This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Du Heng’s therapeutic approach was completely different from Sun Jiaxiang’s.

Sun Jiaxiang’s starting point was the slogan traditional Chinese medicine always emphasized: cure the root cause of the disease.

The root cause of Su Nan’s condition was his cardiopulmonary system, so Sun Jiaxiang planned to start there by lowering blood pressure and boosting the cardiopulmonary original qi. As long as cardiopulmonary function was restored, then Su Nan’s problems could be easily solved.

As for the current kidney function failure, that was caused by pulmonary dysfunction.

The heart governs blood, and the lungs govern qi. As long as the qi and blood were robust and fluent, would kidney yang deficiency still be a problem?

Therefore, Sun Jiaxiang had followed this path to treat Su Nan, hoping to bring about a change.

But things did not go as he wished. After two doses of medicine, there was no improvement at all.

That meant his thinking about treating the root cause had a problem. If treating the root cause wasn’t working, should they treat the symptoms? The issue was that what he considered the symptom—the disease’s origin—was not the external cold invasion Du Heng had mentioned. Instead, he believed myocardial blood supply insufficiency had caused this problem. Furthermore, the myocardial blood supply insufficiency was due to the patient’s pre-existing enlarged left ventricle, which had caused pulmonary artery hypertension. His reasoning for syndrome differentiation and pathogenesis had led him around in circles, right back to his original conclusion. Therefore, he still believed that his treatment approach was not wrong.

Now Du Heng was proposing that the patient suffered from an external cold invasion, and this left Sun Jiaxiang...

Sun Jiaxiang fell silent for a good while. Then, he stared at Du Heng with a serious expression and asked, ”Mr. Du, are you sure about this?”

Du Heng nodded. ”Two and a half years ago, I treated a patient whose condition was very similar to Professor Su’s. That patient was much more severe than Professor Su; their lungs had fibrosis, and they were also dealing with respiratory failure. Now, that patient can get out of bed and work normally, just like anyone else.”

Sun Jiaxiang took a deep breath. His questions were finished. Although he didn’t agree with Du Heng’s proposed cause of the illness, he couldn’t find any grounds to refute Du Heng’s viewpoint.

Seeing that their exchange had concluded, Director Xue wasted no words. He looked directly at Du Heng and said, ”Mr. Du, how should the medication be used?”

”Thirty grams of aconite, ten grams of ephedra, Cassia twig...” Du Heng quickly recited the prescription he had already formulated.

When Du Heng finished speaking, Sun Jiaxiang recalled the cause of illness Du Heng had just mentioned and found it to align well with the medication, so he said nothing more.

As for Du Heng using an excessive dosage in his prescription, well, in Sun Jiaxiang’s view, that wasn’t an issue at all. He himself had prescribed medications exceeding standard dosages far more often than Du Heng; it was nothing to make a fuss about.

While Sun Jiaxiang didn’t need an explanation, Director Xue had to hear one. He needed to know how this prescription would cure the disease. Hence, he kept staring at Du Heng, indicating for him to continue.

Seeing Director Xue’s expectant posture, Du Heng immediately understood and continued, ”Aconite is for covering yang and rescuing of counterflow to first stabilize Professor Su’s original qi. Then, ephedra is used for diaphoresis to release the exterior, and to open and uplift the lung qi. Professor Su’s lower limb edema is due to cold evil obstructing the lungs and blocking the water pathways. But if the lung qi is unblocked, the water pathways will open, and the edema will quickly subside.”

Saying this, Du Heng paused and fell silent for a moment. Just as everyone was puzzled, Du Heng looked at Director Xue and asked, ”Director Xue, among the patients you have treated, what common characteristics do those with lung disease share?”

”Common characteristics?” Director Xue was also a bit stunned by the question.

However, this question did not stump him. After a brief thought, he had an answer. ”Patients with lung disease have many common characteristics. However, Mr. Du, you’re probably asking if they all experience edema when their condition worsens, right?”

Du Heng nodded. ”Yes, that’s it. However, edema generally only appears when the condition is critical. But there is one symptom that almost all lung disease patients have.”

”What is it?” Director Xue was quite curious.

”Weakness in the waist and knees,” Du Heng said softly.

Director Xue first frowned, then asked with renewed confusion, ”That does seem to be the case. But why?”

Du Heng took a deep breath. ”According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the lung corresponds to metal, and the kidney to water. Metal generates water, so the relationship between the lung and kidney is known as ’metal generating water.’ It’s also said that the lung is the mother of the kidney.

”Therefore, prolonged lung yin deficiency can exhaust kidney yin, leading to kidney deficiency. This is also called ’mother deficiency affecting the child.’”

Director Xue’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”Mr. Du, are you suggesting we should help Professor Su have a bowel movement to relieve pressure on his kidneys and thereby alleviate the lung qi deficiency?”

Whether Director Xue truly understood or not, this was indeed Du Heng’s intention, so he simply nodded.

After a slight hesitation, Director Xue turned to look at Sun Jiaxiang, but Sun Jiaxiang offered no suggestions. Instead, he turned his head to look at Su Nan on the hospital bed.

When Sun Jiaxiang offered no answer, Director Xue, after a brief thought, no longer hesitated and said directly, ”Mr. Du, please write the prescription.”

Later, while waiting for the medicine to be decocted, they all engaged in light-hearted conversation. No one made a move to leave first.

Even after the medicine had been administered, the group still showed no intention of leaving.

But Du Heng couldn’t wait any longer. He had to go out for a while; he needed to take his father-in-law home so the latter could get some rest.

His father-in-law was in his seventies, approaching eighty. If the old man had to keep vigil with them, who knew how long it would last?

When Du Heng suggested he leave temporarily, the other three present exchanged glances but raised no objections.