I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 131 - 106: Official Needle 26 Stabs – Reprisal Acupuncture
Sebaceous cysts are medically also known as epidermoid cysts.
In Chinese medicine, cysts are classified into three types: blood cysts, flesh cysts, and sinew cysts.
The authentic surgery book has a more specific explanation for these three types of cysts.
"Blood cysts are slightly purple and red, a mix of soft and hard, the skin slightly hides them, they are wrapped like red silk, and once scratched, they bleed uncontrollably."
"Flesh cysts are as soft as cotton, swelling like a bun, with unchanged skin color, neither tight nor loose."
"Sinew cysts are hard and purple, with bulging veins, twisting and winding like earthworms."
Blood cysts are equivalent to what Western medicine calls hemangiomas, capillary hemangiomas, and cavernous hemangiomas, among others.
Flesh cysts include fibromas, lipomas, cysts, and so on.
As for sinew cysts, the most typical example is varicose veins.
The bump on Wang Kun’s nose is undoubtedly a flesh cyst in Chinese medicine.
After being removed, it keeps growing back. On the one hand, it’s because the internal body hasn’t been properly adjusted; on the other hand, the removal wasn’t clean, which is why it repeatedly cannot be eradicated.
The body’s internal imbalance is easily adjustable; flesh cysts are essentially a symptom of qi stagnation and phlegm coagulation, simply put, blocked qi causing spleen and stomach issues, leading to the formation of phlegm which then condenses and doesn’t disperse.
Just using the Huatansan Erchen Pills and Shiquan Liqi Yin, with modifications, can adjust Wang Kun’s internal condition.
Lu Jiu, without needing to differentiate symptoms, could already prescribe a formula.
This is the benefit of clinical experience.
A problem on the nose suggests a spleen problem, without a doubt.
If even through observation this conclusion can’t be drawn, then Lu Jiu’s improved medical skills recently have been in vain.
Given that the problem lies with the spleen, there’s likely an issue with transportation and transformation, leading to phlegm and dampness, and since there’s a hard lump on the nose, naturally it indicates the coagulation of phlegm and dampness, and blocked qi flow.
Erchen Pills can transform damp phlegm and spleen and stomach issues, while Liqi Yin can detoxify and reduce swelling. Combining them, the formula comes out naturally.
So now, the only thing Lu Jiu needed to deal with was how to reduce the hard lump on Wang Kun’s nose.
Under the watchful eyes of Fang Xuanqi and others, Lu Jiu took out a finest needle from his pocket, opened the disposable packaging, and approached Wang Kun.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, carrying needles has become Lu Jiu’s routine habit.
"I’ll first use acupuncture to help you eliminate the hard lump, relax, and try not to disrupt your breathing."
Wang Kun wasn’t new to seeing Chinese medicine doctors. He had previously visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital with a friend, but the only genuine practitioner there, after prescribing him several courses of Chinese medicine, had shown no effect whatsoever.
After that, he somewhat wanted to give up.
He would always wait for the lump to get bigger, then ask a colleague to operate on it.
But usually, one operation could only sustain for a month, and then it would grow back.
His appearance had always been like that; having or not having a cyst did not harm his looks in any way, but it was bothersome to look at.
It was like in adolescence when he couldn’t get a good night’s sleep without squeezing the pimples on his face.
Seeing Lu Jiu intending to treat him with acupuncture, Wang Kun felt a bit anxious inside.
This cyst wasn’t even entirely removed with a knife; can such a small needle solve it?
Of course, despite the doubts, Wang Kun remained silent.
Quickly, Lu Jiu, with one hand holding Wang Kun’s cheek, firmly inserted the needle straight into the center of the hard lump.
Reaching the bottom of the hard lump, Lu Jiu started twisting the needle, then lifted it slightly upwards, bringing the tip to just beneath the skin surface, and adjusted the direction, entering at an angle.
This needle pierced the edge of the hard lump as well, stopping just before piercing through the skin, Lu Jiu, as before, twisted it and then pulled it back to the upper skin surface.
This technique is called Bao Sting, one of the Official Needle Twenty-Six Stabs.
When addressing lumps, Bao Sting requires continuous needling and withdrawing; only the first and last stabs need to reach the base of the hard lump, and in between, eight stabs are applied, corresponding to eight directions.
That is, east, south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest.
The difficulty of this technique lies in control, precise control.
Because every time you stab, you withdraw to the skin surface, then adjust the position to stab again; if stabbed too shallow, it won’t be effective, if too deep, it may pierce the skin.
Although piercing two points with one needle also requires precision, it can move forward slowly. Bao Sting is quicker and involves more stabs, making it more challenging than piercing two points.
Of course, besides Bao Sting, another technique in the Official Needle Twenty-Six Stabs, Cuo Sting, or Fire Needle, can also treat this condition.
However, there’s a chance of recurrence with Cuo Sting, while Bao Sting can eliminate it thoroughly, which is why Lu Jiu chose to use Bao Sting first.
Watching Lu Jiu shuttle the needle back and forth on the hard lump on Wang Kun’s nose, Fang Xuanqi was filled with curiosity.
It was his first time seeing Chinese medicine using acupuncture in treatment, finding it particularly novel.
But the sensation of the needle in the flesh puzzled Fang Xuanqi a bit.
Doesn’t it hurt?
Very quickly, Lu Jiu finished the acupuncture, and Bao Sting didn’t require keeping the needle in, it could be withdrawn immediately after completion.
"Take a look and see if there’s any change." Lu Jiu handed a mirror from the TV cabinet over.
Wang Kun looked in the mirror, observing his nose, and hey, indeed, the hard lump seemed to have slightly shrunk, barely visible, yet the effect was remarkably quick.
Clearly, it was just a few stabs in, without extracting anything, so why did the lump shrink seemingly out of thin air?
I don’t get it!
Wang Kun was genuinely perplexed.
"Don’t let it get wet tonight. By tomorrow morning, after a night’s sleep, a significant portion should dissipate. Combined with the Chinese medicine, it should be completely clean in two or three days." Lu Jiu said.
"Will it not grow again in the future?" Wang Kun asked.
"Under normal circumstances, it won’t. Just pay attention to your diet, reduce staying up late as much as possible, and try to manage your emotions; don’t bottle things up, and it’s generally unlikely to relapse." Lu Jiu said.
"I can pay attention to my diet, but staying up late, you know, my occupation doesn’t really allow it." Wang Kun said with a wry smile.
"It’s alright, staying up late alone won’t cause a recurrence, the main issue is emotional; this ailment is most afraid of blocked qi." Lu Jiu said.
"Can emotions really cause the qi to block?" Wang Kun queried.
"Simply put, when you’re angry, doesn’t the qi rush upwards? This is a typical example of emotions affecting the flow of qi. If there’s nothing else to do, stretch occasionally, which can soothe the liver and regulate qi. If you keep at it, it’s hard for it to relapse." Lu Jiu explained.
"Got it, thank you, Dr. Lu." Wang Kun memorized it carefully.
"You’re welcome; it’s my duty. I’ll write a prescription for you, get it from the pharmacy, three doses, one per day." Lu Jiu said.
With that, Lu Jiu wrote down the prescription, and after Wang Kun took it, he was ready to pay, but Lu Jiu insisted on not accepting any money, despite Fang Xuanqi persuading him on the side.
Seeing this, Fang Xuanqi understood Lu Jiu’s intention and then left with Wang Kun.
Watching her son’s actions, Liu Mei’s smile widened.
As a mother, who could refuse having a promising son?
After seeing them off, Lu Jiu closed the door and turned around to see Liu Mei smiling at him.
"Mom, what are you smiling about?"
Liu Mei said, "Nothing, I just feel you’re becoming more and more like your father."
Lu Jiu chuckled, "The way you say it, if I don’t look like Dad, then who do I look like? Hey? Could it be true that when I was little, you said I was picked up from a garbage dump?"
Liu Mei furrowed her brows playfully, "Itchy, aren’t we?"
Seeing things turning south, Lu Jiu dashed off rapidly, sprinting into his room.
Liu Mei, seeing this, chuckled with her mouth closed.
Successful he may be, but still with the air of a child!
