I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 251 - 218: Drinking Alcohol with Gout?

On the second day of the New Year, while everyone was still visiting relatives, Lu Jiu arrived at the clinic early.

The weather was getting colder, and Xiao Tu was also curled up in its little nest, unwilling to come out, its sleepy eyes half-drooped, occasionally yawning widely.

The cat was usually quite lazy, and now in the hibernation season, it naturally avoided motion whenever possible.

However, compared to animals, people are much more diligent.

Even in the cold winter, Lu Jiu noticed a few shadows darting past the entrance, clearly people out for a morning run.

Lu Jiu was actually quite concerned about the hearts of these people.

This year, the fire energy was low, already bad for the heart, and long-distance running consumes the heart's functionality.

Although this exercise does help in physical fitness, running without regard to the season is evidently incorrect.

Unfortunately, under the current health philosophy, as long as you are exercising, that's considered a healthy lifestyle.

After tidying up the clinic a bit, Lu Jiu lit some incense.

This was an incense he made himself using traditional Chinese medicine, called Purifying Incense.

It was made from Atractylodes and Swift Fragrance Herb.

Swift Fragrance Herb, also known as agarwood, can regulate and calm one's energy, soothe nerves, and relax the body and mind.

Atractylodes is a purely yang herb which, when made into stick incense and lit, can transform moisture, ward off foulness and dissipate turbidity.

The production process is relatively simple: select Southern Atractylodes, stir-fry until the surface is slightly yellow, let it cool, grind into a powder and sieve for later use; grind Swift Fragrance Herb into a powder, mix the herbs evenly; cook White Perilla Powder with water into a paste, add the incense powder and blend evenly, knead into a dough and let it sit for six hours, shape into stick incense, air dry and store in a cool place for more than three months.

Every day, patients visit the clinic, and sickness fills the clinic all day long, so it's necessary to cleanse the bad air.

With fewer patients coming during the New Year, and Lu Jiu's incense ready, he decided to take the opportunity to clear away the disease-related unpleasantness.

The crucial part is that this incense not only dispels foulness, but smells particularly nice.

To be honest, the more Lu Jiu delved into Huaxia culture, the more he thought ancient people really knew how to enjoy life.

Take these spices; they can be used not only for flavoring food, perfuming clothes, beautifying makeup, and enhancing the environment, but also for treating ailments.

The Purifying Incense Lu Jiu crafted has the ability to aid sleep.

For many patients with mild insomnia, simply lighting a stick of incense before sleep suffices, without the need for treatment.

Moreover, this incense does not create dependency in patients.

After a few days' sleep, once a patient's spirit is restored, they can sleep soundly without continued use of incense.

Additionally, the ancient research in musical culture is also quite profound.

The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor actually described the five tones — Jue, Zhi, Gong, Shang, Yu — corresponding to the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney, respectively. Regularly listening to music composed from these tones is greatly beneficial to the body.

In fact, music historically had healing capabilities.

The word "medicine" in ancient times was formed by combining the radical for "grass" with the character for "music."

The "grass" naturally represents vegetation, while "music" clearly signifies melodies.

Unfortunately, in current times, it's common to use herbs to cure illnesses in Chinese medicine, but few know how to use music for healing.

After all, just learning medicine is quite challenging, adding music would leave hardly anyone with the energy.

That's why Lu Jiu admires the ancients; scholars in those times were genuinely accomplished in a way that mastering the six arts, five virtues, four accomplishments, and eight refinement seemed effortlessly part of every scholar's basic curriculum.

The incense just discussed is one of the eight refinements; the remaining are music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, flowers, and tea. Even a cursory exploration is not an easy task.

It leads one to say that those capable scholars would often have the phrase, "If not a great statesman, then a great healer," on their lips.

If you can master the basic skills of a scholar to a reasonable extent, then learning medicine is truly seamless and without difficulty.

But back then, due to productivity constraints, few had access to education.

Most people aimed for politics, naturally leaving few to study medicine.

Now, more are educated, yet many struggle to understand classical Chinese, elevating the difficulty of studying medicine by several degrees.

It's much like how when Lu Jiu browses the internet now, he can barely comprehend the comments young people post.

The common catchphrases are manageable; Lu Jiu knows a bit of English, so terms like YYDS are okay. He plays games, so SSDF leaves him a bit perplexed, and NBCS is completely baffling.

This plethora of abbreviations, though a cultural phenomenon, makes Lu Jiu feel as if he wants to pry open Emperor Qin Shi Huang's coffin and ask him to unify the script again.

Though, upon reflection, Qin Shi Huang's script unification only standardized written language, and seemed not to have touched the diverse dialects, which is why even after all these years of Huaxia culture, we can still understand historical records yet speak in a myriad of dialects.

Lu Jiu feels that teaching classical Chinese is essential for those young experimenters wanting to learn Chinese medicine.

And what's happening with Huang Fusheng and Jianghan's national studies curriculum progress?

