Actually, the moment Li Qingde entered, Du Heng had already noticed the person behind him. The man’s left eyelid couldn’t close; it drooped, and tears streamed from it. His nasolabial fold and the corner of his mouth were skewed, and saliva occasionally dribbled out. The man was holding a small handkerchief, constantly wiping away the saliva.
Du Heng took a step forward, carefully observed, and examined the symptoms. "When did this happen?"
The patient’s mouth opened slightly, and a sound came out, but it was unclear what he was saying. It’s quite severe, Du Heng thought. He can’t even talk.
Li Qingde was also shocked for a moment and hurriedly asked, "He could talk earlier, why can’t he now? Xiao Du, can you cure him?"
"Facial paralysis; in Western medicine, it’s called nerve paralysis or facial neuritis. It can be treated; just remove stasis and promote circulation. Buwei, disinfect the needle utensils."
Du Heng’s answer was firm. He went to the sink to wash his hands while asking, "Dean, when did it happen?" Then he told the patient, "Come, lie down on this bed."
Li Qingde lent a hand. "Sigh, it happened at noon. I had some drinks with him, and when he woke up from a nap, he was ."
"That only just happened; the condition has progressed quite quickly."
Taking the disinfected needles from Wu Buwei, Du Heng pondered and observed for a moment before preparing to insert them. However, he still asked Wu Buwei, "Buwei, how do you think the needles should be inserted?"
Wu Buwei thought for a moment. "GB-20 and philtrum."
"Not bad, but not complete." Du Heng inserted the needles at GB-20 and the philtrum, and then at the Dicang and Yangbai acupoints. "Dicang penetrates Cheche, Yangbai penetrates Fish Waist. Do you understand?"
Du Heng didn’t look up, focusing on inserting the needles. Wu Buwei, however, had an expression of sudden realization after observing Du Heng’s technique.
Li Qingde saw everything clearly from behind. Having such a doctor working under him made him very happy. It’s very tough for newcomers in traditional Chinese medicine if there’s no master to teach them. Now there was one willing to teach, and another who was talented and willing to learn. This was the best outcome.
"Get fire cupping and moxa sticks ready. The patient’s condition is progressing too quickly; we need to use both of these."
Li Qingde looked on with satisfaction. No matter how lacking the Health Clinic was or how few patients it had, it was still a hospital at the end of the day, and doctors were fundamental to its development.
"Xiao Du, your technique is pretty good. Who did you learn it from?"
Du Heng focused on adjusting the needle utensils and didn’t answer the question, mainly because he didn’t know how to respond.
Li Qingde didn’t get an answer, but he wasn’t angry. He thought Du Heng was just too focused and hadn’t heard his question, so he simply stood back and watched without disturbing him.
After about ten minutes of activity, Du Heng removed the needles. "Buwei, are the fire cups ready?"
"Senior Brother, they are all set. I’ve prepared six moxa sticks. Is that enough?"
"Enough." Then there was another flurry of activity, with Wu Buwei earnestly learning on the side.
"When we treat him tomorrow, you’ll do the fire cupping, moxibustion, and the massage afterward. Any problems?"
Wu Buwei hesitated a bit. He thought he had memorized everything but was still apprehensive.
Du Heng glanced sideways at him. "It’s okay, I’ll be watching."
"Alright." This time, the answer was quite straightforward.
Cupping and moxibustion took several tens of minutes. Once the moxa ash was cleaned from the patient’s face, there was a noticeable change: the patient was no longer drooling.
Du Heng washed his hands again, then placed them on the patient’s face. "Remember the acupoints I pressed today: Xiaguan, Dicang, philtrum, and Cheche. Press them firmly, until you feel a distending ache." Then he instructed the patient, "Don’t move around; the sensation is normal. If you feel pain, just raise your hand."
After pressing the acupoints, he used a kneading method to massage the affected area for another ten minutes. Looking at the patient now, although his mouth and eyes were still askew, his overall facial appearance was much softer and smoother.
Li Qingde had accompanied them for an hour and now chuckled, "Xiao Du, what medicine do you think would be best to prescribe?"
