I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 166 - 139: Urticaria

"Teacher, it should be on this street. Let’s go there."

An Xianda checked his phone GPS and slowly walked onto Garden Street. Standing beside him was none other than Huang Fusheng, who had given a speech at Jingjun Restaurant yesterday.

"Mm," Huang Fusheng responded.

Huang Fusheng noticed a place on the sidewalk with a long queue and guessed it was Lu’s Clinic.

"Teacher, if you say Lu Jiu really has talent, why did his uncle have to pull strings? You’ve made it clear you don’t take on people with connections, yet he still sent gifts and even openly and secretly tried to get you to take his nephew as an apprentice. It’s a bit amusing," An Xianda said.

"Since you think that way, why did you drag me here?" Huang Fusheng replied, not in a good mood.

He had always been very averse to people who pulled strings.

When Lu Feng told him that Lu Jiu was his nephew and hoped he would look after him, Huang Fusheng had already decided to eliminate Lu Jiu during the interview process.

If it hadn’t been for An Xianda persuading him to first see if Lu Jiu was genuinely capable or just a show-off, Huang Fusheng wouldn’t have come here early in the morning.

"Well, teacher, I did see this kid is not of bad character. In several videos, he showed genuine concern for his patients, and it’s said his fees are particularly low. If we eliminate him because of some missteps by his elders, it wouldn’t be fair," An Xianda said with a smile.

"There’s no such thing as absolute fairness in this world," Huang Fusheng said.

"That’s why we’re trying to create a fair environment. Anyway, we’re just having a look. With your skill, you can tell his level at a glance without wasting time, right?" An Xianda grinned.

"You kid, always speaking up for others," Huang Fusheng remarked.

"Why else would you make me your student? Although, alas, my talent is too mediocre, and after more than twenty years, my skills are still average," An Xianda chuckled.

"It’s fine, as long as you don’t fall into the ranks of quacks, it justifies all these years of learning," Huang Fusheng said.

In traditional Chinese medicine, treating diseases correctly qualifies one as a competent practitioner.

If able to cure appropriately, then one can ease many patients’ sufferings as a doctor.

And if one can also treat people by considering their overall condition, then one reaches the level of him as a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

Ordinary people, after striving for forty or fifty years, might achieve that, but to go further, talent is required.

This talent, An Xianda did not have.

Among Huang Fusheng’s many students, only two barely met the standard.

Those extremely talented and perceptive individuals, none were found among his students.

Reflecting on this, Huang Fusheng felt a sense of lament.

If his skills couldn’t be passed on, they would be lost with him when he left this world.

Whether the academy and hospital he established would continue to gain reputation through results is uncertain!

"Teacher, we’re here," An Xianda said.

At this moment, they stood outside Lu’s Clinic, just able to see Lu Jiu attending patients through the crowd.

"There are quite a few people," Huang Fusheng remarked.

"Teacher, is the view clear here? Maybe we should move to the entrance," An Xianda suggested.

"No need. I see he also does acupuncture. Just watching him treat a patient or two, seeing how he performs, will show his skill," Huang Fusheng said.

An Xianda was aware of Huang Fusheng’s medical skill. His teacher could diagnose issues merely from a patient’s movements and tone of voice, rarely being wrong unless the case was particularly complicated.

This level of diagnostic skill was one that none of the disciples could master to date.

...

"Hiss~ Dr. Lu, I’m itching to death, please help me quickly,"

In front of Lu Jiu, a man in his thirties couldn’t resist scratching his arm.

In an instant, the already small bumps on his arm turned red, and a large area of uneven bumps emerged like mushrooms after rain, appearing particularly unsettling.

Hives?

Lu Jiu recognized it as subcutaneous dampness, akin to what Western medicine calls hives.

This condition isn’t really serious. Some people with hives only need a tablet of loratadine, and within ten minutes the rash disappears completely.

Of course, for some, the medication doesn’t work, and for others, it keeps recurring.

This stems from the persistence of subcutaneous damp-heat not being eliminated.

"Have you taken loratadine?" Lu Jiu asked.

Jin Shihang smiled bitterly, "Of course I have. Ever since I got these hives, I’ve been taking it. The first time it worked, but not anymore. I went to the hospital, and the doctor said it’s allergic hives. Whenever I come into contact with something I’m allergic to, like certain medicines, chemicals, or foods, the hives return."

"It makes me feel like Conan each time I get it; I have to repetitively track down what caused it recently. It sometimes drives me a bit crazy, making me extremely cautious while eating and playing. Once, I couldn’t even drink with friends and took a tiny sip of fruit wine, which didn’t even taste like alcohol, and then the itching started. First on my neck, then back, then thighs, and finally even my face. It was so freaking embarrassing."

"Honestly, this illness is driving me to the brink of madness. Sometimes I even wake up from sleep because of the itching. Dr. Lu, can this be completely cured?"

Jin Shihang begged while scratching the back of his hand.

In just a moment, rashes also began to appear on the back of his hand.

Lu Jiu said, "As long as the dampness is eliminated, it’ll get better, but to completely cure it, you’ll need to work on your lifestyle habits. Of course, it’s not about avoiding everything either."

"All rashes are actually caused by sweating and exposure to wind. Like when small red spots appear on us occasionally, especially large areas of red spots on the back. They don’t hurt or itch but look uncomfortable. They’re actually due to sweat staying on the skin for too long after exercise."

"We call them warts. Warts aren’t a disease; they’re just a physiological reaction caused by not cleaning sweat off the skin. Some little bumps on the skin are also due to too many warts."

Jin Shihang said in surprise, "Dr. Lu, my back has a lot of red rashes just like what you described."

Lu Jiu replied, "This shows you have dampness in your body, and it’s been there for a while."

Jin Shihang nodded, "It’s been years. Since it doesn’t hurt or itch, I just ignored it."

Lu Jiu said, "But you need to pay attention to this. Nowadays, with air conditioning, especially in summer, after sweating outside, you immediately feel cool when entering an air-conditioned room. Once the sweat dries and you feel comfortable, you naturally forget to wipe it off. Over time, warts accumulate on the skin. After sweating, the pores open, letting in wind, which brings in dampness. This dampness staying on the skin causes rashes, urticaria, and other skin issues."

"So, your recurring urticaria might be because the dampness on your skin wasn’t fully cleared. When there’s cold inside the body, Yang Qi can’t enter the Yin, and some Yang energy escapes, heating up and disturbing the skin’s dampness, forming hot and damp rashes."

"Think about it, have you recently sweated and then caught a breeze?"

Jin Shihang said, "Sweat? I thought I never exercised, but I decided to jog for a couple of days. But I showered right after running, didn’t let the sweat stay on my skin!"

Lu Jiu chuckled, "Showering immediately after sweating allows cold to enter your body through the pores, just like turning on the air conditioning. The cool air squeezes out the heat space. This heat was supposed to be in your organs, but when you shower, the cold enters, forcing the heat to the skin surface, mixing with dampness, causing urticaria."

Jin Shihang realized, "I see, so does that mean I shouldn’t jog, Dr. Lu?"

Lu Jiu said, "You can jog, but I don’t recommend it, especially in winter. This is the time for conserving, not releasing energy. Jogging and sweating too much isn’t good for your heart. If you must jog, just sweat lightly, don’t sweat excessively."

"Otherwise, cold and dampness will keep entering your body. Even if the urticaria is cured, other illnesses might follow."

Jin Shihang nodded, "Alright, I’ll wait until next year to start working out. Dr. Lu, please treat me."

Lu Jiu laughed, "Let me relieve your itch first, then I’ll prescribe some medicine."

Jin Shihang was thrilled, "Great, great! Dr. Lu, quickly start the acupuncture."

He couldn’t help but start scratching again.

There was no escape; the itch couldn’t be controlled by willpower. Only after scratching did he feel a momentary relief.

People who haven’t suffered from this condition wouldn’t understand his feelings.

Lu Jiu prepared the needles and then grabbed Jin Shihang’s left hand.

A needle to Hegu, a needle to Quchi.

Then the right hand, the same Hegu and Quchi combination.

These two points paired together can treat upper body itching quickly.

Of course, this is only temporary relief, just like anti-inflammatory drugs in Western medicine.

These points aren’t for curing urticaria itself.

To speed up the itch relief, once Lu Jiu sensed the Qi, he immediately applied the Heaven-Piercing Cool Needle Technique.

Urticaria’s nature is damp-heat, and Heaven-Piercing Cool can expel some hot evil. Combined with the acupuncture points, the effect is doubly effective.

Thus, under everyone’s eyes, they saw Lu Jiu twisting the needles while the red bumps on Jin Shihang’s hand began to disappear visibly.

This miraculous scene drew gasps of amazement from everyone, especially Jin Shihang, who was dumbfounded.

This was his first time watching his illness vanish in front of his eyes, and the persistent itch seemed to become less noticeable.

A divine doctor!!

Jin Shihang was at a loss for words to describe Lu Jiu’s medical skills.

However, outside the clinic.

Huang Fusheng, upon seeing Lu Jiu’s acupuncture technique, suddenly leaned forward and involuntarily took two steps closer, as if trying hard to see Lu Jiu’s hand movements clearly.

Upon confirming the acupuncture technique Lu Jiu used, Huang Fusheng’s expression changed from surprise to shock.

"Teacher, he..."

An Xianda also noticed something off with Lu Jiu’s acupuncture technique.

"Heaven-Piercing Cool...he actually knows Piercing Cold..."

Huang Fusheng’s gaze suddenly shifted to the medicine cabinet behind Lu Jiu, where Lu Mountain was sorting herbs.

Huang Fusheng squinted, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Who would have thought that in a small city like Jianghan, there would be such a lineage.

He now had a bit of interest in getting to know the mentor behind Lu Jiu!