Chapter 181: Chapter 151: I Know My Own Limits

Shi Zixiong’s sudden determination surprised Lu Jiu as well.

He had initially thought Shi Zixiong would give up.

Even though many people know that late-stage cancer is terminal, when it happens to their own family, they still hope to hear a definitive answer, even if it just gives them a shred of comfort.

However, Lu Jiu did not use a comforting tone; instead, he presented the facts bluntly, letting Shi Zixiong make a choice.

This approach was certainly sincere, but also very harsh.

At least for a son, it was very harsh!

Of course, this was also a last resort for Lu Jiu. His current skill level was unknown in terms of effectiveness.

Taking on this patient was entirely because he thought it was worth a try.

But if after trying, there was no effect at all, he would stop immediately.

The earlier conversation with Shi Zixiong about the possibility of the treatment worsening the condition was actually a precaution he put in place.

That’s called a disclaimer.

When doctors in the hospital describe certain conditions to patients, they tend to present it in the worst light to prevent any problems from blindsiding the patient, who might otherwise directly blame the doctor.

“Alright, then go inside and write a consent form first. There are paper and pen on the table. I’ll make a call first,” Lu Jiu said.

Shi Zixiong nodded and turned to enter the clinic.

Lu Jiu then took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.

This person was none other than Huang Fusheng, Elder Huang!

He is an experienced elder in treating lung cancer.

This is actually one of the reasons Lu Jiu dared to try.

If it were in usual times, with his personality, no matter how strong his sense of ethics, he would never dare to gamble.

“Hello!” Huang Fusheng’s voice came through the phone.

“Teacher!” Lu Jiu called out.

“Lu Jiu, ah, haha, you’ve already been notified, right? Prepare a bit these days. Being a traditional Chinese medicine teacher is not a simple matter. In six months, your eight classes will be competing, and teaching is mutual learning. While you are teaching these young ones, it’s also a form of learning for you. Opportunities are rare, so don’t think that constantly seeing patients is the only way to learn,” Huang Fusheng laughed.

“Yes, I understand. Teacher, I would like to consult you on a rather tricky issue,” Lu Jiu said.

“Go ahead,” Huang Fusheng said.

“Late-stage lung cancer, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have all been done. Do you think there is still hope for recovery?” Lu Jiu asked.

These words immediately brought silence on the other end of the phone.

After a while, Huang Fusheng finally spoke again.

“Has such a patient come to you?”

“Yes,” Lu Jiu replied.

“Do you want to try?” Huang Fusheng asked.

“The patient’s family fully trusts me. I also want to help. If it really doesn’t work, I can give up later,” Lu Jiu said.

“Such a patient has probably already been sentenced to death by the hospital. Given his condition, it must be a case of dual exhaustion of yin and yang, with great deficiency in Yang Qi, along with severe diarrhea. I suspect the cancer cells have either metastasized to the liver or the kidneys, but it doesn’t matter; the treatment approach is the same. Haha, you’re really bold. Tell me, how do you plan to treat it?” Huang Fusheng’s tone contained a sense of testing him.

“Following the ideas from The Difficult Classic, drain the south and replenish the north, drain the kidney, and supplement the spleen. But I’m a bit unsure if the patient’s Kidney Essence is severely depleted. If I drain the kidney, will it accelerate her kidney failure and hence pose a risk to her life?” Lu Jiu frowned.

Upon hearing this, Huang Fusheng laughed out loud, “Hahaha, my boy, I must say your foundation is indeed solid enough, and you can see the whole picture in problems. But your thinking is somewhat rigid. Who told you that draining the kidney is harming the kidney?”

“Draining the kidney is not about depleting the Kidney Essence but about delaying its function. Why do many prescriptions for kidney deficiency often include both supplementation and drainage? It’s because the kidney keeps working. If you only supplement and don’t let it rest, the effect won’t be significant. So, drainage actually lets the kidney rest so that it has enough energy to replenish itself.”

“Draining the kidney and supplementing the spleen in a sense means slowing down the kidney’s function, allowing Fei Jin to compensate. Since metal produces water, when water’s function weakens, metal will automatically supplement part of its function; thus, it weakens Fei Jin but it’s too strong, weakening it alone is not enough. You also have to ensure its pathogenic Qi does not harm other viscera, so supplementing the earth is fortifying the root. Meanwhile, with metal countering wood, when the pathogenic Qi passes to the Liver Wood, wood would also counter earth. Thus, supplementing the earth is preventing the surplus pathogenic Qi from Liver Wood from damaging Spleen Earth. It cycles through this process several times, gradually weakening Fei Jin, while strengthening Spleen Earth. When Gastric Qi arises, even if the cancer isn’t cured, the patient can live with cancer.”

Impressive!

Although Lu Jiu’s approach was correct, the details still could not compare to the guidance from an experienced physician.

With Huang Fusheng’s explanations, Lu Jiu gained some confidence in his treatment direction.

At least by treating this way, the patient’s condition should not worsen, which was undoubtedly mitigating the risk for Lu Jiu.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Huang Fusheng laughed, “Why the formality? But just having the method of draining the south and replenishing the north is not enough for treating late-stage lung cancer patients.”

Oh?

“Do you know the nature of cancer?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiu replied, “It fears heat.”

Huang Fusheng laughed, “That’s right, Heart Yang is the nemesis of all cancers, but once cancer forms, it indicates that cold pathogens in the patient’s body have gained the upper hand. When the symptoms reach their peak, we can’t start with a strong Heart Yang approach.”

“That’s why there is this method of draining the south and replenishing the north, but this method ultimately must return to Heart Yang. Why?”

“Because in traditional Chinese medicine, it’s like a hunter in the forest. There are various animals. We don’t focus on exactly how many animals but categorize them, analyze their activity patterns, what they eat, and how to set traps without direct confrontation.”

“Simply put, understand their nature and then subtly deal with them!”

“Cancer results from a concentration of cold and dampness. To grow, it needs several conditions. One, there must be water. All things grow in water. Without water, cancer cells cannot survive or reproduce. But the water it needs is different from normal cells; it requires cold water that cannot be vaporized by the body. So, while adjusting the Five Viscera’s balance, we must also cut off the water supply, either by draining excess water from the patient’s body or improving the small intestine’s vaporizing function.”

“Second, it needs nutrition. Water alone is not enough. Nutrition is also needed for cancer cells, but its nutritional needs differ from normal cells, requiring necrotic nutrients that are so refined normal cells can’t recognize them. Thus, in this second step, remove excess nutrients from the patient’s body, and during subsequent treatments, manage her diet precisely to ensure it matches her current metabolic capability, even a bit less is fine.”

“Third and final, raise Yang, increase the body’s entire temperature, change the internal environment, thus gradually reducing the living space for cancer cells. Upon reaching this step, the patient’s basic living condition won’t be significantly affected.”

“But we can only achieve this much. For late-stage lung cancer patients, even without chemotherapy or radiotherapy, returning to a pre-illness state is impossible, let alone after those treatments. So, you shouldn’t harbor too much hope.”

“Saving her life is already difficult, and if her life can be less affected by cancer, that’s the limit. Beyond that, not even I can do it, understand?”

Lu Jiu chuckled, “Teacher, I don’t naively believe a terminal illness at Jueyin stage can be cured back to normal by me. Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep