Lu’s Clinic.

Lu Jiu was consulting patients when Tian Xuelin called.

After chatting for a while, it turned out that Wang Li’s son was afraid of offending him, so he asked a friend to speak, hoping to come back for treatment.

Lu Jiu didn’t agree; he only told Tian Xuelin that if he wanted to come see him, it was best not to come until he was sure he would change his lifestyle habits. Otherwise, seeing him once would be the last time.

Tian Xuelin understood Lu Jiu’s rules and relayed his words verbatim to Tang Long.

Around two in the afternoon, Wang Xuetao and his companions arrived at Lu’s Clinic.

Seeing seven or eight people queuing at the entrance, they waited patiently for Lu Jiu to finish with these patients before finally entering the clinic.

“You’ve come?” Lu Jiu looked at Wang Xuetao with a calm expression.

“Dr. Lu, I’m sorry. I had a bad attitude a few days ago. Please forgive me.” As he spoke, Wang Xuetao placed the gift he brought on the table.

But before he could place it steadily, Lu Jiu blocked the gift he handed over with his hand.

“No need. I’ve said before, it’s about the issue, not the person. Whenever you decide to change, that’s when I’ll treat. Of course, don’t expect too much from me. In your current situation, as long as you control your diet, not let uric acid rise too high, and consistently take your medication, you’ll be fine for the next few years. At most, if the medication can’t hold it anymore, and you develop gout stones or joints deform and need surgery, you can continue medication control after that. If controlled well, this disease won’t kill you, similar to diabetes. My skills have limits, and I can’t guarantee a cure. To what extent it can be managed depends on you as well as on me. It may be better than Western medicine or worse, your call. If you trust me and are willing to change those bad habits as I suggest, I’ll do my best to help you adjust.” Lu Jiu said.

Wang Xuetao’s condition isn’t severe, and he hasn’t been on medication for long. Lu Jiu is confident he can cure him.

But it couldn’t be said outright—if the outcome didn’t meet Wang Xuetao’s expectations, it would be Lu Jiu who would suffer.

Before Wang Xuetao could speak, Tang Long immediately said, “We trust you. He assured us before coming that he would definitely change!”

Wang Xuetao nodded, “Mm.”

Lu Jiu said, “Sit down, let me take your pulse.”

Wang Xuetao was delighted and immediately sat in front of Lu Jiu, then extended his hand.

Lu Jiu felt his wrist.

“Heart Fire, you tell me, Kidney Water actually blamed me earlier. Clearly, I’ve been working hard to process those greasy heavy-tasting foods, but I can’t process all that he eats—what else can I do? The damp accumulation and extra food acid build-up also make me uncomfortable.” Spleen Earth said.

“Can’t you cause him a stomachache when he eats so he won’t eat?” Kidney Water said.

“I tried, but it didn’t work; he doesn’t notice at all!” Spleen Earth said.

“How could that be!” Kidney Water said.

“Ask Heart Fire if you don’t believe me.” Spleen Earth said.

“Stop arguing, solve the cold-dampness at the ankle instead. How many times have I told you, solve problems when they arise, don’t shirk responsibility. Keep causing a fuss, and none of us will live peacefully!” Heart Fire said.

“First resolve Spleen Earth’s issues, or else the pressure will all fall on me, and I’ll suffer. Also, that medicine keeps throwing waste at me, if this continues, I’ll be finished.” Kidney Water said.

“Heart Fire, I really reminded him, but he just doesn’t react. What do you say?” Spleen Earth said.

“His spirit has drifted, his sensory capability isn’t sharp. Of course, he doesn’t react when you remind him. Stop worrying about this and get to work; he was in pain once this afternoon already. Don’t let these pathogenic factors accumulate too much. Kidney Water is also in trouble; though the medicine resolved the acid buildup, the residue still can’t be expelled. We must think of a way!” Heart Fire said.

“…”

It seems it’s not just a gout issue.

Even the mind has been affected.

What Heart Fire refers to as dulled sensory capability is actually the connection between the spirit and soul. Our body’s sensation is composed of the Divine Soul.

The soul governs daytime, the soul governs nighttime, and the spirit leads everything.

For those with mental issues, like Zhang Xixi, it means the spirit and soul have been affected, but the soul remains. That means no matter how insane she gets, her instincts for eating, drinking, and excreting remain. When the spirit and soul are seriously harmed, affecting the soul, one may be unaware of hot and cold, with impaired five senses.

Normal people rarely reach this stage, but many will encounter a situation where their bodily reflexes aren’t what they once were when young.

For instance, in playing basketball, during a fierce match, whether catching, passing, or shooting, judgments are often based on sensation rather than brainwork.

Those with robust energy and spirit have great sensory skills, making them very agile with extremely fast reaction times. But for those with deficient energy and spirit, which indirectly weakens the soul’s capabilities, they might lag. Before, in a game, they might instinctively catch a pass immediately; now, the ball might hit their face before they react.

Some individuals with a strong sensory capability will immediately expel something eaten that upset their stomach, preventing accumulation within the body. However, those with poor sensory ability may notice nothing even if they eat something bad, giving the false impression that the spleen and stomach are strong, when in fact, they merely accumulate waste within.

Thus, in Chinese medicine, when assessing a person’s condition, attention is paid to whether they can expel waste unless the situation progresses to Jueyin.

Any problems with urination or defecation should be treated seriously.

Restoring a damaged spirit isn’t difficult. Acupuncture by Lu Jiu can help, and combined with exercise to strengthen the spleen and stomach, with ample blood supply, the spirit will recover quickly.

As for gout, there is actually a prescription specifically to treat this disease.

That is the licorice and aconite decoction.

Unlike Feng Yuan’s treatment with Aconite Decoction, the licorice and aconite decoction is used before gout leads to joint deformation.

Though both conditions have the pathogenic mechanism of wind-cold-damp in the joints, the timing of pathogenic development differs, and thus the prescribed formula varies.

Moreover, gout is becoming more prevalent among the young, closely linked to diet.

The spleen governs sweetness, and overconsumption of sweet or greasy foods leads to long-term accumulation in the body producing acid. Besides, many foods today appear sweet but turn acidic once ingested. The most typical example is beverages—many young people with kidney stones or even uremia owe much to them.

After accumulating in the spleen and stomach, these substances exert pressure on the kidney due to the spleen’s burden. Being overcome by acid, Spleen Earth transmits pressure to the kidneys, impairing kidney function and hindering the excretion of accumulated acids. Over time, when a volatile substance enters the body, it inevitably stimulates rapid blood circulation, leading to large volumes of sediment entering the circulatory system. Due to excessive acid deposition, these cannot circulate normally, causing severe pain.

Simply relying on medication to treat without changing lifestyle habits is merely a drop in the ocean.

After finishing taking his pulse, Lu Jiu looked up at Wang Xuetao and spoke slowly, “Did you experience pain once in the afternoon?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuetao and his companions froze instantly.

Wow!

He could tell that too?

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep