I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 37 - 34: The Origin of Illnesses—Wind

"Well, we can’t just break the rules chaotically for the sake of healing, the harm from that would be even greater!"

"In urgent situations, you adapt. Who said you have to break the rules for every patient?"

"For some not particularly serious illnesses, the dosage prescribed in formulas will exceed the pharmacopoeia’s limits."

"That’s because from the moment traditional medicine entered the pharmacopoeia, they misunderstood what specific inclinations and toxicity mean, and crudely concluded it couldn’t be used in excess based solely on its components."

"Do you want to have the authorities change the pharmacopoeia?"

"Why can’t it be changed if it’s wrong? Even laws are revised, this concerns the people’s life and health, doesn’t it deserve change?"

"You’re too idealistic."

"Ha, our present was built by a group of idealists!"

"Alright, I can’t argue with you. Stay in your crappy clinic for all I care!"

"When will you return the meal you owe me?"

"Damn... talk about it when you come to Jinling!"

"Alright, still my child."

"Get lost!"

...

Lu Jiu looked at the disconnected phone and couldn’t help but smile.

He hadn’t told his friends when he left Jinling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Peng Yan was training at another hospital, so news naturally lagged.

But after today’s exchange, it’s likely he won’t be persuading him to return anymore.

Meow~

Accompanied by a cat’s meow, Lu Jiu felt a small creature at his feet. Looking down, he saw it was the fully shaved Xiao Tu.

After a whole day of rest, the little guy could now move slowly.

It was evident that the medication was quite effective, coupled with a little food at noon, his strength was restored, and naturally, he was in better spirits.

"Hey," Lu Jiu picked up Xiao Tu into his hand and then placed it in his chest, using his other hand to scratch its chin. Seeing it squint comfortably, Lu Jiu unconsciously smiled, "Without fur, you do look a bit odd. It seems I’ll need to get you some clothes to wear in the next couple of days."

Cat fur not only blocks water but also resists cold. Losing it is like missing a layer of defense for them.

Therefore, before its fur fully grows back, Lu Jiu must ensure it doesn’t catch a cold, or it might somewhat affect its recovery.

There’s a saying in Chinese medicine, "All diseases begin with wind."

It means that all external diseases start with wind.

Common colds, for instance, are divided into wind-cold and wind-heat types.

Many people might never have other illnesses, but everyone will catch a cold at some point, because among the six excesses, wind is the most potent.

Besides being the start of myriad diseases, it is also the head of all diseases.

The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor states, "The wind invades the acupoints of the Five Viscera and Six Bowels, entering the specific apertures results in partial wind. Wind qi follows the Fengfu upwards and becomes brain wind. If it reaches the head, it becomes eye wind, making the eyes cold. Drinking alcohol causing wind becomes leak wind. Sweating during intercourse causes internal wind. Washing new hair during wind becomes head wind. Long-standing wind leads to intestinal wind and loose stools. External in skin and pores becomes loss wind. Thus, wind is the head of all diseases and subject to change, evolving into other diseases with no constant form, but it indeed leads to wind qi."

Wind pathogens can penetrate every nook and cranny, always seeking ways to invade the body.

For example, during running, the body heats up, pores open, and if the wind enters, it will linger, waiting for a moment of weakness to flare up.

The "partial wind" mentioned in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor is actually what modern medicine defines as hemiplegia.

Brain wind refers to headaches, of which there are many types, some severe and some not.

Eye wind is when the eyes feel cold and are sensitive to wind, tearing up upon exposure.

Understanding the concept of wind is crucial for the treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.

Why?

Because wind is the source of repeat illnesses!

When treating patients, even if the diagnosis is clear and the prescription is well-suited, symptoms can reoccur after a few days.

For instance, a patient with a cold Spleen and Stomach, who also has a slight cough—if one simply assumes the cough is due to upward phlegm from the cold Spleen and Stomach, and prescribes for cold Spleen and Stomach, but the cough is actually a wind-cold cold.

Once the patient takes the medication, not only will it not improve, the condition might worsen.

Why?

The wind pathogen is on the outside, the cold pathogen is inside.

If you ignore the wind pathogen and treat the cold pathogen, the wind pathogen will use the medicine to penetrate inside and amplify the cold pathogen.

Even if the cold Spleen and Stomach symptoms are mitigated by the medicine, should the patient face seasonal changes or emotional distress weakening their Righteous Qi, the internal wind pathogen will inevitably cause chaos.

The patient’s well-regulated Spleen and Stomach will be harmed by this internal evil.

Therefore, doctors must know if a patient has wind pathogens during diagnosis, or these problems will arise.

After playing with the kitten for a while, Lu Jiu waited for patients to arrive while browsing for sick netizens on Chinese Medicine Home.

"Can Dipiotang be used to treat children’s tics?"

...

"Mother is alternating between hot and cold, spontaneously sweating, aching all over, and has a cold stomach among various illnesses; her heart pain is unbearable. I ask forum experts for help!"

...

"Why does Wu ZhuYu Tang aid in diuresis?"

...

"Multiple lipomas all over the body, seeking treatment methods!"

...

"I feel my heart flutters irregularly. Am I at risk of sudden heart failure and sudden death? I’m a bit scared!"

Lu Jiu browsed through post after post, many either provided insufficient information for a diagnosis, or the conditions were extremely complex, leaving him without a treatment strategy.

And the rest were just minor non-critical illnesses, with many experts in the forum already offering treatment plans. After reading, Lu Jiu felt there was no need to add anything, so he didn’t comment.

After about ten minutes, seeing that no one had responded to a netizen named "West Gate Lean Pork" who feared sudden death, Lu Jiu clicked to reply.

"How long have you felt this way?"

Lu Jiu barely had to wait ten seconds before "West Gate Lean Pork" replied.

"It started the day before yesterday. I was suddenly woken up by pain in the middle of the night, and since then, I’ve always felt discomfort in my chest."

After seeing that, Lu Jiu promptly replied, "In what way do you feel discomfort? Is it a sense of compression, or more like a piercing pain, pushing from the front to the back?"

"West Gate Lean Pork" replied, "It feels like pressure, and I can’t catch my breath."

Lu Jiu asked again, "Do your hands and feet feel numb or tingly?"

"West Gate Lean Pork" replied, "No, not really."

Lu Jiu replied, "Do you see vertical lines on your nails? Are they glossy or slightly matte?"

"West Gate Lean Pork" replied, "Yes, the gloss seems matte under the light."

Lu Jiu continued, "How’s your bowel movement these days? Is it sausage-shaped, like syrup, or more like small pellets?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"West Gate Lean Pork" replied, "Small pellets."

By this point, Lu Jiu had a preliminary judgment.

This netizen is far from being at risk of sudden death, though he likely has symptoms of liver fire disturbing the heart.

However, without further inquiries, Lu Jiu couldn’t be entirely certain.

"Step outside and take a couple of pictures of your tongue against the light. I need to see your tongue coating."