northernbook Chapter 22 The Arrogance and Prejudice of Medical Students
Chapter 22 The Arrogance and Prejudice of Medical Students
Changxiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is considered one of the top TCM universities in China.
Professor Yang Wenhai is an even more prominent figure in the university, a national master of traditional Chinese medicine who enjoys special allowances from the State Council.
His students were all arrogant and proud geniuses.
As Professor Yang's most prized student, Li Siyuan was proud to the core.
At a young age, he had already published several papers in core journals and could recite various theoretical classics of traditional Chinese medicine fluently.
Recently, rumors about "Renxin Pharmacy" and "Dr. Wang" have been circulating widely in Changxiang City.
Li Siyuan and his classmates naturally heard about it as well.
But their first reaction wasn't curiosity, but rather disdain.
"What kind of miracle doctor? I think he's just a charlatan!" a girl named Zhao Na said disdainfully. "Curing facial paralysis by slapping someone's face with a pig's face? Curing anxiety by having a director play video games? If this were traditional Chinese medicine, I'd devour the entire Compendium of Materia Medica!"
"Exactly! His so-called 'therapies' have absolutely no theoretical basis and are purely for sensationalism!" another boy chimed in.
Although Li Siyuan didn't say anything, he thought the same thing.
He felt that Wang Minyu's actions were an insult to the term "traditional Chinese medicine".
Traditional Chinese medicine is a profound and extensive science, not some feudal superstition or shamanistic ritual.
"Didn't Teacher Yang tell us to get more involved in clinical practice and to learn more about 'folk TCM' practitioners? I think this Wang Minyu is a typical negative example. Today, let's go and confront him, expose his fraudulent practices, and restore the reputation of TCM!" Li Siyuan raised his arm and shouted, receiving enthusiastic responses from his junior fellow students.
So, with the mindset of "challenging" the pharmacy, they came to Renxin Pharmacy.
"Study?" Wang Minyu looked at the arrogant young men in front of him, knowing exactly what they were thinking.
He saw through their intentions at a glance.
"There's nothing much to learn here," Wang Minyu said, pointing to the banner on the wall that read "Cures Pretentiousness." "What I have here is to cure all kinds of dissent."
Upon hearing this, Li Siyuan and the others' expressions immediately changed.
"Dr. Wang, we are here sincerely to seek your advice. Why are you so unapproachable?" Li Siyuan suppressed his anger and adopted a humble posture.
"Really?" Wang Minyu smiled. "Alright, let me ask you a very simple question. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, what does 'inspection' involve observing?"
"Observe the spirit, complexion, shape, posture, and tongue." Li Siyuan blurted out without thinking. This was the standard answer from the textbook.
"That's right." Wang Minyu nodded. "Then look at me, what's wrong with me?"
This time, it was Li Siyuan and his group's turn to be stunned.
They looked at each other, scrutinizing Wang Minyu carefully.
Wang Minyu wore a clean white lab coat today, with a rosy complexion, bright eyes, upright posture, and a strong voice.
By all accounts, he is a person who couldn't be healthier.
"Dr. Wang...you look great, full of energy, you don't seem sick at all," a junior colleague whispered.
"Really?" Wang Minyu stuck out his tongue. His tongue was pale red with a thin white coating, which was a standard, normal tongue appearance.
Li Siyuan pondered for a moment, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Dr. Wang, forgive my bluntness, but judging from observation alone, you are in good health. If you insist that you are ill, then please extend your hand so we can take your pulse."
He thought that Wang Minyu was definitely putting on a show. He could tell whether Wang Minyu was faking it or not just by taking a pulse.
"No need to take my pulse." Wang Minyu shook his head. "My illness is written all over my face."
He pointed to his forehead.
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and saw that Wang Minyu's forehead was smooth and full, with nothing on it.
"Dr. Wang, are you playing with us?" Zhao Na couldn't help but ask, her tone full of sarcasm.
"If you can't tell, it just means you're not very skilled," Wang Minyu said calmly. "The *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), in its chapter on the Five Colors, says, 'The forehead governs the heart.' Look closely again. What's different about my forehead compared to yours?"
Once again, everyone stared intently at Wang Minyu's forehead, wishing they could use a microscope.
After observing for a while, a meticulous junior colleague suddenly spoke uncertainly: "Dr. Wang's forehead... seems... seems a bit brighter than ours? Like... he's had highlighter on it?"
"Yes!" Wang Minyu snapped his fingers. "That's the illness. It's called 'Brain Overload Syndrome'."
"Overworked brain syndrome?" Li Siyuan frowned. "There's no such disease name in traditional Chinese medicine. Western medicine does have a similar term, which refers to neurasthenia caused by prolonged mental overuse."
"That's right," Wang Minyu said. "I've been reading a lot and thinking about a lot of things lately, so my heart fire is a bit excessive. When heart fire rises, it steams the head and face, making my forehead appear unusually shiny. In traditional Chinese medicine, this is called 'excessive yang that cannot be contained.' Although it's not a serious illness, if this continues, it will deplete the heart yin, leading to insomnia, forgetfulness, and palpitations."
His explanation was logical, well-founded, and cited numerous sources, leaving Li Siyuan and the others unable to find a reason to refute it for a time.
"Even if...even if you're right," Zhao Na still retorted, "you're a doctor yourself, why don't you treat yourself?"
"Who says I'm incurable?" Wang Minyu picked up his precious tea mug, took a sip, and said, "This cup of tea is my medicine."
"What is this?"
"Lotus seed heart, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Lophatherum gracile," Wang Minyu said. "Lotus seed heart clears heart fire, Ophiopogon japonicus nourishes heart yin, and Lophatherum gracile promotes urination and guides fire downward. These three herbs are specifically for my illness."
Li Siyuan and the others fell completely silent.
They discovered that although the young man in front of them behaved eccentrically, his theoretical foundation in traditional Chinese medicine seemed to be much more solid than they had imagined.
"So? Still think I'm a con artist?" Wang Minyu asked, looking at them.
Li Siyuan took a deep breath. He knew that it was impossible to theoretically overpower Wang Minyu today.
He decided to try a different approach.
"Dr. Wang, we admit that your theories are very solid. However, traditional Chinese medicine is ultimately a practical science. We'd like to see how you treat your patients," Li Siyuan said. "Coincidentally, my junior colleague Zhao Na has been feeling a bit unwell lately."
Zhao Na, whose name was called, was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Li Siyuan meant. He was going to use her as a "litmus test".
"Yes, Dr. Wang," Zhao Na stepped forward, chin held high. "Lately, I've been feeling chest tightness and shortness of breath, and I often sigh. My teacher said it's 'liver qi stagnation' and prescribed 'Xiaoyao San,' but after taking it for half a month, it hasn't helped much. Could you please take a look and tell me what's wrong with me?"
She said she was seeking medical help, but her expression and tone clearly indicated that she was creating problems for him.
Wang Minyu glanced at her, and the system panel appeared.
[Patient: Zhao Na, 24 years old. Symptoms: Liver Qi stagnation and spleen deficiency, with phlegm and dampness obstructing the interior. Causes: Long-term sleep deprivation, irregular diet (love of sweets and milk tea), strong personality, and excessive thinking, leading to liver Qi stagnation, which in turn affects the spleen and stomach's digestive function, resulting in the generation of phlegm and dampness.]
[Pathogenesis Analysis: The root cause lies not in the liver, but in the spleen. Liver qi stagnation is merely the symptom; spleen deficiency leading to phlegm production is the underlying cause. Therefore, simply using Xiaoyao San (逍遥散) to soothe the liver and regulate qi is ineffective.]
"This isn't liver qi stagnation," Wang Minyu said, immediately refuting the diagnosis of the master of traditional Chinese medicine.
"What else could it be but liver stagnation?" Zhao Na sneered. "Do you think my diagnosis has the same authority as Professor Yang's?"
"Your condition is called 'Milk Tea Syndrome'," Wang Minyu said, making a startling statement.
"What?!" Zhao Na and her friends were all stunned.
"Milk tea syndrome? What kind of illness is that? I've never seen it in textbooks before," Li Siyuan said, frowning.
"Of course it's not in the textbook, I just made this up," Wang Minyu said confidently.
"You!" Zhao Na's face flushed with anger. "You're talking complete nonsense!"
"Whether I'm lying or not, you know in your heart." Wang Minyu looked at her. "Do you drink at least one cup of milk tea every day, and it has to be full sugar with milk foam? Besides milk tea, do you also love eating cakes, cream puffs, macarons, and other sweets? Do you stay up past 2 a.m. and like to snack while staying up late?"
Zhao Na's mouth gaped wider and wider. What Wang Minyu said was exactly the same as her lifestyle!
"How...how did you know?"
"I can smell it." Wang Minyu pointed at her. "You have a cloying, sweet perfume scent mixed with the smell of cooking oil from staying up late. This scent even masks the laundry detergent smell on your clothes."
"Traditional Chinese medicine says that 'the spleen governs transportation and transformation,' and 'prefers dryness and dislikes dampness.' Sweet and greasy foods are most likely to damage the spleen's yang energy, leading to impaired spleen function, internal retention of dampness, and the accumulation of phlegm. Phlegm and dampness obstruct the flow of qi, which is why you feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. When the spleen is weak, the production of qi and blood is insufficient, and it is unable to soothe the liver, resulting in liver qi stagnation. The root of your illness lies in the spleen, not the liver. Xiaoyao San only soothes the liver and does not strengthen the spleen, so naturally it is ineffective."
Wang Minyu's analysis of the pathogenesis was fluent and insightful.
This left Li Siyuan and his academic peers speechless.
Although they did not agree with the name "milk tea syndrome", Wang Minyu's analysis was completely in line with the diagnostic logic of traditional Chinese medicine, and even more thorough than their teacher's explanation.
"Then...how should we treat it?" Zhao Na's voice had unconsciously weakened.
"Simple." Wang Minyu took out paper and pen and quickly wrote down the prescription. "Go and buy two catties of raw barley and two catties of red beans. Boil them in water and drink it. No sugar is allowed. Starting today, give up all sweets and milk tea. You must go to bed before 11 p.m. every night."
"That's it?" Zhao Na looked at the simple recipe, still somewhat skeptical.
"That's it." Wang Min-yu threw down his pen and leaned back in his chair. "If you can't do it, then keep drinking your 'Xiaoyao San' (a type of herbal medicine). Even a god can't save you. If you can stick to it for a month and your chest tightness and shortness of breath don't get better, I'll give you this pharmacy."
Zhao Na stood there, holding the piece of paper that read "Job's tears and red beans," her face turning pale and then flushed.
She felt that she hadn't come here to challenge them, but rather to humiliate them.
Seeing his junior sister's embarrassed state, Li Siyuan felt a mix of emotions.
He had to admit that Wang Minyu, who looked even younger than them, was far superior to them in clinical diagnosis.
He took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Wang Minyu.
"Dr. Wang, we...we have learned a lot."