Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 93: Hairdryer Healing

"Old Gao, don’t be angry. Sit down and let’s talk," Dean Sun said in a soft, gentle voice.

But Gao Jiandong had no intention of sitting. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Dean, how old is that Li Xu? How long has he been out of school? And you’re giving him the treatment of a specially-appointed advisor? How many senior doctors in our hospital have toiled for over a decade without receiving such an honor!"

"Doctor Li may be young, but he has genuine skill and knowledge," Dean Sun said, pushing up his glasses. "You saw Zhao Daqiang’s case of liver cirrhosis with ascites. Even the experts from City First Hospital and the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were at a loss, but he was the one who cured him."

"And what does that prove?" Gao Jiandong sneered. "Traditional Chinese medicine has always involved a lot of luck. It was probably just a coincidence!"

Outside the office, several young doctors were peeking in, eavesdropping.

"Besides," Gao Jiandong grew more agitated as he spoke, "he gets an advisor’s fee without even having to work regular hours? I’ve been a doctor for over thirty years, and how much is my monthly salary? What about the doctors in other departments? What are they supposed to think?"

Dean Sun stood up, his tone turning serious. "Old Gao, you’re a veteran yourself. ’TCM is about luck?’ How could you say something like that? Besides, this hospital hires based on ability, not seniority.

"I’ve already looked into it. Not only did Li Xu cure the patient with liver cirrhosis, but he has also treated patients for profuse sweating, chronic coughs, red eyes, and insomnia... not to mention the tick-bite patient from our own hospital. Once or twice could be luck, but with this many cases, it’s a testament to his skill. Dr. Li’s medical expertise is there for all to see. My decision is final."

"Dean! You’ll dishearten the long-serving staff by doing this!" Gao Jiandong stubbornly refused to back down, his neck stiff with indignation. "I’m willing to bet that kid has no real talent at all. He’s just lucky!"

"In that case, how about this," Dean Sun said with a sudden smile. "The next time our hospital has a difficult case, we’ll invite Advisor Li for a consultation, and you can join as well. We’ll see if he’s the real deal or not then, won’t we?"

Gao Jiandong was taken aback for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Fine! I’d like to see for myself just what this ’Divine Physician’ is made of!"

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

「...」

Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic.

"Doctor Li, I heard you’ve become a specially-appointed traditional Chinese medicine advisor for the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

Wang Ruiying walked into the clinic. "Congratulations, congratulations."

"Thank you," Li Xu said, gesturing for her to sit. "How is your son doing now?"

Wang Ruiying gave a wry smile. "He got better a long time ago, ever since he started taking the medicine you prescribed. The only problem is he’s now developed a habit of drinking almond milk. Sigh, he throws a fit if he doesn’t have it for a day."

"You should still try to control it. Some brands of almond milk have a lot of additives. You came here today because..."

"Oh, I’m not here for my son. I’m the one who isn’t feeling well."

Wang Ruiying began to explain her situation.

She worked in an office.

One of her colleagues was overweight and sensitive to the heat, so he kept the air conditioning turned way down.

She was catching colds frequently.

So, she requested an office change.

After the move, she stopped catching colds, but now she had a stomachache, so she came to get it checked out.

"Doctor Li, could you prescribe me a few courses of medicine?"

Li Xu shook his head. "Your condition doesn’t require medicine."

"How can you treat it without medicine?" Wang Ruiying asked, confused.

Li Xu smiled and said, "The method is very simple. Do you have a hair dryer at home?"

"Yes, I do."

"You can treat your ailment with a hair dryer."

Treating illness with a hair dryer was a ’little trick’ the system had given him yesterday.

Over the past two days, Li Xu had reviewed some of his father’s case files and books, and he had come to understand the principle behind it.

Many people start coughing, get a runny nose, and feel a chill in their back as soon as the seasons change, easily catching a "wind-cold."

But the solution to this problem doesn’t require medicine at all—just a hair dryer.

That’s right, the same appliance everyone has at home for drying their hair.

It is one of the hidden "health-care miracle tools."

The only difference lies in whether you use it to blow-dry the roots of your hair or the Mingmen acupoint.

