Taoist Doctor - Chapter 7

Today, as soon as Xie Min arrived at the hospital, she received a consultation invitation to see a patient with a heart attack who was also suffering from persistent hiccups and poor treatment effects, so she was asked to try some traditional Chinese medicine methods.

 

Another doctor looked at Xie Min’s consultation invitation and said, “Oh, this is Mr. Huang’s father, right? He was brought in before with a heart attack. I remember when he first arrived, many people speculated about some kind of wealthy family feud. The old gentleman had a heart attack due to being upset, and even reporters came to inquire.”

 

As he recalled, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Turns out it was just the old man being constipated, and straining too hard during bowel movements led to the illness.”

 

“Getting older, it’s inevitable,” Xie Min said briefly.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Constipation in the elderly is common, and straining during constipation can indeed trigger a heart attack. The expressions on those people’s faces when they heard this reason were quite amusing.

 

It’s probably completely different from the drama they had in mind about wealthy families.

 

When Xie Min arrived outside the cardiology ward, Vice President Xiao and the patient’s family were talking.

 

“Dr. Xie,” Vice President Xiao greeted her, then said lightly, “The patient is in a lot of pain right now, with frequent hiccups and difficulty eating.” He paused, then added, “Difficult cases like this are also a good opportunity for the old to teach the new.”

 

He then asked Xie Min if she had reviewed the test results. Of course, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners also review data and can assist in diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners also order tests, rather than just relying on pulse diagnosis. There are few who strictly follow the classical approach.

 

“I’ve seen them,” Xie Min replied, but she couldn’t help but ponder Vice President Xiao’s seemingly casual remark.

 

No, when did Vice President Xiao ever care about the teaching issues in the Chinese medicine department? It’s been some time since the current batch of interns and resident trainees arrived.

 

Xie Min suddenly had a guess in her mind and immediately called the office, “I’m consulting on a difficult case in the cardiology department. Have Dr. Zhou Jinyuan and Dr. Liu Qi come over immediately.”

 

Vice President Xiao glanced at Xie Min as if in acknowledgment, confirming Xie Min’s inner thoughts. It seems that Vice President Xiao opened the back door for Zhou Jinyuan. Vice President Xiao really put in effort.

 

Unfortunately, Vice President Xiao also created opportunities for Zhou Jinyuan to learn, but who knows if he knows that Xiao Zhou is meditating in the consultation room…

 

Xie Min estimated that since Vice President Xiao didn’t want to draw attention, she also called Liu Qi to cover up.

 

…

 

“Big shot, yesterday that patient told me that when you were giving her acupuncture, she actually felt warm?” At work early in the morning, Liu Qi arrived first, followed by Zhou Jinyuan. He looked at Zhou Jinyuan wiping the table strangely and asked.

 

This matter had been lingering in his mind all day yesterday, but Zhou Jinyuan was off, so he decided to wait until today to ask him face to face.

 

Until now, he still couldn’t quite believe it. In his mind, Zhou Jinyuan was just like a younger brother, a colleague with a good relationship, and a topic of discussion when he meditated at work.

 

“Warm?” Zhou Jinyuan looked at him in surprise, “How did you even pass your medical licensing exam? You can’t even recognize a burn from a campfire.”

 

Liu Qi: “…”

 

Damn, did he not recognize it? He just didn’t dare to admit it!

 

Liu Qi felt suffocated. “So, you really know how to start a campfire?!”

 

Zhou Jinyuan countered, “Don’t you?”

 

Liu Qi: “… I do, but I can’t start one!”

 

If he could create a sense of warmth, why would he bother learning from Dr. Mao? He’s one of those doctors who simply follow the acupuncture methods without seeking the sensation of warmth from the needles.

 

Speaking of Dr. Mao, whenever he thinks of the look on Dr. Mao’s face that day, he feels a bit embarrassed. After Liu Meilan left, they both awkwardly laughed and tried to deflect: “Oh, they say Little Zhou has inherited medical skills from his family, maybe he’s been practicing starting campfires since he was little, hehehe.”

 

“Oh,” Zhou Jinyuan nodded indifferently.

 

Zhou Jinyuan’s calm response left Liu Qi speechless for a moment. “Wait, aren’t you going to say anything? Do you really know? Is it passed down from your family?”

 

The master leads the way, but practice is up to the individual. Disciplines like traditional Chinese medicine are somewhat special in that regard; some things no one teaches you directly, you can’t even get your foot in the door. Even if someone teaches you directly, it still depends on your level of effort and understanding.

 

Just then, they received a notification from Dr. Xie, asking them to come together to see a difficult case. Without thinking too much about it, Liu Qi quickly got up. Learning from Dr. Xie is a good thing, so Zhou Jinyuan’s matter can wait for now.

 

It’s said that it’s about to start over there. Liu Qi, with Zhou Jinyuan, who wasn’t very familiar with the route yet, dashed over and arrived at the cardiology ward.

 

At this time, Xie Min was discussing the test results with other Western doctors, and she only nodded when they arrived.

 

Liu Qi, panting, secretly glanced at Dr. Xie and couldn’t help but think incessantly. Dr. Xie probably doesn’t even know about Zhou Jinyuan’s ability. Oh my god, how come this guy hasn’t shown it at all?

 

“I’ll take the pulse,” Xie Min said, leading the two young men into the ward. The other doctors followed suit, luckily the ward was quite spacious.

 

Xie Min noticed that Zhou Jinyuan’s expression changed a bit when he saw Vice President Xiao, and he nodded in acknowledgment. This further confirmed her suspicions.

 

After examining the patient’s tongue coating and taking the pulse for a full three minutes, Xie Min released it. She thought to herself that if it were just stubborn hiccups, she could think of several appropriate prescriptions. But with the patient having a heart attack, the prescription needs to be comprehensive, precise, and fast-acting!

 

At this moment, she began to recall Vice President Xiao’s mother’s medical cases. That senior’s style would actually be extremely suitable for the current symptoms. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the other party’s true identity.

 

Xie Min’s thoughts flashed by, and she then said to Zhou Jinyuan and Liu Qi, “You two, take the pulse as well.”

 

In the so-called Four Examinations of TCM (inspection, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpation), the patient is now too weak to answer questions, and it’s likely they won’t have the strength to respond. It’s fortunate that Xie Min had reviewed the patient’s Western medical records and had family members to assist in providing some information.

 

Zhou Jinyuan and Liu Qi took turns to pulse, then exchanged places.

 

“Did you notice anything?” Xie Min asked.

 

The family members in the ward, who happened to be Mr. Huang, who had been donating to the hospital for a long time, had a somewhat subtle expression.

 

Although they knew that doctors were teaching for the purpose of cultivating new blood, the fact that this doctor finished examining without saying what he found, and instead calmly compared the two young people, made them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

 

Others also noticed, thinking it might not be good if the family members got angry. But Vice President Xiao just turned his head and whispered a few words to Mr. Huang, and his expression immediately eased.

 

Huh? Mr. Huang’s temper isn’t usually the best, right? What did Vice President Xiao say to him that immediately turned his mood around?

 

“Uh, the pulse is weak, the tongue coating is sticky and white, and there’s qi stagnation—” Liu Qi said, scratching his head as he began to think. He felt that he hadn’t had enough time to ponder, so he continued, “Should we try modifying the Dingxiang Persimmon Seed Powder?”

 

As Liu Qi spoke, both Xie Min and Zhou Jinyuan nodded lightly.

 

Seeing Liu Qi’s diagnostic skills among the young people weren’t bad, but there was still some gap in differentiation, and the medication wasn’t quite appropriate.

 

After Liu Qi finished speaking, it was Zhou Jinyuan’s turn. This unfamiliar, young, handsome boy, the other doctors didn’t expect him to be able to organize a few words, but to their surprise, he spoke fluently: “The patient is currently in critical condition due to a heart attack, with a weak body. Persistent constipation led to the heart attack, and the stagnant intestinal qi affects the upward movement of stomach qi, causing persistent hiccups, acid reflux, and difficulty eating. At the same time, the stool remains dry and difficult to pass. If not resolved, the situation will worsen, such as continuing fever!”

 

“…” Xie Min looked at Zhou Jinyuan in astonishment, and also a bit puzzled. No, even if we set aside the prediction of fever, how did Zhou Jinyuan know that the patient was constipated before the onset of the illness?

 

She hadn’t anticipated that Zhou Jinyuan could say all this. Who knows, she only saw Vice President Xiao’s hint and had them take the pulse, and then compared them. But because they arrived late, they hadn’t seen the medical records at all.

 

Even if they knew from the hospital gossip that the patient’s heart attack was caused by constipation, how could they know the current condition of the patient’s stool?

 

Could it be that Vice President Xiao secretly told him, or did he guess it himself?

 

Xie Min had diagnosed these symptoms herself, but if she hadn’t seen the medical records first, she wouldn’t have confidently stated that the patient’s heart attack was caused by constipation—after all, gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation could also be secondary symptoms after the onset of illness, especially when hiccups occur after the onset of illness.

 

On the other hand, the others quickly recovered. After all, they didn’t pay attention to whether Dr. Xie’s students had seen the medical records or not, and they didn’t have a deep understanding of TCM theory. They just felt that the young man seemed calm despite his young age, and he had good psychological qualities, indicating that he was a good candidate for this profession.

 

They agreed with what the young man said. If the symptoms weren’t relieved quickly, it wouldn’t be good. Fever is also possible, as it’s a common complication.

 

Xie Min also nodded, “Very good.” Logically, she should have expressed her thoughts by now, but inexplicably, she asked, “How do you differentiate?”

 

Differentiation means analyzing and identifying the information obtained through observation, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpation, summarizing and judging its nature, and determining what syndrome it belongs to.

 

Zhou Jinyuan hardly paused and said, “Qi deficiency and blood stasis, with upward qi rebellion!”

 

Although they both had persistent hiccups, the causes of Mrs. Xiao’s and Mr. Huang’s illnesses were completely different, and Mr. Huang was currently experiencing a heart attack, so the treatment methods were also different. The only similarity might be that they both needed to quickly stop the persistent hiccups.

 

Others who didn’t understand Chinese medicine didn’t react much after hearing this, but Xie Min and Liu Qi felt refreshed.

 

Qi deficiency and blood stasis, with upward qi rebellion. Summarized in eight words, the condition was clearly outlined.

 

Liu Qi suddenly realized, feeling that it was accurate. The human body is so complex, TCM differentiation is difficult, and precise differentiation is even more difficult, especially without the assistance of instruments.

 

It was precisely because it was so accurate that Xie Min was even more surprised. Liu Qi and Dr. Mao at least knew that Zhou Jinyuan could perform the fire-needle technique, but Xie Min was clueless. The previous hints could be attributed to Vice President Xiao, but this differentiation couldn’t possibly be, right?

 

Combining Zhou Jinyuan’s previous conjectures about the patient’s condition, Xie Min suddenly felt that she didn’t know this little cutie… no, this young man!

 

She had a premonition that everyone’s perception of Zhou Jinyuan these days might be superficial.

 

“So how should we treat it?” Mr. Huang couldn’t wait to ask.

 

After differentiation, it was time to discuss treatment.

 

Zhou Jinyuan calmly said, “Of course, it’s tonifying qi, activating blood circulation, and regulating qi to descend the rebellion. Moreover, due to the patient’s heart attack, while focusing on the immediate symptomatic treatment, we must also consider treating the root cause. The dosage of the clove and persimmon peel powder can only address the hiccups and acid reflux. We also need to consider the patient’s heart attack. I’ll prescribe a formula that can effectively stop the hiccups, completely relieve constipation and insomnia within a day, while tonifying qi and activating blood circulation.”

 

“One dose is effective? That’s exactly what Vice President Xiao just said!” Mr. Huang was delighted and hurriedly said, “Quickly prescribe the medicine!”

 

Other doctors: “???”

 

At this point, they suddenly felt strange. What the heck, weren’t they just evaluating the students? Why did they suddenly let the student propose the treatment plan?

 

The family members were also puzzled. Obviously, they usually ask about the medicine they use, but now they’re letting the other party prescribe it?

 

This student’s tone was also inexplicably confident, saying that all symptoms would be relieved with one dose. They didn’t know if he was an intern, and there was no card proving his intern status, but what else could he be at this age if not an intern?

 

“Wait a minute, shouldn’t we discuss this further?” Someone almost couldn’t control their volume, glanced at the patient, and then lowered their voice.

 

Everyone seemed to have the same idea.

 

“Cough cough.” Vice President Xiao coughed twice, and the doctors looked at him, thinking that Vice President Xiao probably had an opinion too.

 

And a few people thought of Vice President Xiao’s whisper to Mr. Huang just now and felt that something was not right.

 

Vice President Xiao: “Dr. Xie, do you think this treatment plan is correct?”

 

Xie Min suddenly came to her senses. She was still immersed in Zhou Jinyuan’s proposal of “one dose” just now. Her lips moved, and she absent-mindedly said, “It’s correct.”

 

Thinking about Mrs. Xiao’s medical history, Zhou’s relationship with the hospital, and Vice President Xiao’s strange behavior just now.

 

Could it be true? She was even shocked by her own speculation, feeling her heartbeat accelerating.

 

Could Zhou be…

 

“Then you’ll review the prescription later and consider the medication!” Vice President Xiao didn’t notice Xie Min’s state, only instructed.

 

Actually, at least in this case, he and Mr. Huang already trusted Zhou Jinyuan. Just now, Zhou Jinyuan once again demonstrated the insight he had shown when treating his mother, smoothing out the condition without seeing the medical records. However, he still wanted Xie Min to review the prescription carefully to ensure its accuracy.

 

But the other doctors felt strange. They had clearly consulted Dr. Xie, so why did it seem like an intern was taking the lead?

 

“Vice President Xiao, isn’t this intern still in training? He doesn’t have the authority to prescribe, right?”

 

“He said one dose can relieve hiccups. What’s his basis?”

 

“Shouldn’t we let Dr. Xie prescribe directly for the sake of prudence? It’s a waste of time to prescribe and then review it again.”

 

Everyone chimed in with their opinions.

 

Zhou Jinyuan felt wronged, “I’m not an intern, I’m a new physician in our hospital’s Traditional Chinese Medicine department, and I have the authority to independently diagnose and treat!”

 

Huh, a new physician? There aren’t many newcomers in the TCM department.

 

One young doctor blurted out, “You’re the alchemist from the TCM department!”

 

Mr. Huang: ???

 

Zhou Jinyuan: Since when did my cultivation level rise?!