novel for you Chapter 989: First Visit to David
Chapter 989: First Visit to David
Dr. Evans left Chen Yang's office with mixed feelings. He understood that, in this invisible confrontation, the Western medical authority he represented had temporarily yielded. This was not only due to David's persistence, but also because of the unquestionable confidence and strength displayed by Chen Yang. This made him feel a sense of unease, and even a hint of... anticipation?
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing a touch of warmth to the special care ward of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department at Kyoto International Medical Center. David Baker had prepared in advance, his eyes brimming with fatigue, yet more so with a desperate hope. His personal medical team, including Dr. Evans, sat quietly in the monitoring area in the corner of the ward, their equipment displaying David's basic vital signs. Like silent observers, they remained silent, their gaze fixed on what was about to unfold.
Chen Yang and his core team arrived at the ward on time. Besides Gao Anliang, Lin Yi, Wen Manlu, and Xun Jiahong, Wen Haodong was also present. His face still bore the weariness of late-night practice, but his eyes were unusually bright and sharp. In his hands, he held a simple, exquisite rosewood needle case. Su Yunxue, acting as translator and observer, also stood quietly nearby.
"Good morning, Mr. David. How are you feeling?" Chen Yang walked to the bedside, his tone gentle and soothing.
"It's...okay...Doctor...Chen..." David tried hard to force a smile, but his voice was still unclear.
David and the others were left alone for a whole day. Their attitude today was completely different from yesterday. Evans stood aside without saying a word, just ready to take notes.
Without much greeting, Chen Yang sat down beside David's bed and began to examine him.
"Mr. David, relax."
Chen Yang's voice was gentle and steady, and seemed to carry a soothing power.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chen Yang first carefully examined David's complexion.
His face was dull and dark, but his cheekbones had a hint of abnormal blush.
Afterwards, Chen Yang asked David to open his mouth and checked his tongue coating. The tongue was fat, light purple, with thick and greasy yellow coating, and there were obvious teeth marks on the edge of the tongue.
"Where in your body do you feel most uncomfortable? Cold or hot?" Chen Yang asked, with Su Yunxue translating on the side.
David tried to feel it: "Cold... afraid of the cold... especially... my legs and feet... feel like... ice cubes... but... sometimes... I feel... irritable... and... stuffy..."
David struggled to describe it.
Originally, Evans wanted to answer on David's behalf, but was rejected by Chen Yang.
Su Yunxue explained to Evans: "Understanding Mr. David's state when he speaks is also a criterion for judging his condition."
Evans nodded. He understood this point. Western medicine also has diagnostic methods. Complexion, patient's condition, etc. are also certain reference standards. However, the level is not as high as that of Chinese medicine doctors. They can only rely on the four examinations to make a diagnosis.
In fact, Chinese medicine cannot diagnose a patient's disease simply by relying on the four examinations.
At most, you can tell whether it is a common disease such as a cold based on the symptoms.
Other diseases are at best guessed based on the connection between Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, such as hepatitis or pneumonia.
Because traditional Chinese medicine has its own standards and names of diseases, when a doctor diagnoses a disease with terms like "false fire" or "yin and yang", they are not showing off, but rather it is the standard of traditional Chinese medicine.
Chen Yang nodded, put his fingers on David's wrist and began to take his pulse.
The pulse was deep and extremely subtle, almost impalpable, like a gossamer thread. But if you feel it carefully, you can feel a faint sense of stagnation and discomfort within this deep and subtle feeling.
What made Chen Yang's heart move even more was that when his fingers stayed there for a little longer, the pulse under his fingers, which was originally weak and about to die, seemed to... have an extremely faint sign of "restlessness". Although it was weak and short-lived, like an almost invisible bubble that accidentally appeared in the depths of a cold pond, disappearing in a flash, this subtle change could not escape his keen perception.
This is definitely not just a simple cold!
Next comes palpation.
Chen Yang's palm covered David's calf muscles.
David's muscles were severely atrophied, cold and stiff to the touch, like frozen rubber. But as Chen Yang's fingers, with a gentle touch, slowly pressed and kneaded, trying to probe deeper, his fingertips faintly detected the muscle bundles throbbing in extremely subtle, almost imperceptible, intermittent... pulsations! This throbbing wasn't a spasm, but more like a faint, instinctive struggle suppressed to the extreme, a very faint disturbance signal of "heat" hidden deep beneath the extremely cold ice!
Chen Yang's brows furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed. He gestured for David to open his mouth and carefully examined his throat, finding no obvious redness or swelling.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Yang asked a seemingly irrelevant question: "Mr. David, how is your taste lately? What flavors do you like?"
David was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment: "No... taste... can't taste... sweet... salty... I just want... hot... soup... really hot..."
Chen Yang nodded, understanding the situation. He stood up, walked to the ward's water dispenser, filled it with a cup of warm water (around 45 degrees Celsius), and handed it to David, who could still move his hand slightly. "Try the water temperature. Is it hot?"
David's fingers trembled as he touched the wall of the cup. He felt it and shook his head: "No... hot... warm..."
Chen Yang picked up the thermos he brought with him and poured a small cup of hot water (about 65 degrees Celsius) into it. He handed it over again: "What about this?"
As soon as David's finger touched it, he immediately withdrew it as if he had been stung, and mumbled, "It's hot!"
Dr. Evans, who was sitting in the corner of the ward, saw this scene and a hint of doubt and slight ridicule flashed in his eyes.
Is this the method of traditional Chinese medicine? Can it treat such difficult diseases just like this?
If traditional Chinese medicine is really so powerful, then what is the need for Western medicine to exist?
Chen Yang seemed to have received a crucial confirmation. He put down the cup, returned to David's bedside, looked at his team, especially Wen Haodong, and spoke slowly, his voice clear, summarizing the patient's condition and also teaching:
"Combining the four diagnostic criteria. The patient's complexion is dull, and the cheeks are red like makeup, indicating a deficiency of Yang. The tongue is pale purple with large tooth marks, and the tongue coating is thick, greasy, and slightly yellow, indicating spleen and kidney Yang deficiency, internal cold and dampness, and stagnant heat. The pulse is deep, fine, and astringent, almost absent, indicating a severe deficiency of Yang Qi, with weak agitation and stagnant Yin and cold."
"However, upon closer inspection, the pulse has a very weak, stagnant, and restless feeling, and deep muscle palpation reveals faint fasciculations (muscle tremors). This is a sign of a weakening of True Yang, a deep penetration of the cold pathogen, which is blocking out the remaining weak Yang Qi, causing it to stagnate and transform into heat! The patient feels chilly, especially in the lower extremities – this is true cold; but at the same time, he experiences chest discomfort and dryness – this is false heat, caused by the externalization of Deficient Yang and the disturbance of stagnant heat in the heart! Furthermore, his sense of taste is dull, and he enjoys hot drinks, but feels even slightly hotter as burning. This further confirms the internal yin and yang disharmony, a complex interplay of true cold and false heat."
Zeng Yunhui, who was standing by, was taking notes quickly with a folder, writing down every word Chen Yang said.