This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Du Heng performed the ten diffusing points bloodletting and, after further stimulating two acupoints, the patient finally responded. There was no need to needle Baihui (GV20).

After about ten seconds, the patient fully regained consciousness. Du Heng quietly asked, "Do you know who I am?"

The young man turned, saw Du Heng in his white gown, then looked at his work badge and said softly, "You are a doctor."

Du Heng held up three fingers. "How many is this?"

"Three."

"Alright, he's awake." He turned to the old couple to inform them, then walked towards his desk. Yu Haiting and the others, seeing the patient was fine, returned to their own offices.

The woman then threw herself onto her son, gripping his hands firmly. "My son, you've scared me to death! SOB SOB SOB!"

After she calmed down a bit, and once Wu Buwei had removed all the needles, the old couple helped their son to Du Heng's desk.

"Doctor, what happened to my son? Is it serious?"

Du Heng didn't answer directly but asked instead, "Before your son fainted, did he eat watermelon or other fruits? And was he in air conditioning?"

"No air conditioning, but he did turn an electric fan on himself before sitting down. Then he fainted after eating watermelon and those things."

It was just as he had expected.

An ancient medical text recorded that in summer, some pampered and wealthy youths would overindulge in melons and fruits, which chilled their stomachs, only to suddenly collapse from a surge of summerheat qi.

These individuals, accustomed to luxurious living, were often fed refined foods. They lived delicately, but this also made them prone to various ailments. Nutritional imbalances were common, and their gastrointestinal systems often became delicate as a result. A weak gastrointestinal system would inevitably lead to deficiency, be it qi deficiency, blood deficiency, or a deficiency of both qi and blood.

Judging by the patient's appearance and his parents' demeanor, he was undoubtedly one such pampered youth.

Moreover, his sunken eyes, dry philtrum, and gaunt cheeks indicated he was also a person given to overindulgence.

His constitution was inherently weak. Combined with overindulgence, this meant he had an internally cold body. Now, he had also eaten cold fruits and exposed himself to a cold draft from the fan. With summerheat qi trapped inside, unable to enter or escape, who else would faint if not him?

"The fainting isn't a major issue. He was simply overwhelmed by a surge of summerheat qi."

"Thank goodness, thank you, Doctor," the woman said gratefully, tightly gripping her son's arm. But her son seemed somewhat averse?

Du Heng thought he must have misread the situation and shook his head before continuing, "You're welcome; it's my duty. I'll write a prescription. Take it home and have the patient drink it. The summerheat qi will be gone after two doses."

After quickly writing the prescription, he handed it to Wu Buwei. "Buwei, take the family to pay and get the medicine."

The man followed Wu Buwei out to get the medicine, while the woman stayed with her son.

Du Heng looked at the two and said, "You'll need to be careful in the future. When you've just come in from the hot sun and are still sweating, don't rush to eat fruits like watermelon, especially if they're chilled. Wait for your body to stop sweating and the internal heat to dissipate a bit."

The mother and son both nodded, listening very seriously. "Doctor, rest assured, we've noted it down."

"Also, when you're sweating heavily, don't let air conditioning or a fan blow directly on you. Another thing is his diet; it needs to be more nourishing. The patient is a bit deficient."

The two nodded vigorously again.

"Lastly, abstain from sexual activity for one week."

This incident had thoroughly frightened them, so they agreed to everything Du Heng said without hesitation.

A short while later, Wu Buwei returned with the man, having collected the medicine. The patient had also recovered somewhat and was helped out by his parents.

Once outside, the parents, worried their son would get tired, had their twenty-year-old son sit on the rack car. The father, who was over sixty, pulled it as they left the Health Clinic.

Du Heng and Wu Buwei watched clearly from the window, an indescribable feeling in their hearts.

When the family's figures had disappeared from view, Wu Buwei asked Du Heng, "Elder Brother, the patient was invaded by summerheat qi, so shouldn't dispelling summerheat have been the priority? Why did your prescription focus on tonifying the spleen and invigorating qi instead?"

"You didn't get a chance to examine him just now, so you're not fully aware. The patient's original constitution is weak, and he is also given to overindulgence, making him a person with yin deficiency. For individuals with yin deficiency, summerheat qi readily invades when it finds this weakness. Therefore, the treatment method must prioritize tonifying qi, not dispelling summerheat first."

Wu Buwei nodded in understanding. "No wonder you told him to abstain from sexual activity. So it's because he has a yin deficiency constitution."

"He has yin deficiency, and there's also the yang evil of summerheat qi. It might seem that nourishing Yin should be the priority. However, when yang evil enters the spleen, it transforms into yin qi in that context. If you nourish Yin, although the body's yin qi might flourish, it becomes something the yang evil favors. The yang evil then combines with this yin qi. If the original yin qi is weak, it cannot match the yang evil. If you try to bolster his yin qi, this yin will struggle to expel the yang. If the yang evil lingers, the illness will develop other complications."

"I understand. By reinforcing his yang qi, it becomes strong and healthy. When the righteous yang qi is vigorous, the pathogenic yang evil won't dare to confront it and will inevitably retreat without a fight."

Du Heng nodded, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. "This prescription is called Yang-Returning and Summerheat-Dissipating Decoction. The ginseng, poria, atractylodes, and beans in it are all medicines for tonifying the spleen and invigorating qi, helping to restore righteous yang qi. As for dispelling summerheat qi, adding just one aromatic medicine is enough."

Seeing Wu Buwei nodding repeatedly, Du Heng's inclination to test him arose again. "I've clearly explained the etiology and diagnosis to you. If it were you prescribing, what formula would you use?"

Wu Buwei lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said, "If it were me, I would use the Four Gentlemen Decoction. It's good for invigorating qi and strengthening the spleen, which seems appropriate here."

After speaking, he looked at Du Heng with newfound confidence.

But Du Heng smiled faintly and asked, "And what about the patient's summerheat qi?"

"Er..."

He had forgotten about that.

Wu Buwei felt a little embarrassed.

He lowered his head to think again and said uncertainly, "Could we add the aromatic medicine to it then?"

"You could. But the Four Gentlemen Decoction is warm but not drying, tonifying but not harsh. For someone with yin deficiency who also has a combination of internal and external cold, I'm afraid its effect might not be potent enough."

Du Heng watched Wu Buwei with an amused smile. A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who can't prescribe well, no matter how good their syndrome differentiation is, is still only half-effective. Wu Buwei still needs a lot of practice.

Wu Buwei felt as if his toes were about to dig through the soles of his shoes from embarrassment.

He'd finally managed to suggest a prescription, only for it to be full of holes, neglecting crucial aspects.

Du Heng found this amusing and urged him, "Go on, say it. What are you looking at the floor for? There's no formula written there."

He mentally sifted through the properties of all the medicinal materials he knew, but couldn't find anything that wouldn't clash with the existing components or achieve the desired effect.

"I don't know, Elder Brother."

Du Heng shook his head. "It's always the simplest things you overlook. Just adding one ingredient, blast-fried ginger, would be enough."

Dried ginger, processed... blast-fried ginger.

Wu Buwei wanted to slap himself. He'd been racking his brain for common medicinal materials, but how could he have forgotten ginger, something used in everyday cooking? Because it was so common in daily life, he had completely overlooked its inherent medicinal properties.

"Ginger is said to have 'nine flavors that travel through nine meridians.' Used correctly, it's no less effective than expensive medicinal materials. Besides, I've used it many times. You really haven't paid any attention, have you?"

"I'll go study it right away," Wu Buwei said, his face burning with embarrassment.