Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2277 A Completely Different Diagnostic Perspective

Bian Mu usually keeps some backup plans when treating patients, not for any other reason than as a self-protection measure.

One of these rules is that no matter what kind of patient you encounter, it's better to keep some things to yourself than to say too much, especially for ordinary patients. Bian Mu has always insisted on saying as little as possible, not a single extra word.

The reason is actually very simple: the general public's level of medical knowledge is far lower than that of Bian Mu. The "water level difference" between the two in terms of medical knowledge is too great. If you accidentally say something wrong one day, you may not even realize it yourself, but the patient and his/her family may misunderstand and go astray, which may very likely create some hidden dangers for subsequent treatment. If you are not careful, it may even escalate into a direct doctor-patient conflict.

The female bookseller in front of me seemed quite intelligent; at the very least, she had a considerable advantage in terms of life experience. Perhaps she could understand some of what I was saying?
Besides, she's still Luo Jiaming's good friend. Even if Bian Mu said something wrong, she probably wouldn't mind, and it wouldn't escalate into a doctor-patient conflict in the future. Since things have already been discussed openly, it's better to explain things clearly.

Bian Mu was kind-hearted and wholeheartedly wanted to provide some helpful medical advice so that the female bookseller in front of him could completely get rid of some of her ailments and recover as soon as possible with subsequent recuperation.

Seeing that the female bookseller remained silent, Bian Mu smiled and explained, "The overall treatment is very tiring and laborious. Objectively speaking, we see so many patients every day, and if we really want to take it to a higher level... to some extent, every doctor in our clinic is suspected of 'being perfunctory'. Can you accept what I'm saying?"

Upon hearing this, the female bookseller couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hehe... I understand! A few years ago, I taught at a vocational college for a while, teaching microelectronics information transmission. Each class consisted of three classes at the same time, in a lecture hall, with about a hundred students. That course involved a lot of advanced mathematical techniques and even touched on the latest philosophical understanding. I estimate that less than 3% of the students could actually understand it. At that time, I wasn't focused on teaching; I only made sure there were no factual errors in class. I didn't care about the extent to which the students understood. I would still set a certain scope for the exam questions beforehand, and they would basically test the lecture notes. Now that you mention it, if I had been particularly conscientious back then, ensuring that more than 3% of the students understood and that everyone passed the experimental operations, we teachers would have been exhausted, if not dead, right?"

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu burst out laughing.

“That’s right, that’s exactly how it is! So… after all, Old Wu is getting on in years. Back then, as long as he could solve your most troublesome problem, the old man would consider himself to have done his duty.” Bian Mu added a few words tactfully.

“I understand, I understand! Then… in your opinion, should I take such a large dose of aconite?” The female bookseller reiterated her earlier point.

“In my opinion, let’s forget about it! Before you visited Mr. Wu, which famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor did you contact, and in what year?” Bian Mu suddenly changed the subject.

"Before... let me think... it must have been about seven or eight years ago... At that time, I acquired a cultural tourism communication company in Nanjin. There were so many things to deal with, and a lot of things went wrong. I even got sick without realizing it. Yes, it was about eight years ago, also in winter. I asked a friend to take me to see a doctor at Dr. Chi's house. She was an old lady, a famous local traditional Chinese medicine doctor. She was over eighty years old at the time! Her hair was silvery white, and she had a very good temperament."

"Really? That's about right... You were diagnosed with 'atrophy' back then?!" Bian Mu guessed with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the female bookseller was immediately taken aback. "No wonder you mentioned holistic diagnosis earlier... So... according to you, doctors who reach your level are practically at the level of divine intervention?! Amazing! No wonder Old Luo always speaks highly of you..." The female bookseller's mind was working exceptionally fast at this moment, and she immediately understood Bian Mu's earnest explanation.

"No, no! At most, it's just that I'm diligent in summarizing some relevant clinical experience. Back then, you always felt heaviness and weakness below your knees. You went to a top-tier hospital in your area to see an orthopedic specialist, but after repeated examinations, the doctor there said it wasn't related to orthopedics. Later, you went to other departments and went around to different places, but they couldn't find anything. Finally, a doctor suggested that you see a good traditional Chinese medicine doctor, right?"

"That's absolutely right! You're so vivid in my mind, as if you experienced it firsthand!"

"Not at all! Just some advice based on experience! Was the medicine Elder Chi prescribed for you mainly composed of 'Tiger Hidden Pills'? With various additions and subtractions, you took quite a bit of herbal medicine, which caused you to miss other normal business trips!"

"Incredible! It really was like that. Back then... many of the herbs in the prescriptions that Old Master Chi wrote were not easy to obtain. We had to ask relatives and friends for help for more than a month. It's true! It seems that nothing in the medical field can escape your discerning eyes..."

"Don't say that, it's just based on experience! Old Master Chi's medical skills are superb, he should be very effective in treating atrophy, right?"

"Indeed, Elder Chi's skill is truly exceptional. Not only did he treat my atrophy almost perfectly, but he also noticed that I always felt a chill in my back. He also helped me recover quite a bit. However, later... when I went to him for medical advice again, his disciples said that Elder Chi was unwell and unable to treat me. So they referred me to Elder Wu."

Hearing this, Bian Mu nodded slightly.

“That makes perfect sense. That’s how staged treatment works. Given your current physical condition, the approach of tonifying Yang is not the right one. Look at you, your latent Yang is abundant and your central Qi is stable. You definitely don’t have a Yin syndrome. Of course, Mr. Wu and I are not from the same school of thought, so it’s normal that we have slightly different understandings of the dialectical relationship between Yin and Yang. Let’s take your pulse first!” As he spoke, Bian Mu adjusted his chair and took the pulse of the female bookseller.

……

"The differences in diagnosis of Yin syndrome among different medical schools are indeed quite large, especially when the medical skills reach a certain level, the differences are even greater. I won't go into too much detail about this. In my opinion, you are probably not a true case of Yin deficiency with excess, so... Aconite is indeed not very suitable for your current condition. For safety reasons, let's put aside the prescription that Master Wu gave you for now!"

Upon hearing this, the female bookseller nodded quickly.

"Trust the medicine, but don't use the person you don't trust! I understand this principle to some extent. After your explanation, I understand most of it. Holistic diagnosis is indeed extraordinary. Elder Chi was right! Elder Wu was right at the time, and you are even more reasonable and well-founded. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame my fluctuating condition. If I don't follow the holistic diagnosis approach, it's easy to make some kind of mistake!"

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu smiled with relief and did not rush to explain anything.