Chapter 831: The Disciple Is Also Formidable

Chapter 831: Chapter 831: The Disciple Is Also Formidable

Ren Yaxin couldn’t quite believe it. Was this the new apprentice Dean Li had taken on?

Dean Li’s apprentices were actually better than them. Wasn’t that too amazing?

"In fact, syndrome differentiation is just like this. First, you need to understand the category of the patient’s illness and what range it belongs to. Then, based on the characteristics of the illness and the patient’s condition, you analyze it in detail."

Li Xu said, "Take this patient’s condition for example. First, you must distinguish between wind paralysis and a stroke. Generally speaking, the characteristic of wind paralysis is its sudden onset. Wind pathogen travels very quickly, unlike damp pathogen which is like mud, slow and sinking. Of course, a stroke also occurs rapidly...

"Because of the characteristics of the wind pathogen, any disease in traditional Chinese medicine with the word ’wind’ in it usually has a very rapid onset, and its symptoms are relatively changeable.

"The second characteristic of wind paralysis is atrophy, which means the sudden flaccidity of the limbs. However, the patient’s consciousness is usually fine, and their intellect is unaffected. Currently in clinical practice, many hemiplegia symptoms following a cerebral infarction fall under the category of wind paralysis.

"Third, although the patient’s limbs are flaccid, it presents differently from hemiplegia caused by trauma such as fractures. The patient does not feel any pain in their body...

"Once you determine the category of the patient’s illness, and then analyze it based on the characteristics of wind paralysis and the specific conditions of the patient’s symptoms, you basically won’t make any major mistakes."

Li Xu smiled and said, "Li Lin’s analysis just now was very accurate."

"I didn’t expect Dr. Li to be this amazing."

Ren Yaxin said, "A brilliant teacher truly produces an outstanding student. Dean Li, not only are you incredible yourself, but you also have a knack for teaching apprentices."

"Since the pathogenesis is clear, how should the medication be administered?" Li Xu asked Li Lin.

"Senior, my analysis of the pathogenesis was quite rigid, and I don’t really have a clue about the medication yet," Li Lin said, a little embarrassed.

"You still need more practice."

Li Xu said, "Since the pathogenesis is clear, then prescribe medicine targeted at it. First, address the root causes of spleen and kidney deficiency, as well as the lack of qi and blood, by selecting medicines to treat them respectively. For spleen and stomach deficiency, mainly use some sweet and warm medicines for treatment, such as Ginseng, baked licorice, and Fried Atractylodes.

"For the patient’s qi and blood deficiency, add some blood-nourishing medicines, such as Danggui and white peony, on top of spleen-strengthening and qi-boosting medicines like Ginseng and licorice. For the patient’s kidney deficiency, you can select some kidney-tonifying medicines, such as Du Zhong and Sichuan Achyranthes bidentata..."

Li Xu spoke while typing the prescription on his computer. "After roughly determining the scope of the medication, you can select and combine the medicines according to their properties and roles. If there is a suitable classical formula, prioritize it and make modifications.

"At the same time, the most crucial point is that you cannot ignore the patient’s wind pathogen. To dispel the wind pathogen, you must use acrid and warm medicines to disperse it and drive it out through the pores. You can choose medicines like ephedra, Cinnamon Bark, almond, and dried ginger. Fangfeng has the effect of consolidating and protecting the exterior, resisting external pathogens, so it can also be added. For blood stasis, you need blood-invigorating medicines; Chuanxiong and Achyranthes bidentata both have strong blood-invigorating effects..."

As he spoke, Li Xu had already printed out the prescription and handed it to Li Lin first. "Take a look."

"Master, I understand."

Li Lin looked over the prescription Li Xu had written. It did look very simple—it was just targeting the pathogenesis, selecting the medicines, and combining them.

For traditional Chinese medicine, syndrome differentiation was the first difficulty, and selecting the medicine was the second. Especially for modern TCM practitioners, there was quite a threshold when it came to selecting medication.

Even Li Lin was still not that confident when choosing medicines.

"You still need to study and ponder more on pharmacology," Li Xu said.

"I know. Thank you, Senior," Li Lin nodded.

"You guys take a look too."

Li Xu had Li Lin pass the prescription to Ren Yaxin and the others, letting them all take turns looking at it before finally handing it to the patient’s family.

"This illness is a sequela of cerebral infarction. It’s considered a relatively special condition with a long course, so you must be mentally prepared. I’ve prescribed quite a bit of medicine this time—enough for twenty-one days. Come back for a follow-up appointment after finishing it," Li Xu instructed the patient’s family.

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Li."

The patient’s family member took the prescription, thanked him, and then helped the elderly patient out of the clinic.

"You’re back?"

The night in Feng City had grown deep, and the neon lights on both sides of the street flickered in the cold wind.

He Pengjun rubbed his somewhat frozen hands as he walked into the house. As soon as he entered the entryway, his wife hurried over to greet him, taking the coat that still carried the chill of the cold air from his hands.

"Hurry and rest. The food is keeping warm in the pot, it’ll be ready in a minute. Look at how exhausted you are; go lean on the sofa for a bit first," his wife said, looking at He Pengjun with heartache.

"I’m fine. I had good luck today, so I actually don’t feel too tired."

He Pengjun sat on the sofa, a genuine smile appearing on his face. "Things went smoothly today. I got a few long-distance rides to the South Railway Station and made over five hundred in total. After deducting the shift fee, gas money, and my boxed lunch, I’m left with almost four hundred yuan. If it could be this steady every day, our family’s life would be much easier."

In today’s ride-hailing and taxi market, netting four hundred yuan a day indeed required excellent luck and long, intense hours of driving.

"That’s still exhausting enough," He Pengjun’s wife said with a smile as she brought out a plate of steaming stir-fried greens. "Driving that much, how much of a toll must that take on your eyes and mind? Hurry and wash your hands for dinner."

"As long as I can earn money, I feel secure." He Pengjun sighed, his expression dimming slightly. "Our child is a freshman in college, and the monthly living expenses aren’t small. On top of that, it’s almost time to pay next semester’s tuition. Moreover, your mom’s old problem with her back and leg pain has flared up again recently. She’s taking medicine every day but hasn’t seen any improvement. Letting it drag on like this isn’t a solution."

Speaking of this, He Pengjun seemed to remember something and suddenly sat up straight. "Oh right, I drove two young doctors today. Listening to their chat, they said they were going to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for further studies. They mentioned that the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine recently got a particularly incredible traditional Chinese medicine practitioner surnamed Li, named Li Xu. From what they were saying, even professionally trained doctors like them were completely in awe of him. How about we take Mom there tomorrow to have a look?"

"Are you sure about this?" His wife was a bit hesitant, her movements pausing as she scooped the rice. "Over the past two years, for Mom’s illness, which of the major hospitals in Feng City haven’t we been to? The Provincial Affiliated Hospital, Renmin Hospital... We’ve alternated between Western and traditional Chinese medicine, and we haven’t skimped on booking expert appointments. The money has been spent like water, but her leg still flares up with a piercing pain after just taking two steps. Is this Dr. Li... really that miraculous?"

He Pengjun took the rice bowl and said seriously, "Listening to the tone of those two doctors, this Dean Li seems to be even more amazing than those old experts at Renmin Hospital. And I heard he’s especially good at treating those stubborn illnesses. As her children, we can’t just watch Mom in so much pain that she can’t sleep at night every day, right? Since people are praising him, let’s go give it a try. Even if we just have her take three to five doses of his medicine first to see the effects?"