Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2278 Warmth is Hard to Eradicate

As the saying goes, "The righteous path is one foot high, but the evil path is ten feet high!"
As Bian Mu's medical skills continued to advance to higher levels, his understanding of the dialectical relationship between doctors and patients naturally became more profound and detailed. In the past six months, through a large number of online and offline clinical cases, Bian Mu gradually realized an indisputable fact: the power of medicine can never keep up with the pace of the development and evolution of a disease. In other words, no matter how hard any highly skilled TCM doctor tries, when faced with constantly evolving and complex new diseases, all TCM masters are always in a passive response state.

This is completely consistent with the underlying philosophical logic of "the devil is one step ahead of the saint"!
The female bookseller's sudden mention of the new phrase "the illness is unpredictable" caught Bian Mu's attention and inspired him greatly.

Indeed, for all professional TCM doctors, all diseases suffered by patients in the world are actually in a state of "fleeting". The only difference is the degree of fleeting. If it develops to the point of terminal illness, it does not mean that the disease has reached its end, but that the cycle of disease development becomes short and difficult to control. The fleeting cycle becomes faster and faster, eventually developing to the point that all medicines and treatment plans can no longer reach it. For example, late-stage cancer is about like this.

A very good suggestion!
For a moment, Bian Mu was truly inspired.

Overjoyed, Bian Mu naturally became more concerned about the female bookseller's illness and planned to offer some assistance if necessary.

After a moment of silence, Bian Mu added a few words about some key technical details.

"For a long time, established traditional Chinese medicine doctors have tended to be more cautious and prudent when treating patients. In a sense, this is partly due to their desire to protect their reputation, which is understandable. As a result, when faced with all kinds of patients, they tend not to use harsh TCM methods such as strong medicines, decisive medical measures, or heavy acupuncture. When faced with patients like you who are excellent in all aspects, they are even more cautious. As a result, the treatment plans they ultimately adopt are generally more gentle. For example, there was once a famous centenarian doctor in Nanjin City, I think his surname was Liu. This centenarian still insisted on seeing patients. When I was in college, I heard that when he treated patients, he would tell some patients to take a decoction orally for a year before anything else. Many patients were scared away as soon as they heard this. He had taken this gentle conditioning method to the extreme. I'm sure you've heard all the rumors about him!"

Upon hearing this, the female bookseller's face immediately showed a look of sudden realization.

"I have indeed heard of it! The example the curator gave is truly vivid. Even we laymen can understand half of the medical principle just by listening to it. It makes sense!"

"The gentle approach to treatment is definitely correct, especially for patients like you who are relatively well-off. Costs, daily diet, and living arrangements are not issues, so time is not a problem either. It's especially good because it won't damage the liver, kidneys, or disrupt the body's energy... The illness is cured like a gentle, soothing breeze – why not?! However... as times change and the pace of life accelerates to the point of being overwhelming, this gentle approach to treatment inevitably faces challenges from new people, new circumstances, and new eras. To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, the Qingli Reforms and Wang Xiangyu's reforms during the Northern Song Dynasty, and later the reforms of Zhang Yong during the mid-Ming Dynasty..." So why did all these reforms ultimately fail?! The core logic, at its core, lies in the word 'mild.' Because it was mild, it could be implemented for a period of time. However, precisely because it was mild, it was difficult to eradicate the root cause. Later scholars even jokingly called it 'scratching an itch,' ultimately leading to its ineffectiveness. What you just said is indeed reasonable. The illness is unpredictable, and the power of medicine is insufficient. Mild treatments are unlikely to suppress the disease. If the disease cannot be controlled, isn't that also a form of neglect?! So… you're in a bit of an awkward position now…” With a mix of historical anecdotes and analogies, Bian Mu hoped his explanation would convince the female bookseller before him.

"You really should become an adjunct professor at a medical university! Seriously! Your explanations will be profound yet easy to understand. Even a complete layman like me would understand immediately. I'm not just saying this casually. It's quite a coincidence, but my uncle, my father's brother, was once the president of Lijin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He's currently retired and recuperating at home. If you, the scholar, are interested in spreading your expertise, I can act as a go-between. It would be beneficial for both of you, wouldn't it?" At this point, the female bookseller's eyes lit up, and she suddenly made this suggestion. Upon hearing this, Bian Mu immediately smiled.

"We've gone a bit off-topic! Teaching at a university isn't something you can just do casually. I'm not very knowledgeable, how could I possibly be qualified to stand on that platform? Let's get back to the topic we were discussing. Gentle treatments are actually a kind of delay for a special patient like you, so... eliminating yin evil and supporting internal yang are no longer suitable for you right now. The prescription that Elder Wu prescribed should be put away for now and not used. Also, this matter is only between you and me. You must not mention it to anyone else, not even your family."

"I know about this, don't worry! I won't cause trouble. The TCM community is quite sensitive about certain things. So... after stopping Dr. Wu's herbal decoctions, how should I properly recuperate?"

“Hey! Let me emphasize again, it’s not that Elder Wu’s diagnosis was wrong. There’s no right or wrong here, only the timeliness of the treatment. Since you trust me so much, how about… can you find the two acupoints, ‘Zusanli’?” Bian Mu suddenly brought up the “Zusanli” acupoint.

"I have a general idea of ​​the area, but I can't say I'm absolutely certain."

"Simple! Look! First, extend your right hand. Make a 90-degree angle with your thumb and index finger, and place the upper and outer edges of your fingers firmly against the outer side of your patella, which is the kneecap. The tip of your middle finger is located at Zusanli acupoint. I'll prepare some ointment for you later. When you get home, cut a small piece with scissors, slightly larger than the Zusanli acupoint, and apply it. One application will last for three days, or 72 hours. If nothing unexpected happens, the ointment will fall off on its own. If you find that the ointment has fallen off prematurely, or if it's still stuck to your leg after 72 hours, come sit down here. I'll take your pulse, check your tongue coating, and then I'll give you a different kind of ointment to apply. Apart from that, stop all other treatments, including Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine treatments, and dietary therapy. Stick to this for six weeks, and then we can make slight adjustments based on changes in your condition!"

Upon hearing this, the female bookseller beamed with joy.

Needless to say, the simplest treatment plan is often the most ingenious. Having lived with famous doctors since childhood, the female bookseller was actually quite familiar with medicine.

"Thank you so much! I just came to deliver the keys, but I didn't expect it to remove a major threat. Now... how about we reconsider the lecture? Really! I can arrange it."

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu quickly waved his hand, firmly opposing it.