Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 81: A Heavy Dose for a Stubborn Illness
"Breaking news, huge news!"
Hu Qiming posted an eye-popping emoji in the group chat.
This piqued everyone’s curiosity.
"What’s the news?"
"Did a medical dispute break out at your hospital?"
"We’re all busy. Spit it out, don’t keep us in suspense."
Hu Qiming didn’t keep them hanging and eagerly shared, "Just now, an associate chief physician from the ophthalmology department of the City People’s Hospital came to our hospital to formally report that one of our surgical chief physicians is having an affair... And not just with one person! You won’t believe it. He’s not only involved with a head nurse but is also entangled with a resident doctor... He always looks so prim and proper, but who knew he was such a player behind the scenes..."
Li Baojie: "That’s pretty normal. We’re just recent grads, so we haven’t seen much yet. I had dinner with a senior colleague from my hospital a couple of days ago, and he told me some inside stories. Some are even wilder than what you just said. But I’m curious, are you sure it’s okay to post this in the group chat?"
Miaoli: "Delete it, quick! Before the hospital comes after you."
Hu Qiming: "Heh heh, no worries. The cat’s out of the bag. Everyone in the hospital knows already, even some of the patients. There’s no way to cover it up. Just watch, it’ll be trending online today."
...
Li Xu looked at the messages on his phone. He hadn’t expected Gu Xiaoya to make her move so quickly.
And she’d done it without leaving herself any way out.
’She must have completely given up on her marriage, her anger reaching its peak to do something like this.’
He sent Gu Xiaoya a message: "You can do it. I support you."
Gu Xiaoya quickly replied: "Thank you. I finally found the courage to take this step. I’m doing fine."
He offered a few more words of comfort.
Li Xu put down his phone and went back to his book.
Today’s intelligence was an ordinary piece of information.
It was an analysis of a patient’s symptoms.
Li Xu had come to a realization now.
The system’s daily intelligence wasn’t really divided into ’ordinary’ and ’precious’.
Even a seemingly ordinary piece of information could be a great source of inspiration for him.
It was like having an infallible teacher guiding him step-by-step through diagnosing patients.
Li Xu benefited greatly.
...
Zhang Shufen stared at the roiling black liquid in the decoction pot, her brow furrowed.
It had been three days. She had been meticulously preparing and taking the medicine according to Dr. Guo’s instructions, but the results were far from what she had hoped.
The sweating had lessened slightly; she went from changing her clothes five or six times a day down to three or four.
But the bone-chilling cold still clung to her like a shadow, and she couldn’t take off her heavy down jacket.
"The effect is so-so," she murmured, stirring the decoction with a ladle, her voice full of disappointment.
Her husband walked over and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Don’t worry. Didn’t the doctor say to come back for a follow-up after three days? I’ll go with you tomorrow."
The next morning, in the internal medicine consultation room at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guo Yu examined Zhang Shufen’s tongue and pulse, his frown deepening.
"Strange..." he muttered to himself. "Her pulse is a bit stronger than last time, and her tongue coating has improved. Why aren’t the symptoms significantly better?"
Miaoli, who was beside him looking through the medical records, said, "Director, the prescription is correct for her condition. Cinnamon and Aconite Decoction is used for excessive sweating. Logically, it should have..."
"Theoretically, yes," Guo Yu interrupted her, turning to Zhang Shufen. "Are you certain you prepared the decoction exactly as I instructed? Simmering the Aconite for 40 minutes first?"
Zhang Shufen nodded hastily. "I set a timer. It was exact to the minute."
Guo Yu pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where do you live?"
"In the Sunshine District on Construction Road."
"Well..." Guo Yu hesitated, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Do you know of a place in your community called Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic?"
Zhang Shufen was taken aback. "Of course. Doctor Li at that clinic is very well-known in our area."
Guo Yu said, "I suggest you go and see him. Although I don’t believe my diagnosis was wrong, but..."
He gave a wry smile. "Sometimes, a fresh perspective might be better."
Zhang Shufen hadn’t expected Guo Yu to proactively recommend another doctor.
In all her experience with doctors, this was the first time one hadn’t insisted on their own treatment plan.
