"How to lower uric acid for gout?"
"Fibroids and adenomyosis, I won't have surgery, I like TCM and believe it's the only cure for this, but I'm missing a chance, can my situation be treated?"
"Recently, I often have stomach pain, went for a check-up and found out it's chronic gastritis. Any TCM experts can treat this?"
"..."
Lu Jiu browsed through many posts, some were either ambiguously described or too complex to diagnose just by tongue diagnosis and inquiry, lacking observation and pulse-feeling, Lu Jiu couldn't really judge.
Searching around, only this chronic gastritis patient seemed like someone Lu Jiu could try to help.
The patient described severe abdominal pain, as if there was a burning fire, usually feeling dry mouth but not wanting to drink, a bitter taste in the mouth with bad breath, feeling hungry but having no appetite, and sometimes difficulty with bowel movements.
The post also included three pictures of the patient's tongue coating.
Lu Jiu took a look: the tongue was red with yellow, greasy coating.
From the tongue diagnosis, this patient was a case of excess heat.
The replies from netizens below the post also saved Lu Jiu a lot of effort.
"Do you feel bloated after eating?"
"When your stomach hurts, does pressing on the area make it better or worse?"
"Do you tend to get irritable easily, do your sides hurt? It kind of sounds like liver-stomach heat stagnation, I suggest trying liver-harmonizing decoction."
"I think that's wrong, you have no appetite, bad breath and bitter taste, red tongue with yellow coating, it's obviously food retention syndrome, you should take Baohe pills to digest food and relieve stagnation, harmonize the stomach and relieve pain."
"..."
In the post, many netizens were diagnosing the patient; a user named "Humble Xiao Wang" also added more details about their condition according to the questions from other users.
After Lu Jiu carefully read through to the last page and analyzed "Humble Xiao Wang's" symptoms along with other users' diagnoses,
Lu Jiu finally concluded that this "Humble Xiao Wang" had neither liver-stomach heat stagnation nor food retention, but rather damp-heat obstructing the center.
Firstly, the patient had clinical signs of burning stomach pain, which indeed resembled liver-stomach heat, but the patient did not exhibit irritability, indicating stomach heat was present but not the primary issue.
Secondly, dry and bitter mouth, unsatisfactory bowel movements, but no vomiting was inconsistent with food retention.
Therefore, Lu Jiu diagnosed the primary issue as damp-heat obstructing the center.
Due to stomach burning pain, fullness and heat in the upper abdomen, dry mouth but not wanting to drink, poor appetite, nausea, unsatisfactory bowel movements, red tongue, and yellow greasy coating, these symptoms fit perfectly with damp-heat obstructing the center.
The treatment is simple, just use modified Qingzhong decoction to clear damp-heat, regulate qi, and harmonize the stomach.
After organizing his thoughts, Lu Jiu posted a reply to the original poster, wrote down the diagnosis and prescription, and advised them to stop medication immediately if there was no effect.
Because the four diagnostic methods were lacking, Lu Jiu couldn't be completely sure and could only let the person give it a try.
Having finished this, Lu Jiu began looking for the next post…
"Hey, Dr. Lu, Dr. Lu..."
As Lu Jiu was searching for patients online, a figure suddenly appeared at the clinic entrance with a swish.
"Quick, take a look, my, my stomach hurts a lot..."
Just dealt with a stomachache, and now another one?
Lu Jiu quickly got up, "Sit here, let me take a look at you."
Wu Zengshuang looked up at Lu Jiu, his brow already furrowed, "It hurts terribly, could, could Dr. Lu take a look?"
Though he was in unbearable pain now, Wu Zengshuang still tried to maintain basic manners.
"How about this, I'll first relieve your pain, it won't take long." As he spoke, Lu Jiu already fetched a few finest needles from the drawer.
Upon hearing that Lu Jiu would relieve his pain, Wu Zengshuang's expression relaxed a lot, "Alright then..."
Lu Jiu promptly inserted a needle into Wu Zengshuang's Hegu acupoint, while having him remove his shoes and socks, then inserted a needle into the Xiangu acupoint on the dorsum of the foot.
Hegu acupoint is a major point for calming and pain relief, combined with Xiangu acupoint, it can have a certain analgesic effect on abdominal pain.
Of course, there are many causes for abdominal pain, and needling these two points is just an emergency measure, a proper diagnosis is needed for a cure.
"Is this stomach pain frequent, or just today?" Lu Jiu asked casually while twisting the needle.
Wu Zengshuang gritted his teeth against the pain, "Occasionally."
"When the pain hits, does massaging the abdomen help?" Lu Jiu asked.
Wu Zengshuang's brow slightly eased, "Not much use, the more I press, the more it hurts."
"Is it a burning pain or a dull ache?" Lu Jiu asked.
"More of a dull ache, just... hey?" Wu Zengshuang was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt the severe stomach pain ease a bit.
Hey, this doctor is something!
Originally, Wu Zengshuang came for Lu Mountain, because he had been here once before. At that time, he had constipation and even a week of IV drips at the clinic had no effect until he came here and just one dosage of medicine cured it.
Since then, he remembered Lu's Clinic.
When he first entered the clinic, he was in so much pain and had no mindset to chatter with Lu Jiu, assuming he was just a college student hired to work part-time.
But after the two needles alleviated his stomachache, Wu Zengshuang's view of Lu Jiu changed immediately, and he was glad his attitude earlier hadn't been unfriendly; otherwise, it would have been awkward.
"How is it, is your stomach feeling better?" Lu Jiu smiled.
"Much better, much better. Are you also a doctor here? I've never seen you before." Wu Zengshuang said.
"I just took over my grandpa's clinic recently, but my grandpa can still see patients; you can ask him to take a look if you need to." Lu Jiu smiled.
Lu Mountain was currently dozing in a recliner, not reacting even when Wu Zengshuang shouted loudly, evidently because Lu Jiu was there.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zengshuang felt slightly embarrassed.
Someone just resolved your stomachache, and you want someone else to check right after, isn't that saying the person isn't competent to their face?
That's not the way to treat people!
What if you have a headache or fever later on?
After all, since this young guy is also Dr. Lu's grandson, if he can't treat it, Dr. Lu can still help, so there's nothing to fear.
"No need, no need, I presume it's not a big issue, why don't you take a look for me." Wu Zengshuang smiled.
"Alright, then extend your hand, let me feel your pulse first." Lu Jiu didn't refuse.
Wu Zengshuang rolled his sleeve up to the shoulder and extended his arm.
Lu Jiu chuckled, no need to roll it up that much, but he just muttered in his mind, then placed his fingers on Wu Zengshuang's radial artery, feeling his pulse and simultaneously listening to his Five Viscera...