I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Chapter 372 - 158: One Prescription to "Wash Away" Chronic Herpes Zoster

Fan Yazi smiled and introduced, "This is the Dr. Lu you didn’t want to see before because you thought he was young and hadn’t been invited to the United South Chinese Medicine Association. He’s now practicing at the United South Chinese Medicine Association. Does that meet your requirements now?"

The elderly lady didn’t react immediately, but when she did, her face turned red, and she said angrily, "You child, how could you embarrass your mother like this? It’s one thing for us to talk among ourselves, but to say this in front of Dr. Lu is to deliberately embarrass me!"

Fan Yazi knew the old lady’s temperament and figured she wasn’t genuinely angry, it was just a little embarrassing to say such things in front of the person involved.

Lu Xuan realized what Fan Yazi meant. The two had previously made an appointment with him but didn’t want to believe in him because he was young and worked at the Health Center. Now that he was at the United South Chinese Medicine Association, they had no choice but to see him, even though they were a bit embarrassed.

Seeing the elderly lady’s awkward expression, Lu Xuan interrupted, "Ma’am, it’s okay. It’s natural to be skeptical because I’m young. But since you’re here, let me take a look. If I really can’t help, then you can look for someone more experienced. How does that sound?"

Lu Xuan’s words gave the old lady a way out, and she, being quite savvy, immediately said, "Dr. Lu, I’ll take this as you giving me face."

"Sorry, Dr. Lu."

The elderly lady apologized while walking into the consultation room. After sitting down, she couldn’t help but give Fan Yazi a glare.

Fan Yazi smiled nonchalantly. It’s not easy to annoy the old lady for once. Usually, it’s the younger generation being driven to tears by her antics, and they can’t say anything since she’s elderly. It’s normal for her to have some childish quirks, and honestly, who in the family doesn’t treat her like a treasure!

How could anyone get angry at her childish behavior? Although sometimes, when they don’t quite understand her actions, it leads to some humorous situations, leaving everyone with a wry smile in the end.

Once the old lady sat down, Lu Xuan began asking about her condition.

He had heard of chronic shingles from what Fan Yazi mentioned earlier, but he needed to see how far it had progressed.

The old lady was very cooperative, turning around to show the condition on her back and the blisters on her right ribs to Lu Xuan.

After a glance, Lu Xuan nodded gently, "I’m going to take your pulse and then check your tongue."

"Ma’am, how old are you this year?"

"87."

"Quite an age. You’re very fortunate. With this mental state, living to a hundred won’t be an issue."

Lu Xuan observed the old lady’s condition while chatting with her.

"Who cares about living to a hundred? This illness has worn me down. It’s been treated for over a year without improvement, constantly recurring. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll be lucky to make it to ninety, let alone a hundred." The old lady had a good outlook, chatting freely with Lu Xuan, who was like a grandson to her, very relaxed as if they were having a casual conversation.

After checking her pulse, Lu Xuan looked at Fan Yazi, asking, "Auntie, what medications did the western doctors prescribe before?"

"Antivirals, interferons, painkillers, all sorts, but they didn’t work," Fan Yazi replied after thinking a bit.

"The old lady had no choice. After a year of treatment with western medicine to no avail, she turned to Chinese medicine. Her wish is just to be pain-free. If the pain remains, she doesn’t want to live another minute.

We hear her talking about life and death all the time and find it kind of amusing. Given her healthy body, living another three to five years isn’t a problem, yet she’s always talking about dying. Before, she didn’t want to see a Chinese medicine doctor. Now she’s come to the United South Chinese Medicine Association herself."

Lu Xuan understood. Though traditional Chinese medicine has some inherent limitations, it remains a valuable tool for benefiting people if its strengths are properly utilized. In some aspects, it could even surpass western medicine.

This is indisputable.

After understanding her condition, Lu Xuan continued to chat with the old lady while jotting down notes on her medical record:

Upon examination, blisters are found on the right ribs and back. There are clustered blisters with local erythema and pigmentation, and the pain is severe with a stabbing sensation. The patient’s tongue is red with yellow and greasy coating, the pulse is wiry, bowel movements are dry, and appetite is poor. Considering the advanced age, vitality is insufficient, and toxicity has invaded the skin for over a year, deeply rooted. Internal clearance and external dispersal should be applied in tandem.

The red tongue and greasy yellow coating, along with the rapid pulse, clearly suggest damp-heat.

Constipation results from damp-heat consuming yin fluids, affecting their transportation.

Poor appetite is due to damp-heat obstructing the middle burner, hindering the stomach and spleen function. In Chinese medicine, damp-heat toxin accumulation on the skin is the cause of shingles. Hence, clearing heat and resolving dampness is the path to treatment.

"Dr. Lu, is there any good way to relieve the pain for the old lady? She’s taken so much western medicine and applied whatever possible, yet there’s no relief. Watching her suffer daily breaks our hearts. At night, it’s especially bad, the blisters are so painful she can only sleep on her stomach and even then, she can’t fall asleep. Over the past year, you can visibly see how much she’s lost weight," said Fan Yazi with a worried expression.