Chapter 729: Ascent and Descent Theory

Chapter 729: Chapter 729: Ascent and Descent Theory

"Holy crap!" a student exclaimed. "So there’s actually this explanation. ’Stomping one’s feet in anger’ is surprisingly the body’s way of saving itself!

"Damn, my years of studying medicine have truly been a waste. I memorize the *Basic Theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine* every day, but I never thought to apply it here."

Below the stage, many students couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

There were some phenomena that everyone saw every day, knew about, and even constantly mentioned. However, understanding the underlying principles and the medical logic hidden within them required a discerning eye and a mindful heart to comprehend.

The phenomenon of "stomping feet in anger" that Li Xu mentioned was one of the most common scenes in everyday life. But why people subconsciously stomped their feet when angry was something very few had ever deeply considered. Even among the medical graduate students present, not many had truly thought about this question. Everyone was used to looking at data in the laboratory and memorizing literature, gradually losing their insight into the basic instincts of life.

"Since we all study Chinese medicine, you should know that it is essentially a discipline of ’drawing analogies’—deducing the laws of the universe from various subtle discoveries in everyday life," Li Xu’s voice echoed in the seminar room, carrying a convincing power. "Traditional Chinese medicine was born over five thousand years ago. At that time, our ancestors couldn’t possibly have had precise microscopes to look for viruses, nor could they use MRI scans to detect cellular mutations.

"Yet, without the aid of these modern technologies, Chinese medicine was able to mature step by step, forming a rigorous and effective theoretical system. Why? Because our ancestors thoroughly researched the ’human’ as a whole, as well as the relationship between humans and nature.

"What our ancestors studied weren’t cold, internally sliced and fixed cells and viruses; rather, they studied the living, flesh-and-blood habits, instinctive reactions, and the impact of external climate changes on the human body."

Li Xu paused and continued, "Actually, there are many symptoms or phenomena of discomfort that Western medicine doesn’t take seriously. Because their instruments cannot detect any organic lesions, they think the patient is ’not sick’ and have no way to treat it. But Chinese medicine has long understood these issues clearly by observing these subtle ’manifestations.’

"Take children bedwetting, for example. Especially in children under three, this is seen as a normal phenomenon by most parents, and even by some Western pediatricians. They think the child’s nervous system hasn’t fully developed and that they’ll naturally outgrow it, so they usually recommend a ’wait and see’ approach.

"However, from the perspective of Chinese medicine, some bedwetting is simply abnormal. It is caused by ’insecure kidney qi’ or ’qi deficiency of the spleen and lungs,’ leading to a loss of control. Moreover, Chinese medicine has excellent methods for treating it, such as the Shouquan Pill and Mantis Egg-case Powder. Even simple spinal pinching and Massage can yield immediate results, saving the child from years of unnecessary suffering.

"Then there are hiccups and belching," Li Xu gave another example. "Occasional hiccups are very common, but if it is intractable hiccuping, Western medicine finds it difficult to manage. Aside from administering sedatives or muscle relaxants, they are often helpless. But with Chinese medicine methods, whether it’s using the Clove and Persimmon Calyx Decoction to warm the middle and direct rebellious qi downward, the Inula and Hematite Decoction to descend qi and resolve phlegm, or even acupuncture at the Cuanzhu and Neiguan points, it can be easily resolved.

"Therefore, while studying medicine, we must never just rigidly stare at textbooks and lab reports. We must be good at observing life and making discoveries. It’s possible that many extremely small, seemingly unrelated things contain the most profound medical principles.

"Even in the weather changes of clouds dispersing and fog clearing, or the natural landscape of spring warming and flowers blooming."

Saying this, Li Xu looked toward a pot of blooming moth orchids placed in the corner of the seminar room and continued, "Take that pot of flowers over there, for instance. It is also filled with medical principles."

The students listened with great relish and followed Li Xu’s gaze.

With Li Xu’s stunning live demonstration of guiding a male student to "stomp his feet to cure flank pain," coupled with his explanation of the principle of "drawing qi downward" using the everyday phenomenon of "stomping feet in anger," the students’ interest was heavily piqued.

This was truly so down-to-earth. It turned out that the most profound medical principles were hidden in the simplest details of life. It wasn’t boring or unfathomable; on the contrary, it was full of fun and wisdom.

Who wouldn’t love a class like this?

"Senior Li Xu, are you saying a pot of flowers has medical principles too?" a female student wearing glasses in the front row couldn’t help but ask.

"Yes. Does anyone know the reasoning behind this, or can anyone associate it with a specific Chinese medical theory? Tell me what you think." Li Xu threw out the question with a smile, encouraging everyone to think.

The group of students stared at the pot of moth orchids not far away, falling into deep thought.

"Amazing, truly amazing." Director Liang was genuinely won over by Li Xu. He turned his head and whispered to Dean Ai beside him, "Dean, this Li Xu is really incredible. Not only are his medical skills superb, but his teaching level and his ability to inspire student thinking are also top-notch. He is a natural-born talent for learning and inheriting traditional Chinese medicine."

"Indeed." Dean Ai nodded in deep agreement, his eyes full of gratification.

Li Xu’s lecture today was truly magnificent. He could genuinely feel that Li Xu wasn’t showing off how high his medical skills were, but was very earnestly and unreservedly teaching these junior students "how to learn Chinese medicine" and how to establish the correct "TCM mindset."

From this alone, Ai Rong could tell that Li Xu possessed a pure, innocent heart and held a deep, passionate love for Chinese medicine. Such a state of mind was far too rare in today’s impetuous medical circles.

After a brief silence, a male student sitting in the middle tentatively answered aloud, "Senior Li Xu, is it... the ascending and descending theory?"

"Correct, it is exactly the ascending and descending of the qi mechanism." Li Xu smiled and walked over to carry the pot of blooming moth orchids to the podium.

"Everyone, look at this flower. Flowers grow on branches and bloom upward. In terms of yin and yang attributes, the upper belongs to yang, and the lower belongs to yin. The ancients said, ’That which originates from Heaven draws close to what is above; that which originates from Earth draws close to what is below.’

"Therefore, Chinese medicine has an extremely important rule for medication: ’All flowers ascend, and all seeds descend.’"

Li Xu pointed at the delicate petals and explained, "Flowers are light and clear in texture, blooming wildly into the air. They are endowed with the ascending, upward-moving Yang Qi between heaven and earth. Seeds, on the other hand, are heavy in texture. Their ultimate destiny is to fall into the soil, extending downward to take root. They are endowed with the descending, downward-moving yin qi.

"So, generally speaking, flower-type medicinal materials mostly have the effects of dispersing, ventilating, and lifting. They can open up stagnation in the chest and allow qi and blood to flow upward to the head and face. Examples include roses, peonies, Chrysanthemum, and honeysuckle.

"Conversely, seed and fruit-type medicinal materials, such as Sesame Seed, Dalbergia wood, Cassia Seed, and Dodder Seed, can mostly descend qi and resolve phlegm, calm the liver and suppress yang, or guide the medicinal power down to the lower burner, causing essence and qi to be sealed and stored in the bone marrow..."