"Alright."
Zhang Shufen nodded.
Actually, even if Guo Yu hadn’t mentioned it, Zhang Shufen was already planning to go.
...
Ever since visiting Gu Xiaoya at the City People’s Hospital, Li Xu had spent the last few days at his clinic.
He had diagnosed more than ten patients.
Most were minor ailments like colds and fevers.
Some diagnoses were guided by the system’s intelligence, while others he made based on his own skills. And while he couldn’t promise an instant cure, once he prescribed the right treatment, his patients recovered.
His reputation grew day by day.
When Zhang Shufen arrived, there were two patients in the clinic.
She waited for half an hour.
She noticed that Li Xu was very meticulous when examining patients.
Sometimes, just taking a pulse would last seven or eight minutes.
Combined with the consultation, a single patient’s appointment would take more than ten minutes.
When it was her turn,
she sat down across from Li Xu.
Li Xu wiped his hands with a moist towelette and said gently, "Please, tell me what’s been going on."
Zhang Shufen began to recount her condition, starting with the cold she’d had three months ago.
Li Xu listened quietly, occasionally jotting notes in his casebook.
When she mentioned that the prescription from Guo Yu wasn’t very effective, Li Xu’s pen paused.
"May I see the prescription Director Guo gave you?" he asked.
Zhang Shufen took the well-preserved prescription slip from her bag.
Li Xu read it carefully, his brow gradually knitting.
"Cinnamon Bark, 10 grams; white peony, 10 grams; processed Aconite, 6 grams..." he read softly, then suddenly looked up. "A prescription for summertime?"
Zhang Shufen nodded. "Dr. Guo said that because it’s summer and hot, the dosage of Aconite had to be small. He was afraid of... something about ’raising Yang and depleting Yin’... I’m not really sure."
Li Xu hummed thoughtfully and gestured for her to stick out her tongue.
Her tongue was pale with a thin, white coating.
Next, he placed three fingers on her wrist, applying moderate pressure to feel her pulse.
"The pulse is deep and thready, but a bit stronger than Director Guo described..." Li Xu murmured to himself. "You said the sweating decreased a little after taking the medicine?"
"Yes, from five or six times a day down to three or four," Zhang Shufen replied. "But I’m still especially sensitive to the cold."
Li Xu released her wrist and suddenly asked, "Do you have air conditioning at home?"
"Yes, but I don’t dare turn it on," Zhang Shufen said with a bitter smile. "The moment I do, I start shivering from the cold."
Li Xu nodded. As he wrote in his casebook, he explained, "Director Guo’s diagnosis was completely correct. It is indeed excessive sweating, and the prescription was appropriate for the condition. It’s just..."
He paused for a moment. "The dosage was too conservative."
This conclusion was one he had reached based on a reminder from his intelligence.
Otherwise, based on his own knowledge and experience, his judgment would have been the same as Guo Yu’s.
The weather is hot in the summer.
If warming tonics are used too aggressively, it can lead to ’raising Yang and depleting Yin’.
When prescribing, one would reduce the dosage of ingredients like Aconite, Ginseng, and Astragalus Root.
But the intelligence from a few days ago had offered a reminder—sometimes, you can’t be too cautious with medication.
Severe illnesses require bold prescriptions; chronic diseases need heavy doses.
Zhang Shufen’s condition called for a heavy dose.
"Hmm?"
Zhang Shufen was confused.
"In the summer heat, doctors often worry about overusing warming tonics, so they reduce the dosage of warming herbs like Aconite and Ginseng," Li Xu explained. "But your case is special. Your Yang Qi has been severely damaged, and your body’s defensive layer is unstable. A dosage this small is like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water; it’s nowhere near enough to warm the Yang and secure the exterior."
He tore a sheet from his prescription pad and handed it to her. "I’ve adjusted the dosage. Please give this a try."
Zhang Shufen took it and saw that, compared to the previous prescription, the dosage for many of the herbs had been increased.
The amount of processed Aconite, in particular, was now 30 grams.
Five times the original amount.
She didn’t quite understand.
But she trusted Li Xu, so she took the prescription and left.
