Chapter 155: Chapter 129: Five Viscera Calling for Help!

“Wah~ Wah~”

Inside Lu’s Clinic, a child is crying and fussing. The adult holding her is shaking their arms, humming an unknown melody to soothe the little one’s agitated mind.

Lu Jiu is constantly observing the child’s expressions and movements. In this situation, he can only rely on observation and olfactory diagnosis; interrogation and pulse diagnosis are obviously impossible.

However, among all patients, children are indeed the hardest to treat.

Firstly, old medical texts rarely record pediatric diseases. The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor doesn’t mention them at all. Only a book called the Skull Sutras is considered the origin of records on pediatric diseases.

Secondly, a child’s pulse is weak and hard to detect. When taking the pulse, it’s impossible for children to sit motionless for several minutes, especially those just a few months old. So pulse diagnosis is essentially ineffective.

Thirdly, a child’s skeletal structure and qi are undeveloped, their forms and voices not yet stable. They cry one moment and laugh the next, changing from one emotion to another in a heartbeat, causing their qi to change even faster.

Fourthly, most children cannot speak. Even if they are older, they cannot accurately describe their feelings with words, making interrogation meaningless, though some parents, especially mothers, can substitute.

Fifthly, children’s internal organs are delicate and easily become deficient or excessive, cold or hot. Medication cannot be judged by adult dosage; too little is ineffective, too much is harmful.

These difficulties make many physicians particularly troubled when dealing with pediatric cases.

“Dr. Lu, I’m sorry.” Zhou Xiaolin looked apologetically at Lu Jiu. She didn’t expect that as soon as she sat down and Lu Jiu took her daughter’s hand, her daughter would start fussing, preventing Lu Jiu from diagnosing properly.

“It’s fine; crying is good in children. The concern is if she holds it in. If she can cry, the problem isn’t major,” Lu Jiu said with a smile.

Children, being pure yang bodies, act genuinely and sincerely, with emotions that are straightforward. Not holding in their emotions, as Lu Jiu’s mentor once said, is akin to the sincerity sought by those pursuing the Dao—to return to innocence like a baby, similar to being in the mother’s womb.

Lu Jiu witnessed the old man demonstrate his breathing skills in front of him once, taking approximately five or six minutes for one full breath in and out.

It wasn’t forcibly holding one’s breath. The old man explained that ordinary people breathe in until reaching the lungs. Those with some practice breathe into the lower abdomen; those pursuing the Dao breathe down to the soles of the feet, completing a cycle before exhaling.

Lu Jiu doesn’t fully understand and finds it a bit mystical, but since the old man can do it, it proves that this breathing technique can indeed be practiced.

As for its purpose, the old man said it’s useless; he practices it for fun.

After observing for a while, Lu Jiu noticed the little girl crying with a flushed face, her right hand continuously pinching her clothing.

Seeing this, Lu Jiu asked, “Does the little one often use her hand to pinch her clothes?”

Zhou Xiaolin heard and tilted her head to look at her daughter’s hand. “It seems so. Dr. Lu, is this a problem?”

In her impression, children using their hands to pinch things is perfectly normal, not just her daughter, but many children have this habit.

Lu Jiu continued, “If it’s occasional, that’s fine, but if it’s every day, there’s a problem.”

Zhou Xiaolin frowned, “Thinking about it, she does pinch her clothes every day.”

Lu Jiu nodded, “After crying comes shortness of breath; does this often happen too?”

Lu Jiu saw that the girl had a bit of difficulty breathing while crying.

Zhou Xiaolin nodded, “Yes, yes, it’s like this whenever she cries, and it’s not getting any better despite multiple visits.”

Lu Jiu asked, “How long has this situation been?”

Zhou Xiaolin replied, “One or two months.”

One or two months…

Based on preliminary diagnosis, the little girl likely has liver heat. The Direct Formulas for Childhood Diseases mentions, “The liver controls wind; when excessive, the eyes widen, the child cries loudly, yawns stiffly, becomes suffocated. When deficient, they gnash their teeth and yawn often. Heat produces external qi; dampness creates internal qi. For liver heat, hand pinching collars or objects, Green Purging Pill is administered. For severe heat, water drinking, shortness of breath, Diaphoretic White Powder is used.”

As a specialist in pediatric diseases, Lu Jiu is somewhat acquainted with these texts. When he worked at Jinling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, many parents brought their children for treatment.

Back then, Lu Jiu was quite troubled—unable to diagnose properly or understand medication dosage, and after several ineffective treatments, he began studying this area of knowledge.

Now, with improved basic TCM diagnosis and enhanced observation skills, combined with the support of the Direct Formulas for Childhood Diseases penned by Qian Yi from the Song Dynasty, Lu Jiu faced no longer the same frustrations when dealing with pediatric cases.

This little girl is a typical case of lung disease presenting liver symptoms.

The child pinching objects is indeed a common behavior, but if the child keeps doing it reflexively, it indicates a liver issue.

Because the liver governs wind, wind prompts movement. When a child has liver heat, they instinctively want to move.

Of course, it depends on the situation. Some children are curious about new things, so grasping and pinching is normal.

But if it’s something that has long lost its novelty, like clothing they always wear, and the child can’t resist continuously pinching, it indicates a liver problem.

However, there’s no need for undue concern; these are minor issues, and as children grow, most will be fine. These quirks might become small habits or hard-to-change preferences in adulthood.

“Alright, I’ll prescribe some medicine for the little one, try a dose, and see what happens,” Lu Jiu said.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep