Li Feng understood immediately and quickly introduced, "Old Lu’s son, Lu Xuan."

Yan Xiaoping suddenly realized.

Since they were neighbors, Lu Guoquan often mentioned Lu Xuan to her. She also knew Lu Xuan studied traditional Chinese medicine and seemed to have already graduated and started working this year. Seeing him call out to her now, she asked in confusion, "What’s the matter?"

Lu Xuan didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, "I just heard a bit about Ms. Yan’s condition, and I have some thoughts. I want to ask if you also have issues with your diet, like not wanting to eat, or even having no great desire for food, and is your bowel movement also irregular?"

When Lu Xuan called out to Yan Xiaoping, she wondered if he was looking for her for something or wanted to inquire about her workplace.

But when Li Feng said he was Lu Guoquan’s son, she tossed the thought aside, thinking that since he studied medicine, he probably wanted to persuade her, like Old Li did, to go for a check-up. But when Lu Xuan spoke, she realized how wrong her initial thoughts had been.

Especially when Lu Xuan mentioned her inability to eat, Yan Xiaoping was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth, looking at Lu Xuan in disbelief.

"How did you know?"

She hadn’t mentioned her lack of appetite to Li Feng, mainly because in the throes of a splitting headache, a lack of appetite seemed perfectly normal. But hearing Lu Xuan say it so directly and assuredly, she vaguely felt that her lack of appetite might not just be due to the headache but for another reason, and that Old Lu’s son might have noticed it.

But...

How is that possible!!!

Yan Xiaoping was somewhat skeptical.

She had heard from Lu Guoquan several times about Lu Xuan’s situation, that he recently graduated with a master’s degree. No matter how excellent he was, it seemed impossible for him to just listen to her talk and guess her lack of appetite and constipation.

Honestly, Li Feng didn’t believe it either.

Even before Lu Xuan spoke those words, he wanted to interject.

But before he could say anything, Yan Xiaoping’s next words left him utterly astonished.

He could guess that?

By chance?

Or...

Li Feng didn’t even dare to think further down that road.

After all, Lu Xuan just graduated this year!

Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine is far more challenging than Western medicine.

Li Feng himself was a doctor. He had worked at the county hospital and interacted with many from the County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He had a decent understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. It’s generally impossible to truly learn and practice traditional Chinese medicine without at least seven to eight years of post-graduate experience.

He didn’t believe it, but Yan Xiaoping’s words made him have to believe.

Lu Xuan just smiled without saying anything.

He knew that as a doctor, being too proactive isn’t always a good thing.

However, he also knew that given Yan Xiaoping’s condition, even if she went to a city hospital for an examination, they probably wouldn’t find anything conclusive. They might just prescribe some medications for headaches and appetite stimulation.

Treating symptoms but not the root cause.

In fact, even treating the symptoms could be difficult.

Painkillers might offer temporary relief for headaches.

But without addressing the underlying cause, as soon as the effect wears off, the headaches would return.

If delayed for too long, other health problems might arise.

So he wasn’t in a hurry and waited for her to ask him, making it easier to explain and possibly changing her mind about underestimating him.

Being still young, and being away from Yong City, no one here knew who Lu Xuan was, except for knowing he was in his twenties. What abilities could he possibly have?

Once such thoughts take root in one’s mind, whether it’s the doctor or the patient, it’s not a good thing at all.

Just as expected, Lu Xuan’s silence only made Yan Xiaoping more curious: "I heard from your father that you studied traditional Chinese medicine. Is traditional Chinese medicine so powerful that just by listening to my symptoms, you can see other issues I might have?"

"Let’s just say I guessed the general situation,"

Lu Xuan shook his head, saying, "Until the pulse diagnosis and tongue examination are done, it’s not entirely certain."

Although she was unwilling to believe Old Lu’s son had such capabilities, so much had been said that Yan Xiaoping still wanted to give it a try. She approached Lu Xuan, "Then, Dr. Lu, can you check my pulse?"

"Sure,"

Lu Xuan didn’t hesitate. If she was familiar with Li Feng, then she must have a good relationship with Lu Guoquan as well. They’re all neighbors; if he could help, he would. Since she brought it up, and he wasn’t unsure of himself, he set to check her pulse at the inch, gate, and ruler positions on her wrist.

"Wiriness," he said after a short while, already aware of Yan Xiaoping’s pulse condition.

A wiry pulse is one of the pulse conditions in Chinese diagnostics, akin to a taut string, straight and long, feeling firm under the fingers.

There are various types of wiry pulses: if wiry and fine with some softness, it indicates the initial stage of damp-heat blocking the Qi. If wiry and rapid, it suggests excess heat in the Shaoyang and excessive gallbladder fire. A wiry and slippery pulse is often indicative of a warm disease with phlegm. If wiry, forceful, and rapid, it suggests severe heat pathogen affliction and liver wind stirring internally.

At this point, combining it with some of Yan Xiaoping’s symptoms, Lu Xuan had already confirmed his judgment, but he didn’t say anything immediately; instead, he checked her tongue coating.

The coating was thick and slightly greasy.

Liver Yang rising causing liver wind headaches.

This term immediately came to Lu Xuan’s mind.

The "Suwen" states that in spring, wiry pulses are often seen in healthy individuals, which are weak, deficient in energy, yet slippery.

The "Maijing" also records, "the wiry pulse is one of six types of pernicious pulses, capable of causing illness through interaction with various channels."

Zhang Lu stated, "In Cold Pathogenic Disease, a wiry pulse is common, often seen in cases of deficiency-exhaustion internal injury, being present in more than half the observations."

This is indeed the case in clinical observation, with wiry pulses appearing more frequently across many ailments compared to other pulses. It’s generally accepted that having a wiry pulse with hypertension makes sense. As Li Dongyuan commented: "The wiry pulse always indicates disharmony between Yin and Yang, and rebellious liver Qi..."

The "Inner Canon Jade True Organ Chapter" records: "A wiry pulse indicates robust and excessive Qi, bringing about forgetfulness, inconsiderate behavior, wiriness, and propulsion of ill health to the head."

These symptoms align with hypertension characteristics.

"So, what’s the conclusion?"

Seeing Lu Xuan seemingly deep in thought, while retracting her tongue with thick, greasy coating, Yan Xiaoping, although not expecting Lu Xuan to figure much out given his young age, still asked out of curiosity.

Retracting his hand, Lu Xuan thought for a moment and then spoke: "Liver Yang Rising Causing Liver Wind Headaches."

"???" — Yan Xiaoping looked puzzled.

"That’s a term from traditional Chinese medicine. It’s normal not to understand if you haven’t been exposed to it," Lu Xuan explained.

Having attended university, although not formally studied traditional Chinese medicine, Yan Xiaoping understood a little and asked about the doubt in her mind: "How does my headache relate to the liver? Shouldn’t the problem be with my head?"

Lu Xuan chuckled, "Not all headaches originate from the head. In fact, traditional Chinese medicine posits that problems in any part of the body can trigger a headache. In your case, it’s evidently Liver Yang Rising Causing Liver Wind Headaches.

A wiry pulse, thick, greasy tongue coating—all closely tied to liver function. Even if you visit a hospital for examinations, they probably won’t make any significant findings.

Why is that?

Western medicine tends to treat symptoms directly at the site—headache for the head, foot pain for the foot.

If you complain of headaches, doctors might predominantly examine your brain, possibly including a CT scan of the chest or an MRI when thorough. It’s highly unlikely your symptoms would be linked to the liver.

Moreover, even if the connection is made, Western medicine might struggle to address your specific conditions effectively.

Perhaps medication can suppress symptoms temporarily, but it won’t solve the root cause, leading to potential relapses. For this scenario, traditional Chinese medicine is the better choice, addressing both symptoms and underlying causes, preventing recurrence.

Yan Xiaoping furrowed her brows, still seemingly perplexed.

Both Ji Xiuwen and Lin Yongzhen were also lost in thought.

Ji Xiuwen knew a bit more but remained somewhat puzzled.

Lin Yongzhen, dealing with similar thoughts as Yan Xiaoping, was more incredulous. As a practitioner of Western medicine, he couldn’t link headaches to liver issues.

It was simply perplexing. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Ultimately, he could only look towards Lu Xuan for guidance, driven by curiosity and confusion to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine.