinion of Chinese medicine changed dramatically.

The story goes back to the year we met; this doctor was introduced by an acquaintance to see me for treatment. At that time, my father was still around, but he wasn’t taking consultations anymore. Most of the patients were seen by me, and by that time, my medical skills had actually surpassed my father’s, so he felt there was no need for him to take consultations."

At this point, Zhang Guangli continued talking about that Western doctor: "When that Western doctor came to our place, I could tell that he was reluctant, but since a friend brought him, there wasn’t much to say. After all, even if he wasn’t willing, he had to save face for his friend, and he began to talk about his situation.

He said that seven days ago, for some unknown reason, his left toe became red, swollen, hot, and painful, and he didn’t dare touch it. Because he was also a doctor, he had a check-up and found out through tests that it was gout.

Given that he was a surgeon, I asked him: Why did you not choose Western medicine or surgical treatment?

I thought he believed that Western medicine wasn’t effective and that only Chinese medicine would work, that he trusted Chinese medicine more. But unexpectedly, he continued to say, ’Honestly, I have no regard for Chinese medicine at all.’

Lu Xuan was slightly taken aback. It’s not unusual to hear that some Western doctors disdain Chinese medicine; it’s a common thing in the medical field.

And it’s not just an occasional situation; it’s always been there.

The vast majority of Western doctors actually look down on Chinese medicine, thinking it does not conform to modern science.

The same type of herb, with different parts, even when the active ingredients are the same, why do they have different corresponding symptoms?

This is something not only Western doctors don’t understand; in fact, many Chinese medicine practitioners are equally perplexed.

However, Lu Xuan did not say much; he just asked, "What did he say next?"

Zhang Guangli said, "He said, you know, Western medicine can solve the problem with a few hours of surgery, why suffer and wait for an indefinite time when the disease may not even be cured, and the suffering lasts longer!

And look, with such advanced medical equipment now, machines can detect tumors and cysts; doesn’t Chinese medicine also need machines to diagnose? So it’s now the era of modern medicine; the so-called old herbal remedies of Chinese medicine, with pulse diagnosis and tongue coating observation, are already far behind the development of modern science and technology.

Hearing him say this, I was a bit displeased at the time, but thinking that he was a patient who came to see me, I sighed and asked him: Then why did you come today?

He said something at that time that I’ve never forgotten: I want to try using a prescription of Chinese medicine to treat my gouty arthritis because Western medicine has not improved it.

At that time, I found it amusing. On the one hand, he looked down on Chinese medicine; on the other hand, when faced with problems that Western medicine couldn’t solve, he thought about whether Chinese medicine might have a good solution. How could a person be this contradictory?"

At this point, Zhang Guangli smiled self-deprecatingly and continued, "I roughly checked his condition, and saw his tongue was red with a yellowish greasy coating, and his pulse was wiry and rapid.

According to the symptoms he described, he had soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, liked to eat meat usually, but recently noticed a loss of appetite and abdominal distention.

At that time, I prescribed him a formula." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lu Xuan originally wanted to ask what the formula was but realized it had been over ten years, so Zhang Guangli might not remember. However, Zhang Guangli seemed to catch on to Lu Xuan’s thought and smiled, saying, "I still remember the prescription: Chinese Fir Tree Bark, tiger cane, talc, Coix Seed, Earth Dragon, White Silkworm Chrysalis, Centipede, Scorpion, He Shou Wu, Atractylodes."

Lu Xuan gave an awkward smile, not expecting Zhang Guangli to notice his curiosity.

Zhang Guangli continued, "Guess what that Western doctor said after he saw the prescription I gave him?"

"What did he say?"

"He took the prescription and smirked, saying, ’You’ve got quite a variety here; won’t taking so many herbs poison me?’ I was a bit angered at that moment. If it were other patients, I wouldn’t have minded much. But he was special, being a Western doctor, and one who specifically looked down on Chinese medicine. I thought about not treating him, but then I realized I needed to treat him and cure him to fundamentally change his perspective on Chinese medicine."

Lu Xuan nodded.

For Chinese medicine to be widely acknowledged, it needs not only patient voices, but also the voices of opponents.

Zhang Guangli’s rationality overcame impulse.

"You did the right thing."

Zhang Guangli chuckled and said, "At that time, I responded back, saying if you want to try, then go home and take it as prescribed. In my clinic, I see patients every day, and I don’t dare to play with patients’ lives. If there’s any problem, feel free to come to me.

Three days later, he came for a follow-up, saying all his symptoms had disappeared. He couldn’t believe that Chinese medicine could be more effective than Western medicine!

I said, Chinese medicine is not about how strong the effect of the medicine is; it’s about the right medicine for the right disease.

Moreover, there’s a lot of intricacy in Chinese medicine. It’s not like Western medicine, ’treat a headache for a headache and foot pain for the foot.’ In Chinese medicine, a headache might require treating from head to toe!

His arthritis pain was of a gouty nature. But the medicine I prescribed was based on strengthening the spleen and replenishing the kidneys, treating damp-heat toxin as the secondary focus, and lastly using methods to resolve turbidity and benefit detoxification.

Firstly, Atractylodes strengthens the spleen and dries dampness; you know ’the spleen governs transportation and transformation,’ and when the meridians are blocked, it’s closely related to the spleen.

Secondly, He Shou Wu benefits the kidneys and replenishes the yin, preventing dampness from injuring the yin, preventing blood activation from injuring blood, and enhancing the function of dispelling turbidity.

Furthermore, Chinese Fir Tree Bark and tiger cane clear and benefit damp-heat, detoxifying and alleviating joint swelling. Coix Seed benefits dampness, helping to expel damp-heat turbid toxins from the body, leading evil outwards.

Finally, Earth Dragon, White Silkworm Chrysalis, Centipede, and Scorpion dispel wind, resolve turbidity, and promote blood circulation.

After hearing all this, he said he chose the wrong profession and should have studied Chinese medicine back then; treating patients had only been about deception, making a lot of money while losing his soul. Such incorrect cognition had been misleading in treating patients until today, only now realizing that even the flourishing Western medicine is not always right, and the seemingly declining Chinese medicine often exhibits undeniable power; most importantly, Chinese medicine truly doesn’t have the significant side effects of Western medicine. Many Chinese herbs are both food and medicine, with no side effects whatsoever.

And speaking about treating gout, he said painkillers are like brainwashing, consuming money and life day after day, missing the soul of treatment, yet ironically treating the disease, which is so unreasonable!

A physician without a soul is like a swindler wandering the streets, using cunning and deceit.

Honestly, Dr. Lu, seeing pharmacies everywhere nowadays, I feel quite saddened. Doctors in the past would rather let their medicines collect dust on the shelves than see people healthy without illness. Now when you walk around a pharmacy, they wish you’d buy up the entire store.

Sometimes, for a simple cold, a regular box of cold medicine might be enough, but by the time you leave the pharmacy, you’re carrying a bag full of medication, and a simple cold seems to become a terminal disease."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan paused for a moment. Just a few days ago, he was thinking about the situation of the Huian Pharmacy. Now with Zhang Guangli bringing this up again, he felt a bit uneasy, but after some thought, he still said, "Things are changing from top to bottom, and this situation is already turning for the better.

Moreover, as doctors, there are things we can’t change or do anything about; market behavior is best left to the market. What we need to do is to do our best to treat every patient and have no regrets in our hearts."

Zhang Guangli nodded noncommittally: "You’re right, having no regrets is enough!"