Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Difference Between Fitness and Physical Health

The spleen and stomach aren’t functioning well?

Does that mean the digestive system is not good?

Zhang Yu was a bit confused about what Lu Jiu was saying.

But there was one thing he understood: staying up late harms the liver!

“So what should I do?” Zhang Yu asked.

Lu Jiu smiled, “It’s simple. Reduce the intake of greasy and rich foods, eat more grains, exercise more, and go to bed earlier, ideally before 11 p.m. If you follow these points, the issue of energy deficiency caused by spleen deficiency will be completely eradicated. Otherwise, even if I prescribe medicine for you now and cure you, without changing your lifestyle habits, it only treats the symptoms, not the cause. Besides giving me money, it’s of no use!”

Huh?

So complicated?

Zhang Yu said bitterly, “Does it have to be this way? I can be careful with my diet, but exercise seems unnecessary.”

He’s been to the gym before, but after a few minutes of exercise, he spent the rest of the time scrolling on his phone.

Instead of wasting time for a little psychological comfort, it is more cost-effective to go home and play Genshin Impact.

Lu Jiu said, “That’s not okay, you must exercise for spleen deficiency. It’s unavoidable.”

Zhang Yu didn’t understand, “Why not just take medicine?”

Lu Jiu said, “Medicine can only solve temporary problems, but can’t last a lifetime. Essentially, spleen deficiency is due to insufficient yang, which is energy. As long as you get active, your body’s yang will increase. The spleen governs the muscles, and as you exercise, the muscles get stronger and so will the spleen. They thrive and suffer together.”

“In Chinese medicine, there’s a saying, ’Deficiency of the spleen leads to a hundred illnesses,’ because the spleen is the postnatal foundation, the source of the generation of qi and blood. For all functions of our body to operate normally, the supply of qi and blood is indispensible. Its importance is self-evident. Of course, you can understand it as if the digestive system isn’t good, the body will be susceptible to illness. Relying only on medicine to fix that, you could get a VIP card from me—I’d be more than happy. But if you want to spend less and suffer less physically, it’s best to follow my advice, understand?”

Is that so!

Zhang Yu understood!

“Alright, then I’ll hit the gym to lift some weights and run.” Zhang Yu said.

Lu Jiu shook his head, “These days it might not be feasible. Wait until your symptoms of energy deficiency subside. Otherwise, you’ll feel exhausted after a few exercises, which is inefficient. Besides, I don’t advocate intense exercise for you right now. Don’t lift weights for now; start with walking. Once your qi and blood gradually build up, more rigorous training at the gym will be no problem.”

Zhang Yu felt puzzled, “Why is that? What does exercising have to do with qi and blood?”

Lu Jiu paused, thought a bit, then explained to Zhang Yu, “The exercises you’re talking about aren’t really fitness; at most, it’s for strengthening the body. In Chinese medicine, body and form are two different concepts. Form refers to physique, the torso and limbs, while body refers to the internal, the Five Viscera and Six Bowels, qi, blood, yin, and yang.”

“The phrase ’build a strong body’ has ’body’ first and ’form’ second. When the organs are strong and qi and blood are abundant, a person won’t fall ill. Having a strong internal system and rich qi and blood amounts to having the capital to build a strong form.”

“Building a strong body is like saving money; strengthening the form is like spending it. Not saving money and just spending it is like exercising on credit, and ultimately, it’s not just money you’ll owe.”

Is there such a saying?

Zhang Yu was hearing this for the first time, and amidst the novelty, he suddenly recalled a news story, “Dr. Lu, those people online who don’t usually exercise and then suddenly work out hard and end up with muscle breakdown—is it because they lack qi and blood?”

Lu Jiu said, “That issue is much more complex; it’s not just about insufficient qi and blood. Overexertion in exercise harms the entire Five Viscera and Six Bowels. For example, excessive running leads to heavy sweating, and sweat is heart fluid. Excessive loss of heart fluid inevitably leads to an overabundance of Heart Fire. Pimples on the face are one manifestation, because the lack of water makes it unable to suppress the fire. Once the balance is disturbed, the body reacts immediately.”

“When Heart Fire is excessive, you’ll become excited, and your complexion may turn red. It looks energetic, but over time, when the redness fades, your face will start becoming pale. That’s because the excessive Heart Fire inhibits the Fei Jin, and extensive pallor on the face indicates lung damage.”

“If you keep running every day, the endurance of your heart and lungs might get trained, but your lifespan will be significantly reduced, which is why long-distance runners usually have shorter lifespans.”

“This doesn’t mean that running is bad. Regular exercise is definitely better than none. I’m just not very fond of workout methods that prioritize excessive sweating.”

That’s true.

It seems no athletes are free from injuries.

Zhang Yu nodded, “Got it, I’ll walk more.”

After all, he doesn’t like exercising much, and walking suits him fine.

Lu Jiu nodded and then picked up his pen to write a prescription.

Siler Root, Astragalus, Atractylodes, Codonopsis, Polygonatum, Ophiopogon, Schisandra.

“Here’s a dosage for one day; come back tomorrow for a follow-up.” After writing the prescription, Lu Jiu quickly took the medicine from the cabinet.

Zhang Yu took the prescription and the packed medicine, then scanned the code to pay, “Thanks, Dr. Lu.”

