Chinese medicine: from rural hospitals to top three hospitals in Kyoto

Chapter 818 Chen Yang's Popular Science (Part )

"It's so boring, I shouldn't have come."

Liu Xi yawned and whispered to Zhong Fei beside him.

"Brother Liu, didn't you see that the audience was actually listening with great interest?"

Zhong Fei smiled and said, "These superficial things may be a bit boring for those of you who study Chinese medicine, but they are very interesting to those who don't know much about Chinese medicine."

"Doctor Zhong is right." He Pengjun whispered. He thought what Chen Yang said was very interesting.

"Let me tell you a case..."

Chen Yang continued: "Many people don't quite understand the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth, and how the Yin and Yang and the Five Elements are applied to specific diseases..."

"I treated a patient with cough before. He liked to drink cold drinks in the summer, which led to diarrhea. He kept coughing and his stool was not formed. It was not until autumn that the cough was cured..."

"The patient took a lot of medicine and saw many doctors. He tried almost all the cough medicines available on the market, and even used homemade Chuanbei loquat paste, but the cough still did not go away..."

"The patient's cough has not been cured for a long time because the correct treatment has not been found and the medicine used is not suitable for the disease."

Chen Yang said slowly: "It's like when we open a lock. No matter how many keys you try, if the key is wrong, the lock will never open. If it is the right key, one key is enough..."

"So from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, what is the cause of the patient's illness? It's lung deficiency..."

"Because the patient likes cold drinks, he has long-term lung deficiency. Why is his lung deficiency? It is because the patient likes cold drinks, which leads to dampness. If the dampness is not transported, the spleen function will be damaged..."

"Then the patient's pathogenesis is spleen deficiency leading to lung deficiency, insufficient lung qi... To treat this disease, the mutual generation and mutual restraint of the five elements are used."

"In traditional Chinese medicine, the spleen belongs to the earth and the lungs belong to the metal. The patient's cough is caused by spleen deficiency and insufficient lung qi. Once the pathogenesis is found, the treatment is very simple. Use Shenling Baishu Granules in combination with Compound Licorice Tablets..."

Chen Yang said: "Why do we need to use compound licorice tablets? Earth can produce sweetness, and sweetness produces spleen, spleen produces meat, and meat produces lungs. Licorice tastes sweet and can directly enter the middle earth, accompany the earth, and the earth produces gold..."

Chen Yang smiled and said, "What did we say just now? The spleen belongs to earth, and the lungs belong to gold. Cultivating the earth to nourish the spleen, and using the spleen to nourish the lungs, doesn't it conform to the five elements of earth giving birth to gold?"

“Oh my god, this is amazing…”

"Earth produces gold, so this is how it is..."

Some people were still confused before, but after Chen Yang analyzed the whole disease, many people suddenly understood.

"The Five Elements theory is like a navigation system in traditional Chinese medicine, guiding us to find the root cause of the disease. For example, the liver belongs to wood and the heart belongs to fire. Wood can produce fire, just like burning trees will produce flames."

"For example, patients with high blood pressure often feel dizzy, irritable and easily angered. If you look at their tongue coating and find that it is red with yellow fur and their pulse is stringy and rapid, combined with their long-term stay-up-late and emotional discomfort, you can judge that it is 'excessive liver fire, which leads to heart fire'."

"In treatment, you can use Longdan Xiegan Decoction to clear liver fire, and at the same time use lotus seed heart and bamboo leaves to clear heart fire. This is like cutting down the burning tree first, and then putting out the spreading flames..."

"Wood overcomes earth. In the human body, excessive liver qi will restrain the spleen and stomach. Clinically, it is common for some people to suffer from stomachache and diarrhea when they get angry. This is a typical case of 'liver wood overcoming spleen earth'."

Chen Yang continued, "If you have a lot of work pressure and often lose your temper, you are likely to have symptoms such as loss of appetite, abdominal distension and abdominal pain. I use Xiaoyao Powder to soothe the liver and strengthen the spleen. The Bupleurum and White Peony Root in the formula soothe the liver and regulate qi, just like pruning overgrown branches; Atractylodes and Poria strengthen the spleen and stomach, just like reinforcing a dam that has been impacted. After one course of treatment, the symptoms basically disappeared."

At this time, a young mother holding her child in the audience raised her hand and asked, "Doctor Chen, my child is picky about food and doesn't like to eat. Can this also be explained by the five elements?"

"of course can!"

Chen Yang smiled and said, "The spleen belongs to the earth in the five elements and is responsible for transportation and transformation, just like the land nourishes all things. Children who are picky eaters often have weak spleen and stomach functions, that is, 'lack of earth energy'. We can regulate it by massaging the acupoints of the spleen and stomach meridians, such as rubbing the Banmen acupoint and pushing the spleen meridian. At the same time, you can eat more yellow foods, because yellow enters the spleen, such as millet, pumpkin, and corn, which are all natural spleen-strengthening ingredients."

"Following the five elements to maintain your health can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Spring belongs to wood, which corresponds to the liver, so you should eat more green foods in spring, such as spinach and celery, to help the liver qi rise; summer belongs to fire, which corresponds to the heart, so you can eat some bitter bitter melon and lotus seeds in summer to clear the heart fire; the long summer belongs to earth, which corresponds to the spleen and stomach, so you should eat more yam and water chestnuts at this time to strengthen the spleen and remove dampness; autumn belongs to gold, which corresponds to the lungs, so white foods such as pears and lilies can moisten the lungs and relieve coughs; winter belongs to water, which corresponds to the kidneys, so black foods such as black beans and black sesame can nourish the kidneys and replenish essence."

"For example, if a child is picky about food and doesn't like to eat, this can also be explained by the five elements."

Chen Yang continued, "The spleen belongs to the earth element in the five elements, and is responsible for transporting and transforming water and grain, just like fertile land can nourish all things. Children who are picky eaters often have weak spleen and stomach functions, which means 'lack of earth energy'."

"We can regulate it by massaging the acupoints of the spleen and stomach meridians. For example, rubbing the Banmen acupoint, which is the 'valve' of the spleen and stomach."

Chen Yang took the model, found the acupuncture point, and gently pressed the thenar eminence of the model's palm. He explained while massaging: "It's like lubricating a small valve. Press clockwise 100-150 times, which can enhance the digestive ability of the spleen and stomach."

"You can also push the spleen meridian from the tip of the thumb to the base of the finger. This is a tonifying method."

Chen Yang continued to demonstrate: "Persist for 5-10 minutes every day, and the effect will be better with diet therapy. Yellow is related to the spleen, millet pumpkin porridge and corn paste are all natural spleen-strengthening foods, just like applying organic fertilizer to the land."

"The Yin-Yang and Five Elements mentioned in Chinese medicine are just properties, just like a metaphor. For example, the spleen and stomach are like soil, and have the same properties as soil. However, people who don't understand Chinese medicine, or those who maliciously discredit Chinese medicine, like to directly bring it in..."

As Chen Yang continued his explanation, the atmosphere became more and more lively. Some people who were originally invited by the program team to make up the numbers couldn't help but find it very interesting as they listened, and many of them raised their hands to ask questions.

Tang Wenshan stood at the back, watching and smiling as he said to Gao Jingyun: "This Doctor Chen is very capable. The more superficial things are, the harder it is to explain."