Traditional Chinese medicine says, "Wind is the chief of all ills."

This isn’t some mystical saying; it’s been clinically verified.

When pathogenic wind enters the body, where does it invade first?

The back, the neck, and the soles of the feet.

This is especially true for points like the Mingmen on the back, Jianjing on the shoulders, and Fengchi at the nape of the neck. When these areas get cold, it directly affects the circulation of Yang Qi.

Yet modern people, wanting to look good, often wear less clothing. When the air conditioner blows, the cold air penetrates directly, leading to more and more people with a Yang-deficient constitution.

One of his father’s case files mentioned a white-collar worker in her thirties who came for treatment. Her physical exams showed nothing wrong, but she would feel fatigued, cold, and break out in a nervous sweat while sitting as soon as the seasons changed.

She thought it was a problem with her immune system and visited several different departments for checkups, but all the results came back normal.

His father suggested she use a hair dryer on her back, navel, and the soles of her feet every night. After just a few days, she felt noticeably warmer, and her sleep had improved.

Is this some kind of mysticism?

Not at all.

The heat from a hair dryer is, in essence, an external heat source. For people who are sensitive to cold, suffer from uterine cold, rheumatism, Yang deficiency, cold hands and feet, or chronic stomach cold, it’s the most direct and efficient method of "replenishing fire."

The ginger soup people drink and the moxibustion they use are based on the same principle. It’s just that a hair dryer is faster and more convenient.

Is this some "folk remedy"?

Yes and no.

Because this is the simplest way to "warm the Yang and disperse the cold," and what modern people lack most is Yang Qi.

This is especially true for women. Uterine cold, irregular menstruation, and menstrual pain often have cold as their root cause.

Isn’t applying a heat source directly to the uterine area better than randomly taking medication to regulate menstruation?

It’s particularly effective for insomnia caused by a cold constitution and for those with a Yang-deficient constitution. Use the hair dryer twice a day. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In the morning before leaving the house, warm the Mingmen point for five minutes. At night, after a shower, warm your navel and the soles of your feet.

It doesn’t need to be for too long—just until the area feels warm and you break into a light sweat.

After a month, you’ll see a significant improvement in your complexion, sleep, and the temperature of your hands and feet.

For some chronic shoulder, neck, and back pain, warming the area with a hair dryer combined with a light massage provides much faster relief than medicinal plasters.

This is because the root cause of much of this pain is localized cold exposure and poor blood circulation.

When there is heat, blood flows freely. When blood flows freely, the pain stops. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, a hair dryer isn’t a panacea. It’s not a means of curing diseases, but rather a way to alleviate mild discomfort caused by cold and dampness.

For example, at the onset of a wind-cold, using it on the Fengchi, Feishu, and Fengmen acupoints can stop a runny nose by the next day for many people.

Another example: for women who often have cold hands and feet, warming the soles of their feet with a hair dryer in conjunction with a foot soak is far more effective than drinking brown sugar water.

In his father’s case files, there was also a forty-year-old man who suffered from chronic lower back pain. He had tried various medicinal plasters, acupuncture, and physical therapy, but the effects never lasted.

His father advised him to use a hair dryer along his spine, moving from top to bottom, for ten minutes every night after his shower and to stick with it for a month.

When he returned for a follow-up three months later, he said that not only was his back no longer sore, but his insomnia was gone as well.

After listening to Li Xu’s explanation, Wang Ruiying reluctantly accepted this ’treatment plan.’

However, she was still worried. "Doctor Li, hair dryers produce radiation. Isn’t that unsafe?"

Li Xu shook his head. "There’s no scientific basis for that concern. The electromagnetic radiation from a hair dryer is far lower than that of a cell phone or a computer, let alone a microwave. You’re attached to your phone all day long, yet you’re worried about a hair dryer? That logic doesn’t hold up."

"Remember, hold the hair dryer 10 to 15 centimeters away, use warm heat that doesn’t burn the skin, and limit the time to 5 to 10 minutes, just until you start to sweat lightly. Don’t be greedy for more heat, and especially don’t blow it directly on bare skin at full blast. That will actually ’damage your Yang’."