This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

The patient sat up a little straighter, looking somewhat dispirited and listless.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, ”My wife and I have been to several hospitals for checkups. Some diagnosed me with Neurasthenia, and some doctors diagnosed me with mania. They prescribed me sleeping pills and some neuroleptic drugs. I was calm for a day or two while taking them, but once I stopped, the old problems re-emerged, and I never truly got better.”

Du Heng and Wang Qingpeng exchanged glances. Isn’t that just the way Western medicine operates? There’s nothing strange about not getting better if one’s own body hasn’t been properly adjusted and the root cause remains untreated.

”Have you tried traditional Chinese medicine?”

”I’ve tried it, too. Some doctors said I have blood deficiency, disturbed Shen, and many other names I can’t remember. Anyway, they were more or less the same.” The patient spoke slowly, trying to make himself clear. ”They prescribed me some Decoction medicine, like Sour Jujube Decoction, and some Chinese patent medicines, such as Celestial Emperor Heart-Supplementing Elixir and Arborvitae Seed & Heart-Nourishing Pill. I’ve taken them all. During the medication, my symptoms were slightly alleviated, but I also experienced eye redness, mouth sores, shortness of breath, and other issues.”

At this point, the patient looked at Du Heng and Wang Qingpeng. ”I originally wanted to see Sir Zhang, but his consultations were too hard to obtain. I tried for three months without success. When I heard about this volunteer opportunity, and that it was Sir Zhang’s Students looking for Patients, I agreed to come. Doctors, can Sir Zhang treat my illness?”

Wang Qingpeng looked at Du Heng and immediately reassured him with a smile, ”Don’t worry, Sir Zhang is our major force. He will review and approve our diagnosis and Treatment of each Patient.”

”Then I feel relieved.” The patient’s expression relaxed slightly.

Du Heng didn’t mind the patient’s question. As the patient relaxed, Du Heng continued asking, ”Can you tell me about your current symptoms?”

”Symptoms?” The patient looked up at Du Heng. ”There are many. First, food tastes bland and unappealing. Second, I feel irritable—even sitting and talking with you is bothersome, and my mouth is dry and bitter, making me constantly thirsty. Third, my bowel movements are poor; I’m somewhat constipated, going only once every three or four days.”

Du Heng looked at the patient with surprise, noticing how well-organized and clear his description of his symptoms was.

However, he quickly realized that this Patient had consulted other doctors and was probably used to being asked these questions. Du Heng couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

”Come, lie down, and I’ll perform a Check-up.”

”Okay.”

The Patient cooperated fully and didn’t ask many questions.

The tongue coating was yellow and greasy, and the pulse was string-like and forceful.

After the Check-up, Du Heng stood up. Wang Qingpeng asked, ”Doctor Du, what do you think?”

Du Heng pondered for a moment before saying, ”The Patient’s condition is heart and liver yin blood deficiency, with heart and liver fire flourishing. This disturbs the Shen, causing restlessness and sleep disturbances. Well, in this situation, nourishing yin and blood, combined with addressing his sleepwalking by using heavy methods for relieving uneasiness of mind, should result in a good night’s sleep within two doses. Taking the medicine for a month should adjust the condition properly and prevent relapse.”

Wang Qingpeng asked further, ”What should the house be?”

”I’ll write one for you when I get back.”

”Will a ready-made house or Chinese patent medicine work?”

Du Heng chuckled lightly. ”Actually, they could. For example, the Celestial Emperor Heart-Supplementing Elixir can nourish yin and blood, strengthen the Heart, and aid in relieving uneasiness of mind, treating problems such as yin deficiency and blood deficiency. It’s quite suitable for the Patient’s condition, but its effect on reducing heart fire and liver fire is weak, so it takes longer to work.

”Sour Jujube Decoction and Arborvitae Seed & Heart-Nourishing Pill are similar. They are either too mild, or they lack strong methods for relieving uneasiness of mind. In fact, they are just slightly off-target and basically don’t work in the short term.

”The house I’m going to write is actually a modified version of Sour Jujube Decoction. In addition to nourishing blood and calming the mind, clearing heat, and relieving agitation, I will also add strong medicines for relieving uneasiness of mind.

”Of course, the dosage of the original house will also be adjusted accordingly to ensure the Patient can sleep well tonight.

”Otherwise, Everyone will really think that traditional Chinese medicine is a Slow Doctor.”

As he said this, Du Heng quietly exhaled in his heart.

From what he had seen and heard in Luqi today, he realized that the Chinese Medicine Doctors here had the same issues as those in his own Jinzhou. They had an insufficient overall understanding of medical principles and were overly focused on specific aspects. When prescribing medicine, they stuck to the rules and lacked innovation. They had too little courage with dosage, hovering between just enough and not enough. Furthermore, their syndrome differentiation was incomplete, leading to slight omissions in medication, making their prescribed houses bounce between effective and ineffective. The reasons for these problems, aside from the limitations of the Pharmacopoeia, were largely due to their own mental constraints.

Wang Qingpeng also smiled, exchanged a few words with the Patient, and then prepared to leave with Du Heng.

However, as Du Heng turned to leave, the Patient suddenly spoke again, ”Doctor, can I ask you a few questions?”

Du Heng stopped and turned back to look at the Patient. ”No problem, go ahead.”

”Doctor, why do I sleepwalk around two o’clock in the morning every day?” The Patient looked curious and even a little worried. ”I asked the doctors who treated me before, but they never explained it clearly to me.

”Some people told me that I had offended something unclean and that I should resort to superstition, so I listened.

”I went to the Temple to worship Buddha and procured consecrated talismans. I also went to the Taoist Temple to burn incense and offer incense money, but this sleepwalking issue at two o’clock in the morning has never changed.”