Lu Jiu said, “You’re welcome. Remember, follow the doctor’s advice, don’t eat fatty and greasy foods, sleep early, wake up early, and exercise more. That’s more effective than medicine.”

Zhang Yu said, “Don’t worry, Dr. Lu, I’ll definitely do it.”

After making the promise, Zhang Yu greeted Lu Mountain and then turned to leave the clinic.

After the patient left, Lu Mountain spoke slowly, “Not bad, kid. What you’ve learned these years is good, your diagnosis and prescriptions look neat.”

The prescription that Lu Jiu just wrote was a Yu Ping Feng San with Codonopsis, Polygonatum, Ophiopogon, and Schisandra added.

Mainly treats the condition of weakened lung defense due to qi deficiency, accompanied by symptoms of yin deficiency.

Although Zhang Yu’s main symptom is spleen deficiency, Lu Jiu did not prescribe medication for it, but instead suggested lifestyle changes, which greatly satisfied Lu Mountain.

In Chinese medicine, the focus is not on the illness, but on the person, and this mindset is very important.

Because living between heaven and earth, a person’s illness is inevitably influenced by many factors, simply looking at the disease without considering the person is clearly inadequate.

Treating the illness in such a way would significantly reduce its effectiveness.

“How is it, Grandpa? Do you feel like you can retire peacefully now?” Lu Jiu, receiving Lu Mountain’s praise, couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Talk to me when you’ve earned two hundred thousand.” Lu Mountain said.

“I know, just two hundred thousand, I can earn that in less than a year.” Lu Jiu replied.

“You kid, you really think of my clinic as a gold mine?” Lu Mountain was amused, that’s two hundred thousand, not to mention one year, even three years would be quite difficult, otherwise they wouldn’t set such a number for Lu Jiu.

“I’ll make it a gold mine.” Lu Jiu laughed.

“That depends on whether you have the ability.” Lu Mountain laughed along with him.

When it’s said that Chinese medicine doesn’t make money, it refers to ordinary practitioners, truly renowned ones are generally not short of money, like the National Masters of Chinese Medicine that Lu Jiu knows, who treat many leaders and wealthy businessmen.

At this level, money is really just a number to them.

Since beginning to study medicine, Lu Jiu aimed to become a top-level traditional Chinese physician, with becoming a National Master as one of his goals.

Whether he can achieve it in his lifetime, Lu Jiu himself doesn’t know.

But now, with that mysterious Great Doctor System, Lu Jiu has gained a bit of hope.

If he could really chat with each patient’s Five Viscera, wouldn’t diagnosing be accurate every time?

No.

Chatting with the Five Viscera would at most strengthen his inquiry skills, it wouldn’t improve his combined diagnosis skills, nor would it enhance his current ability to differentiate and diagnose.

Therefore, even if the Five Viscera tells him where the patient’s problem lies, he still needs to analyze and deduce, find the root cause, and ultimately provide a perfect treatment plan.

Eh?

There should be a reward after the treatment, right?

Lu Jiu suddenly remembered the previous system prompt.

Unfortunately, his treatment method wasn’t acupuncture, otherwise, that recovery reward might have been received on the spot.

After all, in terms of immediate results, acupuncture generally has an advantage over medication.

In front of the clinic, pedestrians and traffic began to overflow, but no patients came in to see a doctor.

Over an hour passed, and apart from Zhang Yu, there wasn’t a second patient, in the past when helping out at the clinic, he had encountered such quiet times, but now sitting in the consultation chair himself, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Fortunately, in these times, there’s a lack of everything but not patients. As it approached ten o’clock, another person came to the entrance of Lu’s Clinic, no, two people.

“Uncle Lu, quickly take a look at my grandson, he’s been having diarrhea and coughing recently, and he’s had rashes on his face for over a month, medicine and injections haven’t worked, oh, Xiao Lu is here too.”

The incoming uncle was Xia Jun, about the same age as Lu Jiu’s father, a neighbor on Garden Street, Lu Jiu would greet him when they met.

“Uncle Xia, your grandson is Xia Xing, right?” Lu Jiu asked.

“Yes, Xing Xing, call Uncle.” Xia Jun nudged the child’s hand.

The child looked about five or six years old with big eyes looking at Lu Jiu, softly calling, “Uncle.”

Lu Jiu patted the table, “Come, sit here, Uncle will see what’s the cause.”

“This…” Xia Jun hesitated, glancing at Lu Jiu, then at Lu Mountain with a slight doubt.

“Jun, the clinic will be under Lu Jiu’s management in the future, consult him for treatment, I’m too old to have the energy to see patients.” Lu Mountain said.

Xia Jun laughed, “The way you say that, everyone envies your health, even my father does, but it’s good to hand it to Xiao Lu, Chinese medicine needs to be passed down to the young, Xing Xing, come, stretch out your hand, let Uncle take your pulse.”

Xia Jun guided his grandson to place his arm on the table, Lu Jiu magically pulled out a lollipop, handed it to Xia Xing, and began to take his pulse.

For children, with abundant Yang Qi, they are restless, making it difficult for them to sit quietly for a pulse.

Once Xia Xing received the lollipop, his attention focused on its wrapping, at the same time, Lu Jiu seriously began the pulse diagnosis.

As soon as Lu Jiu’s hand touched Xia Xing’s wrist, those noisy voices once again drilled into Lu Jiu’s mind…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep