"Dr. Lu..."
At the entrance of Lu's Clinic, an uncle walked in hunched over.
He wasn't tall, didn't walk quickly, and kept his left hand on his lower back, but looking at him, he seemed to be accustomed to it.
"It's Xiao Wang." Lu Mountain smiled.
Wang Li was a regular at Lu's Clinic. In the two years Lu Jiu had worked here, he almost came twice a week.
"Dr. Lu, I need your help again." Wang Li said.
Lu Mountain said, "This time let my grandson handle it for you."
Wang Li smiled and said, "Sure."
After speaking, Wang Li moved forward and skillfully lay down on the small bed.
Lu Jiu whispered, "Grandpa, is it his back?"
Lu Mountain nodded, "It's an old issue. He had lower back muscle strain surgery early on. Not only did it not get better, but it got worse. The pain was so unbearable two years ago that he ended up here."
"The surgery was over ten years ago, and honestly, there's nothing much we can do, just some therapy to relieve the pain so that his daily life can improve slightly."
Low back muscle strain surgery?
Lu Jiu couldn't help frowning.
To be honest, many hospitals now don't recommend surgery for such patients. Most use medication because surgery can't actually solve the problem.
Surgical treatment is nothing but minimally invasive surgery to relieve local adhesion, restore the contraction and relaxation range of the lower back muscles, and remove any fibrous nodules to free up movement.
But cutting doesn't mean healing; it merely provides temporary relief, and the aftereffects can be terrifying, especially if the surgeon was inexperienced, which would be much worse.
Why?
Our chest and back have two major meridians: the Ren Meridian on our chest and the Du Meridian on our back.
Both meridians are centrally located and connect from the crown of our head to the perineum, forming a channel for the circulation of Qi and blood.
If the twelve meridians are likened to rivers, then the Ren and Du Meridians are like the sea, where the Qi and blood of the twelve meridians eventually flow into.
Martial arts novels often describe that a martial artist must open the Ren and Du Meridians to become a top master. However, in reality, everyone's Ren and Du Meridians are naturally open. It's congenital, only to become inclined to close due to life experiences.
It's like a baby's fontanelle, which closes as they grow older.
In other words, for normal people, the Ren and Du Meridians must not be blocked. When blocked, the body will face significant problems.
Imagine if the Yellow River and Yangtze River were blocked, what would happen to Huaxia?
It's the same with people; if the small streams of the twelve meridians are blocked, many traditional Chinese medicine doctors find it tricky. If the Ren and Du Meridians are blocked, it's truly difficult.
Originally, the symptom of lower back muscle strain is mostly a Bladder Meridian issue. Once the Bladder Meridian is cleared, back pain can be relieved. But once surgery opens the lower back and the Du Meridian is severed, even after it's healed, it's not the original path.
At this moment, whether using acupuncture or medicine, the effect is greatly reduced because acupuncture and medicine ultimately work to balance your Qi and blood, facilitating natural healing.
Now, when the channel for Qi and blood is gone, what effect can it have?
It was just muscle strain, but after the Du Meridian blockage, over time, the patient could develop other diseases.
That's why many TCM practitioners feel helpless when encountering patients who had unnecessary surgery for minor issues.
Some TCM doctors even set rules to not treat patients who had surgery.
Because treating such patients is troublesome and unsuccessful treatment bears responsibility, they simply refuse those cases from the start.
"Grandpa, you tried it?" Lu Jiu asked.
"Yes, I tried to restore his Du Meridian before, but the effects of Chinese medicine were too poor. No matter which formula I used, the medicinal power couldn't reach the ideal place. We tried acupuncture and cupping; maybe it's beyond my level. Hey, maybe you can." Lu Mountain's eyes brightened.
Lu Jiu, with his recently demonstrated acupuncture skills, had already surpassed him. If acupuncture is used to stimulate the meridian acupoints, restoring the Du Meridian channel is not impossible.
"Me?" Lu Jiu looked at Lu Mountain in surprise.
He didn't think he could cure someone who had undergone back surgery.
"Just take his pulse first and see if you can treat him." Lu Mountain said.
In Chinese medicine, besides learning from ancient classics, one must also learn from patients. Each patient's life condition is different. The more you experience, the more adept you'll become in treating similar symptoms in the future.
"Let me give it a try," Lu Jiu said.
He was curious to see the state of the internal organs in a patient who had undergone surgery.
Listening to the conversation between the grandfather and grandson, Wang Li, lying on the small bed, smiled slightly, "Dr. Lu, from how you speak, your grandson's medical skills are even better than yours? Isn't traditional Chinese medicine supposed to get better with age?"
Lu Mountain laughed, "Don't underestimate him just because he's only twenty-seven. He's been seriously studying medicine for nearly twenty years, knows no less than I do, just lacks experience. This kid attended Jinling Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Wang Li, upon hearing this, looked at Lu Jiu with newfound respect, "Oh wow, Jinling's university; that's remarkable."
Lu Jiu waved his hand, uncomfortable with such praise, "Let's focus on the consultation. We can chat after."
Wang Li laughed, "Then let me sit up first."
Lu Jiu pressed Wang Li's back, "No need, just stay comfortable. Lying down won't affect pulse reading."
Wang Li smiled and said, "Alright then."
Lu Jiu then brought over a stool, sat by Wang Li's side, and grabbed his hand, placing his fingers on the Cun Guan Chi area…
"Heart Fire, I've been exhausted again today, what do we do?"
"Sigh, me too. I'm getting worse and can't process many things anymore."
"Will we die? If Hydronephrosis continues like this, we might all die. What's it like to die?"
"Fei Jin, shut up, now's the time to solve problems. Why so pessimistic?"
"Solve? It's been so many years. If it could be solved, it would've been. His body is far from before; don't you know how weak Hydronephrosis is now?"
"Liver Wood, you're always talking about death. Why so different today?"
"Can't we even vent our frustrations?"
"Stop arguing. What good does quarreling do? Haven't you realized over the years? He has never listened to us, not once. We gave him so many hints to protect us, but did he? Since he doesn't care about our well-being, we should teach him to face the consequences of his actions!"