When Lu Xuan sat down, a middle-aged man in his thirties walked in. The moment he saw Lu Xuan, he sat down, somewhat excitedly, "Dr. Lu, you've changed my biased view of doctors."

Lu Xuan looked at him, not understanding.

"My name is Zhou Binghe."

Zhou Binghe introduced himself and continued, "Actually, I've had this illness for over five years now. I've been to many hospitals and seen many doctors. To be honest, I almost wanted to give up, not because it couldn't be treated, but because the attitude of some doctors made me really lose trust in them.

Do you know? Just last week, I went back to my hometown. I thought I'd go to the hospital there for a check-up since I had some free time. Because it was a last-minute decision, I got a late appointment. When it was meal time, the doctor directly stopped the clinic and told me to come back in the afternoon. But in the afternoon, there was a hospital-wide meeting, and the doctor wasn't there. That day I ended up going there for nothing. When I tried to get a refund for the appointment, it was a hassle and I didn't get my registration fee back until near closing time.

Honestly, it was exhausting.

My wife heard about you and urged me to come for a check-up. Initially, I was reluctant because I was really disappointed with doctors. But seeing you and hearing what you just said, I realized that good doctors do exist, and it was just bad luck that I hadn't encountered one before."

After finishing, Zhou Binghe looked seriously at Lu Xuan, "Dr. Lu, thank you, thank you for giving me a new perspective on doctors."

Lu Xuan listened quietly, and after Zhou Binghe finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Actually, I've had experiences similar to yours before. It's just a matter of putting oneself in others' shoes. Every profession has its bad apples. Don't give up on yourself because of some people's irresponsibility, and don't torture yourself because of others' mistakes."

Zhou Binghe was deeply respectful, "Thank you, Dr. Lu, I understand now."

Lu Xuan nodded, then asked, "Now, tell me about your condition."

Without hesitation, Zhou Binghe explained everything.

He even took out some previous examination reports.

Lu Xuan reviewed them attentively for a while, and already had an answer.

Hiccup syndrome.

Also known as reflux esophagitis in Western medicine.

He self-medicated with omeprazole and mosapride, which alleviated the symptoms significantly, but they relapsed after stopping the medication. He sought multiple hospital consultations without improvement, with the condition fluctuating, also accompanied by chronic non-atrophic gastritis.

The main symptoms were heartburn, acid reflux, hiccups, bad breath, poor appetite, normal sleep, and bowel movements once a day.

Having understood the condition, Lu Xuan checked his pulse and observed Zhou Binghe's tongue.

"The tongue is red, with a yellow greasy coating, teeth marks around the edges, and the pulse is deep and slippery."

Lu Xuan murmured softly.

A deep, slippery pulse indicates both a deep pulse and a slippery pulse. A deep pulse is often associated with internal diseases, and a slippery pulse is generally associated with phlegm, food accumulation, and excess heat.

With his judgment made, Lu Xuan calmed his mind and began to listen closely.

[Reflux esophagitis? That's the term in Western medicine. In terms of traditional Chinese medicine, besides 'vomiting acid', it can be categorized under 'stomach distension', 'chest obstruction', or 'epigastric pain', where the treatment often focuses on the liver.]

Treatment focused on the liver?

Lu Xuan frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Fortunately, the following explanation quickly reminded him of some of the content he had memorized.

[In 'Suwen Xuanji Yuanbing Shi - Vomiting Acid', it says, "The sourness is the flavor of liver wood. When the heat becomes excessive and restrains metal, it cannot harmonize wood, thus liver wood becomes overly pronounced, resulting in sourness." Zhu Danxi also said, "Swallowing sour acid is due to damp-heat accumulated in the liver, manifesting between the lungs and stomach."

The patient's 'vomiting acid' is due to disharmony between the liver and stomach, with liver qi disturbing upward, obstructing the throat and chest, and transforming into heat and sourness due to stagnation.

Without stagnation, there is no sourness; various accumulations start with qi stagnation, thus the treatment first unblocks the liver, then soothes the center.]

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan's eyes lit up with a sudden realization.

The wonder of traditional Chinese medicine lies here. Especially for someone like him, with a proper educational background in Chinese medicine, often just a few pointers can lead to comprehensive understanding.

And such pointers are crucial.

This is what experience is about.

When it comes to unblocking the liver, while Lu Xuan might not know it all by heart, he knows quite a bit.

Unblocking the liver initially involves regulating Qi, and soothing the center requires fortifying the spleen, mainly focusing on the method of "unblocking."

The liver governs the regulation and dispersal of Qi, enabling the smooth functioning of the spleen and stomach.

Therefore, the approach often starts with the liver and stomach, regulating Qi to alleviate stagnation, enabling the internal organs to function smoothly.

Back in school, Lu Xuan often heard his mentor emphasize the importance of clinical experience in traditional Chinese medicine. Before gaining such experience, Lu Xuan didn't feel much about it. He thought that even without clinical experience, he could diagnose and prescribe based on his studies.

Only after interacting with patients did Lu Xuan realize the importance of clinical experience.

And at this moment, this subtle explanation made Lu Xuan more aware of the importance of having a good teacher.

Why do so many graduates from universities majoring in Chinese medicine aspire to work in major hospitals?

Isn't it because the skilled practitioners are all recruited by major hospitals?

If one seeks guidance, they must go to major hospitals.

Lu Xuan must have received a major stroke of luck from his ancestors, to be able to gain the 'bug' of overhearing the heart's voice of Chinese medicine.

Otherwise, as just a recently graduated student, he'd probably have to spend his life working at the Health Center.

[Liver Qi stagnation, accumulated over time transforms into heat, transversely intruding the stomach, causing stomach burning and acid reflux; the stomach loses its descending function, and the stomach Qi ascends, causing hiccups, bad breath; dampness entraps the spleen, impairing its function, resulting in poor appetite. The disease is located in the stomach, related to the liver and spleen, with Qi stagnation as the main pathological factor, spleen deficiency as the root, followed by damp turbidity, heat stagnation, and blood stasis.

During treatment, the liver is first to be unblocked and the capital decoupled to alleviate the urgent conditions. Among them, Chaihu, Citron, and Finger Citron are used to unblock the liver and stomach, alleviating Qi stagnation.

Next, the treatment involves fortifying the spleen and soothing the center to address the root of the disease.

Perilla fortifies the spleen and soothes the center, removing dampness; Magnolia Bark and Immature Bitter Orange direct the stomach Qi downward, reduce Qi and eliminate stagnation, while roasted Hawthorn, roasted Divine Comedy, Dried Tangerine Peel, and Chicken Gizzard Skin assist in resolving food stagnation, fortifying the spleen, aiding digestion, and removing accumulations;

Yinchen, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Rhizoma Coptidis cleanse heat and promote diuresis; Zhe Fritillaria, Cuttlefish Bone, Raw Gypsum, Crushed Tile Powder are used to inhibit acid while clearing gastric fire.]

Lu Xuan listened while writing down the prescription in the medical record provided by Zhou Binghe. (The specific dosages are the author's narrative, not counted in the text)

"Dr. Lu, can my condition be treated?"

Seeing Lu Xuan finish writing the prescription, Zhou Binghe couldn't help but ask.

"It can be treated."

Lu Xuan nodded and then turned the conversation, "If it's simply reflux, it's not difficult, but since you also have chronic non-atrophic gastritis, it might take some time for a complete recovery. Specifically, it will depend on whether the symptoms persist after taking the medication."

Hearing that it can be treated, Zhou Binghe breathed a slight sigh of relief, "The time needed doesn't matter. I've also seen many Chinese medicine doctors. Traditional Chinese medicine treats the root, so it naturally takes longer."

"I'm glad you think that way."

Lu Xuan said with a smile.

The reason traditional Chinese medicine has slowly declined and only recently shown signs of resurgence is mainly due to its slow effects. Patients often give up because they don't see results in a short time, turning to Western medicine.

Over time, naturally, fewer people seek traditional Chinese medicine.

"Sit tight for a moment, I'll go and get the medicine."

Leaving that sentence behind, Lu Xuan got up and walked into the herbal medicine room again.

He has lost count of how many times he has been to the herbal medicine room now.

While getting the medicine, Lu Xuan thought that the reason why Zhou Binghe's condition had worsened recently was not just because of the wrong medication, but also due to his prejudice and resentment towards doctors.

Liver Qi stagnation inevitably affects the stomach.

This is also why many diseases that Western medicine can't completely cure often involve the use of medications that only alleviate the symptoms. Once the medication is stopped, the symptoms quickly return, primarily because Western medicine tends to treat symptoms rather than the root cause.

Zhou Binghe experienced acid reflux, so medications like omeprazole and antacids were prescribed. These medications can only alleviate symptoms but cannot solve the issue fundamentally, hence the recurrence once the medication is stopped.

After receiving the medicine, Zhou Binghe left, but Lu Xuan didn't have the luxury to rest. He continued seeing patients.

All morning, Lu Xuan was so busy that he was overwhelmed. He even had his lunch while seeing patients, finishing it in the consultation room. The afternoon appointments continued until 7 PM.

When the last patient left with their medicine from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department, Lu Xuan stretched, got up, and moved his muscles.

Having sat all day, his bottom was already numb.

At this moment, Wang Youqing walked in, "How do you feel?"

"Tired."

Lu Xuan looked at the other person, "But... very fulfilled."

He felt unprecedentedly fulfilled. In just one day, he felt like he had learned more than he had in a year at school.

It's the satisfaction from applying what one has learned.

The kind of satisfaction that feels exhilarating.

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