CHAPTER 369: 344 WIND-TOXIN STAGNATION

Although everyone had valid points, Yu Haiting had clearly forgotten that Du Heng needed to be involved in this matter.

Seeing that no one could convince the others, Du Heng coughed softly twice.

Instantly, all attention focused on him. They stopped their discussion and looked at Du Heng.

Du Heng coughed lightly again and said loudly, "Dr. Yu is right. If we invest too much manpower and resources at this stage, it will indeed be detrimental to our current development."

Han Yujian’s and the others’ expressions dimmed momentarily, but then they immediately heard Du Heng continue, "However, I agree with Dr. Han’s opinion."

Instantly, everyone’s spirits lifted. They knew Du Heng’s next words would determine the final course of action.

"I believe that the root cause of skin diseases is the overall imbalance of Qi and blood, whether caused by internal or external factors.

’Evil gathers where Qi is deficient.’

"When a person’s Qi is deficient, the ’six evils’—wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, and fire—can arise. These can cause pain and illness that manifest either internally or externally. If these manifest externally, they become skin diseases.

"Alternatively, prolonged exposure to harmful substances can weaken the body, creating an opportunity for external evils to invade, which also leads to illness.

"So, I believe that to treat skin diseases, we must start by addressing the whole body, adjusting the Qi and blood of the five viscera. If we only treat the skin superficially, the patient can never be truly cured. It will merely be a cycle of treatment and recurrence because the underlying root of the illness will always persist."

Han Yujian felt validated, especially since Du Heng agreed with his viewpoint. He excitedly slapped his thigh, then immediately started rubbing it vigorously due to the excessive force.

Everyone chuckled at Han Yujian, but no one was genuinely mocking him.

The affirmation from a pivotal figure like Du Heng brought him immense satisfaction, both physically and mentally.

Seeing Du Heng speak this way, Yu Haiting knew he must have a plan and asked, "Dean, do you already have an idea?"

If it were Han Yujian proposing it, Yu Haiting, frankly, wouldn’t have much confidence. But with Du Heng, he had no such reservations. Du Heng’s understanding of the causes of diseases and his skill in combining medicinal ingredients genuinely impressed Yu Haiting.

If I were ten years younger, I would definitely take Du Heng as my master and learn traditional Chinese medicine from scratch. It’s only because I’m older now and already set in the ways of modern medicine.

Of course, Du Heng didn’t disappoint him. He immediately said, "I’m planning to use Peach Kernel and Carthamus Four Agents Decoction combined with Cinnamon Twig Decoction. This will nourish blood, moisten dryness, activate blood, dispel stasis, and harmonize construction and defense. Then, I’ll use Stabilizing Wind Pills to nourish the liver and kidney, settle dizziness, nourish blood, expel wind, and stop itching. I’ll also add moutan and puccoon to cool the blood and detoxify, and use dictamnus, which targets the lung, large intestine, spleen, and stomach meridians. The overall therapeutic effect will be to clear damp-heat and treat necrotic skin."

Yu Haiting didn’t quite follow, and the others needed time to process it, but the Pharmacy Doctor spoke up immediately, "What if the patient has spleen-stomach deficiency-cold? The moutan and puccoon in the prescription are both cold-natured herbs."

"That can be managed by judiciously adding counteracting herbs."

The Pharmacy Doctor asked again, "According to your combination, what is the principal herb in this prescription? Based on what you’ve said, there doesn’t seem to be a principal herb to lead the formula."

Du Heng’s expression turned serious as he stated earnestly, "Black-striped snake’s flesh."

The Pharmacy Doctor frowned. "Black-striped snake’s flesh?"

"Yes, that’s it."

The Pharmacy Doctor recalled the properties of black-striped snake’s flesh, and his frown gradually relaxed. He enunciated clearly, "Black-striped snake’s flesh is sweet and salty, and it enters the lung and spleen meridians. It functions to dispel wind, dredge collaterals, and stop convulsions. It’s primarily indicated for various skin conditions like stubborn tinea, insensitive skin, wind pruritus, and hidden rashes. In theory, it should be a specific remedy for all recalcitrant skin diseases. However, it’s uncommon to use it specifically for treating skin diseases, especially as the principal herb."

Du Heng nodded in agreement with the Pharmacy Doctor’s assessment. "It’s quite normal for it to be uncommon," he said. "Besides, there aren’t many internal medicines for treating skin diseases. When using internal medication, the overall condition of the five viscera must be considered. If the herbal combination isn’t right, not only will it be ineffective, but it could also exacerbate the condition.

"For instance, as you just asked, if a patient has spleen-stomach deficiency-cold, and the prescription continues to increase the dosage of cold herbs like moutan without adding counteracting herbs, the patient’s condition won’t improve, and the skin ulceration might even accelerate.

"Therefore, when using internal decoctions for treatment, accurate syndrome differentiation is absolutely crucial."

Du Heng didn’t state it explicitly, but everyone understood the unspoken implication.

If a TCM physician prescribes internal medicine for a skin disease and it doesn’t work, it implies they failed to differentiate the syndrome correctly. If the syndrome differentiation is unclear, the prescribed medicine cannot be correct. And if the medicine isn’t correct, it would be a miracle if the illness were cured. If the treatment doesn’t lead to death or permanent disability, both the patient and the doctor should count their blessings and thank their ancestors for watching over them.

Han Yujian listened intently, his enthusiasm growing. "Dean," he asked, "can Zhu Minyan’s condition be treated directly with this prescription then?"

As soon as this question was raised, Du Heng felt a twinge of disappointment with Han Yujian.

I’ve just explained so much, yet it seems he hasn’t grasped the core point.

He sighed softly and said, "No, we cannot use this prescription directly. As I just explained, before administering medicine, we must perform a correct syndrome differentiation of the patient’s condition. Then, based on their actual situation, we can adjust the prescription by adding or removing specific medicinal ingredients.

"The formula I’ve outlined is merely a basic prescription. Different patients will require different channel-guiding herbs."

Yu Haiting had understood everything up to that point, but the last term puzzled him. He asked doubtfully, "What are channel-guiding herbs?"

Wu Buwei, standing nearby, explained in a low voice, "It means some medicinal ingredients have a special affinity for certain zang-fu organs and their meridians. For conditions affecting different locations, we select specific ingredients to enhance the therapeutic effect by guiding the other herbs. These are channel-guiding herbs. That’s the general idea."

Yu Haiting understood and nodded with a look of realization.

It seemed Han Yujian still hadn’t caught Du Heng’s underlying message, as he pressed on, "So, for Zhu Minyan’s condition, what medicinal ingredients should be added?"

Du Heng sighed inwardly with helplessness. He had gathered everyone to discuss the case, hoping to foster their clinical reasoning.

But at this stage of the discussion, especially after his recent explanations, Han Yujian’s best course of action would have been to remain silent, then independently examine Zhu Minyan’s condition, perform his own syndrome differentiation, and identify the necessary channel-guiding herb.

Instead, he was persisting with questions like a simpleton, determined to get every last detail. This approach made him seem more like a technician than a physician capable of independent critical thinking.

Du Heng finally understood why, during the critical merger of the two large Health Clinics from Fanjiaping and the High-tech Zone, Han Yujian, despite possessing some technical skills, had been dispatched to this remote outpost.

However, with everyone present, Du Heng couldn’t be too blunt. He could only directly state his examination findings and the medication.

"Zhu Minyan’s vitiligo currently presents as cloud-like patches on both cheeks, with signs of depigmentation in the center. Additionally, before her tumor treatment, she experienced generalized itching. I added ingredients to her previous prescription which somewhat alleviated this symptom.

"However, as the dosage of her tumor medication was reduced, the itching has become more pronounced again.

"Therefore, I’ve diagnosed her vitiligo as resulting from a disharmony between ying and wei, leading to the stagnation of wind-toxins in the skin."

Having said this, Du Heng paused, hoping that with the diagnosis clearly explained, Han Yujian could now identify the appropriate channel-guiding herb.

Fortunately, Han Yujian’s foundational knowledge was adequate. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Dean, considering the main and adjuvant herbs you just mentioned, the only channel-guiding herb that best fits the requirements now is euphorbia."

Hearing this, Du Heng’s expression softened slightly. Perhaps there’s hope for him yet, he thought.

"That’s what I was thinking as well. Adding euphorbia would be best."

Ultimately, Du Heng decided to preserve some of Han Yujian’s dignity. "Alright, everyone, that concludes today’s discussion. As for whether we should intensify our focus on treating skin diseases, let’s observe the effects of this prescription first."

Zhu Minyan had been waiting in her hospital room for a long time. Finally, Du Heng and the others arrived to attend to her.

She had anticipated they might apply some strange concoctions to her skin, but to her surprise, the treatment remained the same as before: drinking a decoction medicine.

The current regimen required her to drink a cup of the decoction medicine at 7:30 each morning and another dose at 8:30 in the evening.

Though the decoction medicine was bitter, she could tangibly feel its effects.

The day after starting the decoction medicine, she immediately felt the maddening, numbing itch that pervaded her entire body lessen significantly.

On the third day, the itching on her body continued to subside, but a slight numbness and itchiness began on her cheeks. Du Heng had warned her beforehand not to scratch them.

By the fourth day, the itching on her body had nearly vanished, but the numb itch on her face intensified. This facial discomfort persisted strongly until the evening, when it finally became somewhat more bearable.

When Zhu Minyan awoke on the fifth day, she felt remarkably light and refreshed, as if a great burden had been lifted. Were it not for the persistent numb itch on her face, she might have believed she was completely healed.

On the sixth day, she felt even better than the previous day. The numb itch on her face continued, but aside from a slight feeling of lassitude, she experienced no other discomfort.

As usual, she accepted the basin of water her mother brought for washing her face. Wary of irritating her skin, she gently patted water onto her face a few times, considering it washed.

However, just as she was about to put down the towel, she noticed her mother had placed a mirror on the bedside table.

She really wanted to grab the mirror and take a good look at what her face looked like now.

A while ago, due to the impact of the tumor, although she cared deeply about her appearance, she also had the courage to directly face her vitiligo-marked face.

However, since she began treating her vitiligo, she suddenly lost that courage. She began to worry incessantly and no longer dared to pick up a mirror or look at her reflection on her phone screen.

When her tumor had been life-threatening, she had certainly felt fear, but never the acute anxiety she experienced now. She was so on edge that she constantly imagined how she looked, yet simultaneously dreaded seeing the reality with her own eyes.

Consequently, she had asked her mother to put the mirror away, to keep it out of sight, fearing she wouldn’t be able to resist looking if it were there.