This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, ”Alright, I’ll accompany Yu Zhu on a trip.”

The next day at work, Du Heng, as promised, appeared on time at the consultation room entrance.

Today, besides the regular patients with hypertension and diabetes from last week, there were many new, peculiar cases.

For example, the elderly man in front of him experienced muscle aches or fever every time the seasons changed, the weather shifted, or the wind picked up.

”Doctor, I’ve had this problem for several years. I’ve been to big hospitals many times, had all kinds of examinations, and taken countless medications, but the problem persists. You see, the weather’s just changed recently, and my whole body is aching again. Plus, my shoulders feel particularly achy and heavy, as if I can’t lift them at all.”

The elderly man had not come alone; an older woman accompanied him, one who had benefited from a free treatment session the previous week.

”What did the doctors who examined you say?”

”They said there’s nothing seriously wrong with my body, just that my immunity is a bit low. I’ve taken a lot of thymosin, human serum albumin, and human serum globulin, but the effects have been limited. Whenever the seasons change or the weather fluctuates, the same old problems resurface.”

After taking the elderly man’s pulse and conducting a few other tests, Du Heng chuckled and said, ”Your problem is due to a deficiency of vital energy and leakage of yang qi.”

The elderly man looked confused. ”What does that mean?”

Instead of answering, Du Heng asked, ”I saw a dark red mark on the back of your neck. Was it caused by cupping glass?”

The elderly man nodded blankly. ”Yes, I’ve had cupping glass, guasha, and massage. There’s a place right downstairs in our housing complex, and they do an excellent job. Every time I finish, my whole body feels incredibly relaxed.”

Hearing the elderly man praising treatments like cupping glass and guasha, Du Heng didn’t show a pleased expression but instead continued to ask, ”When do you usually go for these cupping glass and massage sessions?”

”Ah, I haven’t really paid attention to that. Whenever my body feels uncomfortable, I go for a massage or a cupping glass session. Just a month ago, I had a massage, and a few days ago, I had cupping glass.”

As he spoke, the elderly man furrowed his brows. ”I felt comfortable for only a month, and then my entire body started to ache again two days ago. Also, whenever I move my shoulders, there’s a creaking sound inside them. Doctor, what’s wrong with me?”

Du Heng sighed. ”This is a condition you’ve brought upon yourself.”

With a puzzled look in his eyes, the elderly man asked, ”How could this be my fault? I’ve taken loads of Western medicine and often go for cupping glass, massage, and additional massage for maintenance. I take good care of myself. How could this be my own doing?”

Du Heng told him not to get agitated and slowly explained, ”Cupping glass, massage, guasha, and massage indeed help to condition the body, relax muscles and meridians, and dispel cold and dampness.

”However, these treatments must not be misused. Otherwise, you’ll be inviting health problems where there were none. Cupping glass and guasha can open up the body, allowing the cold and dampness trapped inside to escape.

”But you’ve been undergoing cupping glass and guasha at the wrong times. A month ago, for instance, was late March or early April, which is only the second or third month in the lunar calendar. That period is characterized by cold and unpredictable weather.

”When you opened up your body then, instead of the cold and dampness escaping, your yang qi was released. With insufficient yang qi, any change in weather allows the cold to invade, hindering the circulation of your qi and blood. If your qi and blood don’t circulate properly, your entire body will naturally ache and feel sore.

”So, tell me, isn’t this a self-inflicted condition?”

The elderly man’s face was filled with frustration. ”So, even trying to take care of myself is wrong?”

This left Du Heng feeling both amused and speechless. ”It’s not that taking care of yourself is wrong, but that you chose the wrong time, and you did it too frequently.”

Suddenly, the elderly man became angry. ”Then why didn’t the practitioner at the shop tell me when I went for the treatments?”

This question stumped Du Heng, who thought for a moment before answering, ”The person who treated you was a technician, not a doctor. The threshold for learning cupping glass, guasha, massage, and massage is low, and the techniques are easy to pick up. Many people learn these skills to earn a living, but they can only be considered technicians. They don’t understand the qi and blood flow within the human body. Nor do they grasp the relationship between qi and blood flow and the seasons, or the connection between acupoints and qi and blood.