He had mentioned to Lu Jiu before, possibly scheduling it after the New Year.

"Dr. Lu, Happy New Year!"

Just as Lu Jiu was leisurely reading, Wang Li, a frequent visitor to the clinic, arrived.

Ever since Lu Jiu had been giving him acupuncture for several months, Wang Li's back pain had been getting progressively better.

During the pulse check, Lu Jiu could also clearly feel the blockage in Wang Li's Du Meridian easing up.

Another one or two months of treatment should thoroughly eliminate the back pain.

"Uncle Wang, Happy New Year. It's only the second day of the New Year, why are you here already?" Lu Jiu smiled.

"Do you see who this is beside me?" Wang Li pointed to the person who came with him, who looked a bit like Wang Li and appeared to be in his forties.

"Your son?" Lu Jiu asked.

"Heh, that's right. He just got back before the New Year. He was fine at first, but after some drinks at the reunion dinner, he got a gout attack. He endured it overnight without telling me. He went to the hospital yesterday, and the medicine didn't help. As soon as I found out, I brought him here immediately." Wang Li said.

"Drinking with gout?" Lu Jiu frowned.

Any patient with this condition, no matter where they go, the doctor will warn them.

No drinking allowed!

Sure, reunion dinners with relatives are meant to be joyful, but knowing you're sick and still drinking.

This behavior is akin to mixing alcohol with certain medications.

"Just a sip, not much." Wang Li's son, Wang Xuetao, said.

Lu Jiu didn't believe it.

How can you expect someone who doesn't even care about their life to only drink a sip of alcohol?

"Uncle Wang, you know my rules. I emphasize to first-time patients that they must change their bad habits. Otherwise, I won't see them a second time. Can you assure me that he'll refrain from alcohol until he recovers?" Lu Jiu asked.

"I assure you, absolutely. I'll keep a close watch on him these days and not let him have a drop." Wang Li said.

Lu Jiu shook his head, "It's not about you forcing him not to drink; it's whether he's willing to change. Drinking isn't inherently a bad habit as long as you don't overdo it. But given his current situation, he can't touch a single drop. If he knows how painful it is and still can't control his urges, needing someone else to monitor him, then I suggest not seeing him now. Wait until it's unbearable and then come back."

Wang Xuetao was displeased, "What kind of doctor talks like that? What do you mean by not seeing me until the pain's unbearable? I'm already in pain, that's why I'm here. Less talking, more treating."

Wang Li scolded, "Shut up."

He really wanted to sew Wang Xuetao's mouth shut now.

His own back pain hadn't improved at many hospitals, but ever since finding Lu Jiu, it got better each day.

Because of this, he recommended quite a few people to Lu Jiu, and every one of them praised Lu Jiu's excellent medical skills.

Some even claimed that Lu Jiu treated several cancer patients before their eyes.

Meeting such a doctor in a small place like Jianghan is something many would be thankful for.

And yet, Wang Xuetao dared to show a bad attitude towards Lu Jiu.

Wang Li was so angry he was grinding his teeth.

"Dr. Lu, I'll definitely educate him to change. Could you adjust his condition first, for my sake?" Wang Li pleaded.

Lu Jiu shook his head, "Uncle Wang, rules are rules. If they want me to treat them but don't follow my advice, it's like ruining my reputation. I won't do it. Of course, I only address the issue, not the person. Once he's ready to change, I'll treat him."

"Dad, let's go. I'm not going to see him." Wang Xuetao was upset. He was already in pain, and seeing Lu Jiu's attitude, he turned and left without a second thought.

"You... come back!!!" Wang Li shouted, but he still couldn't stop Wang Xuetao. Seeing this, he sighed helplessly and then looked at Lu Jiu, "Sorry, Dr. Lu, he just has this bad temper."

Lu Jiu said, "It's fine. Actually, letting him feel the pain isn't so bad. He looks okay, his movements are fine, meaning it's mild. Painkillers will help. If I treat him now, he'll indulge in food and drink later on, potentially worsening his condition."

"So, Uncle Wang, don't worry. As I said, if he doesn't want to change, don't come to me. If he does, I'm always welcoming. Here, it's about the issue, not the person."

Wang Li looked grateful, "Thank you, thank you, truly sorry for today."

Lu Jiu said, "Take care."

Wang Li repeatedly bowed and then turned around, jogging away.

Before long, he caught up with Wang Xuetao and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Dad, why did you hit me?" Wang Xuetao angrily glared at Wang Li.

"Drink, drink, will you die without alcohol!? I told you before we came, don't talk, just agree to everything. You wouldn't listen, and now look—fine, I'm done, go home and deal with the pain yourself." Wang Li snapped.

"But, didn't you see how he acted, as if by changing my habits, he'll cure me immediately. Gout can only be controlled, hospital professors even say it can't be cured. Yet he's acting so confident." Wang Xuetao pouted.

"He can even treat cancer; what does gout matter!" Wang Li retorted.

"What!? He can treat cancer? Sounds like BS..."

...