Chapter 704: Strange

Chapter 704: Chapter 704: Strange

The success of Shen Wen’s case hinged on one thing: its novelty. The treatment method and point of entry were quite unique—an unconventional approach.

But in that ordinary obstetrics case, Li Xu’s profound attention to the qi of the four seasons, achieving a "resonance of similar qi," and using a single fallen leaf to guide the qi and blood downward—that was anything but simple.

This was the grand and proper method of the King’s Way.

"Next, let’s look at the second case..."

On the stage, Li Xu paused for a moment, then pressed a button on the remote control.

The image on the large screen changed, displaying the summary of the second case.

Although the vast majority of people in the audience knew this was the case of the Guangshun Group chairman’s wife, a formal academic presentation required adherence to professional ethics. The patient’s real name and identifiable information had to be omitted, replaced simply with the words "the patient."

[Patient, female, 56, from a wealthy background. Chief Complaint: After witnessing a severe car accident, the patient experienced a state of shock, followed by a daze, constant anxiety and fear, recurring nightmares, and severe insomnia for over three months. Physical examinations and lab results showed no significant organic pathology...]

Li Xu said, "From the case description, the direct cause of the patient’s ’spirit-loss’ was that she experienced extreme fright at close range, completely unprepared..."

"As you can all see, the root cause of the patient’s current somatic symptoms is severe psychological trauma. For this type of purely emotional illness, simply relying on medication for forceful suppression is often ineffective and can even lead to dependency."

"To treat the patient’s condition at its root, the best method is to start by ’treating the mind’ and undoing her emotional knots."

"The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* states: ’Fright disorders the qi, while fear causes qi to descend.’ Therefore, to treat the patient’s condition, the first step is to re-gather the patient’s qi, which has been scattered and disassociated by the shock, and allow her spirit and soul to return to their rightful place. To achieve this, we must use the ’shifting essence and transforming qi’ method from the Zhu You Ke school of Chinese medicine."

Li Xu didn’t elaborate on the patient’s arrogant attitude and resistance to Chinese medicine when they first met.

This was because it involved specific doctor-patient communication skills. Given the patient’s mistrust of Chinese medicine, moving forward with treatment during the consultation was extremely difficult and would have deviated from the main topic of today’s academic sharing.

Therefore, Li Xu focused purely on explaining the treatment method and logic for this case based on the patient’s known pathology.

"In a situation that requires ’calming the spirit and focusing the mind’ without over-relying on medication, the best method I could think of at the time was to divert her attention and establish a new psychological defense mechanism. So, how could this be achieved without using drugs?"

Li Xu’s gaze swept over the doctors in the audience, who were listening intently. He continued, "The details determine success or failure. During a brief chat with the patient’s family, I noticed that the patient was constantly fiddling with a string of rosewood prayer beads..."

"At that moment, I thought, ’Since the patient carries prayer beads with her, it must mean that she subconsciously respects or accepts the teachings of Buddhism or the power of its principles.’ Afterwards, I confirmed this with her son—she wore them for psychological comfort."

Li Xu analyzed his thought process: "To ’gather the spirit’ and ’focus the mind,’ I had to get the patient to do something willingly and with extreme concentration, so she would forget her fear. I also learned a key piece of information from her family—the patient came from a scholarly family and had a deep love and high appreciation for calligraphy."

"With these two points as my entry, I started to wonder: if I could invite a highly respected and eminent Buddhist monk to personally write a piece of calligraphy for her, wouldn’t that piece simultaneously satisfy her dual psychological needs for ’seeking the protection of Buddhist principles’ and ’appreciating calligraphic art’? And wouldn’t that, in turn, achieve the miraculous effect of calming, focusing, and gathering her spirit?"

Li Xu used the laser pointer to draw a circle on the screen and summarized, "This is the core logic of the treatment plan: using ’Buddhism’ to calm the patient’s frightened mind, and using a ’calligraphy piece’ to cater to her interests, allowing the patient to develop an affection for it and focus..."

"Dean Li is truly amazing."

"Yeah, to think of such an exquisitely brilliant treatment method from subtle details like a string of prayer beads and a personal hobby... his insight is just incredible."

The doctors in the audience couldn’t help but whisper among themselves as they quickly took notes, their eyes filled with admiration.

This kind of "Great Physician" thinking, which transcended standard prescriptions, was a real eye-opener for them.

...

After Li Xu finished sharing his cases, the applause from the audience was long and thunderous.

Afterwards, several other department heads and senior doctors also took the stage to share some typical cases. Although each had its own merits, with Li Xu’s brilliant presentation setting such a high bar, their talks seemed to lack that spark of unconventional genius.

After the meeting ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

"Teacher, Professor Qin."

Li Xu walked down from the stage to greet Gao Guanghui and Qin Ming.

Gao Guanghui looked at his final disciple, his eyes filled with unconcealable pride and satisfaction.

"Li Xu, today’s lecture was good, very good!"

Gao Guanghui clapped Li Xu on the shoulder. "The practitioner is the intention. Your medical skills are superb, but what’s even rarer is your insight into the human heart. You’ve grasped the ’spirit’ of Chinese medicine."

Qin Ming was also beside them, nodding in constant admiration. "Dean Li, those two cases today were truly an eye-opener for me. When it comes to the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, it’s clear that the grand, holistic perspective of Chinese medicine must be the guide if we are to go further."

"You two seniors flatter me. I’m just feeling my way across the river, one stone at a time. I just got lucky," Li Xu said humbly.

Seeing that it was almost the end of the workday, Li Xu took the opportunity to extend an invitation. "Teacher, Professor Qin, it’s rare for us to get together tonight. Let me be the host, how about we grab a casual meal? I’d love to ask for some more of your guidance."

Gao Guanghui waved his hand, politely declining. "Let’s skip dinner. I have a banquet with the Health Commission tonight that I can’t get out of. I have to go make an appearance. Next time. Next time you come back to the provincial capital, come to my house, and I’ll have your teacher’s wife make a few of her specialties."

Qin Ming also glanced at his watch and said with some regret, "I have to rush back to the Capital City as well. I have to chair an important academic conference at Peking Union Medical College Hospital early tomorrow morning. Dean Li, for our ’acupuncture-and-drug compound anesthesia’ project, please start by organizing the preliminary clinical data. I’ll come over again next week, and we can have a more in-depth discussion."

"Alright. Take care, you two. Have a safe trip."

Li Xu saw the two titans of their field to their car before turning back to his office to pack his things.

He had just reached the hallway when his phone rang.

It was Cui Guanghui.

"Brother Li, are you off work? I’m at the hospital entrance. Which one are you at? I’ll come pick you up."