”Anyway, if they just apply all these techniques broadly to relax muscles and activate blood circulation, there’s usually no problem.

”But if it’s done as you did, at the wrong time and too frequently, then problems arise.”

The old man thought about it and realized it was true. Every time he went to the shop, the service was provided by ”Technician Number So-and-So,” never ”Doctor Number So-and-So.” There was no way to dispute that.

The old man sighed in dismay and, after a long pause, finally asked, ”Doctor, what’s wrong with my shoulder?”

”Joint effusion,” Du Heng said, his expression turning grim. ”The effusion itself is not inherently dangerous, but you need to keep moving your arm, and as long as it moves, effusion will occur. This constitutes chronic inflammation, and that’s a troublesome issue.”

Du Heng leaned back and looked seriously at the old man before him. ”From now on, you must commit to steady treatment. If you continue with this haphazard approach, proper treatment will be delayed, and your condition might worsen. If it progresses untreated, you could develop rheumatoid arthritis, and your joints will become deformed.”

Du Heng spoke gravely, and the old man immediately put aside his other thoughts. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered that his fingers had been hurting terribly recently. He was immediately alarmed. Could this already be rheumatoid arthritis, about to cause deformity?

”Doctor, my hands have been hurting badly these past few days, especially these joints. Is it already rheumatoid arthritis?” The old man hastily extended his hand for Du Heng to examine.

Du Heng examined the old man’s fingers, then gently palpated his joints. ”Don’t worry, it’s not that yet.”

”Then why does it hurt so much?”

”Look, it’s almost May Day. In theory, the weather in Jinzhou should be getting warmer by now, and the body’s yang qi should be naturally dispersing outwards. However, the temperature has dropped again in the past few days, and this sudden cold snap has once again blocked your meridians. Your yang qi leakage is severe now; you have no tolerance for wind and no ability to resist wind evil. As soon as the weather changes, your problem will manifest, and you’ll have to endure the suffering all over again.”

”Then, Doctor, can I be cured?”

”You can be, but you must prepare for long-term treatment, at least three to four months. This is a condition that requires steady conditioning; it cannot be rushed.”

The old man looked at Du Heng gratefully, his mouth full of thanks.

”I’ll prescribe a formula for you. Take the medicine according to schedule and come back for a check-up in two weeks.”

Du Heng turned his head to start typing, simultaneously instructing, ”You are currently susceptible to drafts and averse to cold; you cannot tolerate cold or wind, so you must keep warm during this period. Also, don’t go for guasha or massage anymore. If you really want to, then go to the Chinese Medicine Department of a proper hospital, such as the Provincial First Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Department, the Municipal First Hospital’s Chinese Medicine Department, or even the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. They have dedicated acupuncture and Massage Departments. The doctors there are genuine professionals; they understand meridians, qi and blood, and the body’s five elements, and they will tailor your conditioning according to your specific situation.”

The old man nodded, indicating he had taken note. When Du Heng finished speaking, he asked, ”Doctor Du, do you know how to perform cupping glass therapy and massage?”

”I do,” Du Heng replied calmly. Not only did he know how, but he was also quite proficient, especially when these techniques were linked to treating specific diseases; he was definitely an expert.

”Then, when you have time, could you do it for me?”

Huh? Du Heng paused, nonplussed. Is he actually asking me to act as a technician?

But the old man’s craving for massage was indeed significant; even in his current condition, he was still thinking about getting one.

However, before Du Heng had a chance to refuse, the older woman accompanying him became annoyed and slapped the old man.

”Doctor Du is the Dean of the hospital; he’s incredibly busy every day, hardly having a moment to rest! The fact that he’s here in the outpatient service today is because he cares about us old folks and specifically squeezed this time out of his schedule. But you, you’re just pushing your luck, never satisfied! Now you even want him to give you a massage? Why don’t you ask for the moon while you’re at it?”