Instead of answering, Du Heng threw the question to Wu Buwei. In traditional Chinese medicine, syndrome differentiation is one aspect, and prescribing medicine is also important. Only with the combination of the two can one be considered a qualified traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.
"Buwei, you tell us. What medicine should we prescribe?"
Wu Buwei had heard Du Heng say earlier that the treatment approach for this disease was to remove stasis and promote circulation, so he immediately said, "Stasis-Removing and Meridian-Promoting Decoction."
Du Heng just smiled noncommittally. "Which kind?"
Which kind? Wu Buwei was dumbfounded again.
"There you have it. Study more, memorize more," Du Heng said with an ’I-told-you-so’ look. "Remember this: Take 9 grams of prepared aconite and 3 grams of Scorpion Powder orally. Decoct 9 grams of prepared stiff silkworm and 9 grams of gastrodia in water, take once daily."
After Wu Buwei finished entering the record, Du Heng looked at Li Qingde and the patient and asked, "Dean, should he drink it here, or go home and prepare it himself?"
Li Qingde glanced at the patient, thought for a moment, and then said, "How many days does this treatment take?"
After observing the patient’s face again, Du Heng estimated, "About 5 to 7 days."
"There won’t be any sequelae, right?"
"As long as he cooperates with the treatment, there won’t be any sequelae."
Li Qingde nodded in understanding. "Then admit him to the hospital for treatment. His home is quite far, and it’s not practical for him to travel back and forth every day."
Du Heng agreed and quickly filled out an Admission Form.
Li Qingde took the Admission Form from Du Heng. "Alright, you two carry on with your work. I’ll take him to get admitted."
Du Heng didn’t insist on helping. If Li Qingde wanted to handle it, that was fine. "Okay, Dean, make sure the patient doesn’t wander off. The medicine should be drunk immediately after it’s decocted."
"Yes, I’ll remind him."
After Li Qingde left with the patient, Wu Buwei also started to head out. Du Heng stopped him. "Where are you going?"
Wu Buwei replied as if it were obvious, "To prepare the medicine."
"No need. Just let the Pharmacy handle it."
"Alright then." Wu Buwei sat down, organizing the disease record while reflecting on Du Heng’s treatment process, asking directly about anything he didn’t understand.
After clarifying everything, he asked, "Senior Brother, what if some people can’t easily seek medical treatment, or don’t know how to perform acupuncture or moxibustion, and they encounter this kind of illness? Are there any other methods?"
Du Heng put the cleaned needle utensils back into his medicine box and chuckled. "There are, actually, quite a few methods. First, they can apply a hot towel to their face multiple times a day, and then use the facial massage technique I just taught you."
"Are there any medicines to drink or apply?"
"Do you know goldenrod?"
"Yes, isn’t it being called a harmful, invasive plant online recently?"
Du Heng chuckled. "Goldenrod is yellow, has a clear, fragrant aroma, is neutral in nature, and slightly bitter in taste. It’s a Chinese herb. Take one ounce, decoct it in water, and drink it."
Wu Buwei scratched his head. "What if they don’t have any?"
"Take 7 fresh castor bean kernels, crush them into a paste, form it into a small cake, and apply it to the unaffected side of the face—if the left side is affected, apply to the right, and vice versa."
"Aren’t castor beans poisonous? Can this stuff actually be used?"
"Castor beans are toxic, so don’t eat them raw. When made into a cake and kept out of the eyes, it’s fine."
Du Heng explained it simply, but Wu Buwei, thinking about the poison, couldn’t help but feel resistant. Knowing it’s poisonous and still daring to put it on one’s face—that takes far too much courage!
"Nevermind, Senior Brother. Tell me another method."
Du Heng smiled teasingly. "Do you really want to know?"
"Then listen carefully, and don’t regret it. Take a live toad, skin it, remove the flesh, and apply the skin to the affected side."
As soon as Du Heng finished speaking, Wu Buwei shivered. He instantly wanted to slap himself twice. It was his own fault for asking; why did he have to press further? Seeing the smile all over Du Heng’s face, Wu Buwei picked up the prescription slip and walked out. Preparing medicine for the patient felt much more comfortable.