Chinese medicine: from rural hospitals to top three hospitals in Kyoto

Chapter 530: Classic Prescription for Premature Infancy

This was the first time Chen Yang met Gao Ruiping's daughter Miaomiao. Miaomiao had a darker complexion and her height was not much different from other children of the same age. Except for her darker complexion, she was not much different from other little girls of eight or nine years old.

“When did the child discover this problem?”

After several people sat down in the clinic, Chen Yang asked Gao Ruiping's wife to hold Miaomiao and sit opposite him. He asked while observing the child.

"About three months ago, I started to have breast development."

Gao Ruiping took out the examination form from his bag and said, "This is an examination done at our Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital. The diagnosis was central precocious puberty. A bone age assessment was also done, and it was said that the bone age has reached eleven years old..."

Chen Yang took it and looked at it. In addition to bone age, the luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone among the sex hormones were also very high.

"If you feel uncomfortable anywhere else, tell your uncle." Chen Yang said to Miaomiao.

"Just tell your Uncle Chen if you have anything to say." Gao Ming chose to encourage Miao Miao from the side.

"No."

Miaomiao said timidly.

Miaomiao opened her mouth, and Chen Yang could clearly smell a strong odor coming from Miaomiao's mouth. Moreover, in just a short while, Miaomiao had already farted several times.

Chen Yang also took a look at Miaomiao's tongue, which was dark red...

"Come, uncle, take a look."

Chen Yang took Miaomiao's hand and began to take her pulse.

"Chen Yang, does a situation like Miaomiao's have a big impact?" Gao Ruiping asked.

"It's definitely big."

Chen Yang said: "In traditional Chinese medicine, whether it is too fast or too slow development, as long as it goes against common sense, it is a disease."

"Before, due to poor living conditions, the most common symptoms in pediatrics were five delays and five softnesses. The so-called five delays and five softnesses refer to the ten symptoms that children experience due to developmental delays."

Chen Yang explained: "The five delays refer to slow standing, slow walking, slow teeth, slow hair growth, and slow speech; the five weaknesses refer to weakness in the head and neck, weakness in the mouth, weakness in the hands, weakness in the feet, and weakness in the muscles."

"With the improvement of living conditions and overnutrition, the number of cases of delayed puberty and soft puberty has gradually decreased in clinical practice, but the number of children with precocious puberty has begun to increase. The term precocious puberty belongs to modern medicine. There is no such disease name in ancient Chinese medical books, but Miaomiao's condition should be considered as premature puberty in Chinese medicine."

"What is Tiangui?"

Chen Yang explained: "In traditional Chinese medicine, Tiangui is a substance secreted by the human body that can promote and maintain human growth, development and reproductive ability. Of course, this explanation is more modern. In layman's terms, Tiangui is a substance with such an effect, just like the positive and negative qi mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine."

"Traditional Chinese medicine does not have a clear and detailed explanation. It all says that a certain ingredient or energy has a certain effect. The prerequisite for the appearance of Tiangui is that the kidneys are full of essence and qi."

"It is said in Suwen: Ancient Innocence Theory that a woman's menstruation starts at the age of 27 and ends at the age of 77. 27 is 14 years old and 77 is 49 years old. If it is too early than 27, it is considered premature menstruation."

"Premature onset of menstruation is considered a positive disease in traditional Chinese medicine, and this disease comes at the cost of damaging the kidney essence of the child."

Chen Yang said: "Generally speaking, a girl's kidney essence is sufficient at the age of fourteen and she will have Tiangui. Miaomiao is only nine years old now. She is overdrawing her kidney essence. Such children often stop developing at the age when they should develop normally, or even suffer from stunted development."

"It's been more than three months, and you didn't tell me." Gao Mingxuan couldn't help but complain: "You hid everything from me?"

"Aren't I just afraid that you'll worry?" Gao Ruiping felt a little guilty.

In fact, Gao Ruiping and his wife both felt that Gao Mingxuan was a Chinese medicine doctor, and he worked in the county hospital. His level might not be high, and he liked to get involved in other cases. Gao Ruiping and his wife did not dare to disobey Gao Mingxuan, so they simply chose to conceal it.

Generally speaking, in a family, if the elderly have a certain status and their children are not very powerful, the elderly's status in the family is still relatively high. After all, Gao Mingxuan is the chief physician of a county hospital, and his income is not low. Even after retirement, he will have a pension.

Regardless of what Gao Ruiping was thinking, Gao Ruiping's lover must have some ulterior motives, but generally there was no need to do so and she certainly would not dare to make her father-in-law angry.

"Xiao Chen, how are patients like this generally treated clinically?" Si Zhenhua asked Chen Yang.

"Generally speaking, the pathogenesis of this type of children is mostly yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire. Yin deficiency means kidney yin deficiency, and hyperactivity of fire means yin and blood deficiency. The hyperactivity of fire caused by internal disturbance of virtual fire is a pathological yang heat growth pattern."

Chen Yang analyzed: "From the symptoms, Miaomiao has bad breath, foul-smelling flatulence, and a red tongue. These are all manifestations of excessive heat in the body. Excessive yang heat causes blood flow to accelerate, and the tongue turns red."

"The evil heat causes the stomach's transportation and transformation functions to be abnormally enhanced, the peristalsis is accelerated, and the gas discharge will increase..." Chen Yang explained one by one.

"Generally speaking, low temperatures will reduce metabolism, just like a certain low temperature can stop life, just like freezing..."

Wen Manlu said: "Then conversely, high fever can actually enhance metabolism and accelerate development, isn't that the truth?"

“Yes, that’s a very vivid expression.”

Chen Yang said: "The evil heat in the body actually promotes such an effect. Look at Miaomiao's face. It is black. Black represents kidney water. This is caused by the pathological exposure of kidney qi."

"Yangyang, does that mean it can be treated?" Gao Mingxuan asked.

Miaomiao's condition is already very difficult for Gao Mingxuan. Not only for Gao Mingxuan, but also for many Chinese medicine doctors, this disease is quite difficult to treat. After all, Chen Yang's current level is not low.

After listening to Chen Yang's analysis, Gao Mingxuan asked hurriedly. Since Chen Yang could analyze it so clearly, he thought it should be curable.

“Since we can identify the cause of the disease, we can naturally cure it.”

Chen Yang said: "Since Miaomiao's pathogenesis is Yin deficiency and excessive fire, liver fire is hyperactive, we can start from nourishing Yin and reducing fire, clearing the liver and purging fire, nourishing kidney Yin, reducing deficiency fire..."

Chen Yang smiled and said, "There is a famous prescription that is just right for this condition."

"Liuwei Dihuang Decoction?" Wen Manlu asked.

"Yes, it is Liuwei Dihuang Decoction."

Chen Yang said: "The Chinese yam in Liuwei Dihuang Decoction nourishes the spleen and kidneys, the cornus fruit nourishes the liver and kidneys, and the rehmannia root is specifically used to nourish the kidneys. Raw and cooked rehmannia can be used together. This is the most commonly used method of the famous warming and nourishing master Zhang Jingyue."

"Liuwei Dihuang Decoction?"

Gao Ruiping said: "Chen Yang, Miaomiao is only this young, it's not a good idea to use this prescription, right?"

"If it's the right soup for the right condition, take a jar of water instead. As long as it's the right soup, there's nothing good or bad about it. Don't think that Liuwei Dihuang Decoction is specifically for nourishing the kidneys, and that it can be used by adults but not children."

Chen Yang smiled and said, "I'll prescribe a prescription for Miaomiao to take when I get home. She'll need to take it for a while, and she won't need to see a doctor in Kyoto anymore."