Chapter 7: A Recovery as Swift as Turning Over a Cup

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Huang Yaoshi carefully poured the medicinal decoction while speaking in an unhurried tone, “Here we only provide the service of decocting a single dose of Chinese medicine. If it exceeds one dose, you must brew it yourself at home. As for those marked ‘quick decoction,’ while ensuring efficacy, one must not rigidly adhere to the traditional methods.”

“So, in urgent cases, the Ephedra Decoction doesn’t need to follow the original instructions of first boiling the ephedra, reducing two liters, removing the foam, and then adding the other herbs, right?” Zhang Jing asked as he inquired.

“Whether or not to pre-boil the ephedra has little to do with quick decoction. Ephedra only requires pre-boiling to remove foam when the dosage exceeds two taels, about 30 grams, to prevent excessive dispersal that could cause rapid heartbeat or even uncontrollable sweating.”

Zhang Jing nodded repeatedly, impressed. Indeed, the National Medical Hall was no ordinary place, and the veteran apothecary was certainly a master in his field.

He had wanted to ask Huang Yaoshi more questions but was mindful of the patient’s high fever and could not delay.

So, he excused himself, holding the insulated medicine cup with both hands, and quickly made his way to the lounge.

Pushing open the door, Zhang Jing found the female patient half-reclined in a sofa chair, clearly drowsy.

However, upon seeing Zhang Jing, she immediately summoned her strength and excitedly asked, “Is the medicine ready?”

“Yes, but it’s still a bit hot. You’ll need to wait another couple of minutes.”

Zhang Jing placed the cup on the small side table beside her, unscrewed the lid to help it cool faster, and asked concernedly, “Are you still feeling uncomfortable?”

“Yes, my whole body aches, I’m very sensitive to cold, and my head feels dizzy. I’m extremely sleepy,” the woman’s voice was weak and soft.

“Don’t worry. Once you take this medicine, you’ll start feeling better.”

“Good! I heard from a friend that every Chinese medicine doctor here is excellent, so I took a special minibus just to come here. I hope I made the right choice.”

Zhang Jing knew well that the National Medical Hall’s nationwide reputation was built not on advertising but on proven efficacy and patients’ word of mouth.

“The medicine has cooled enough now. Drink it all while it’s warm.”

“Okay!” the woman took the cup.

“Try to finish it quickly. It might cause a slight tingling in your mouth, but don’t worry. That’s the normal taste of raw ephedra in the prescription.”

She nodded again and drank the entire decoction in one gulp.

“Now, zip your down jacket all the way up and tuck your neck inside the collar. If you feel anything unusual, tell me immediately,” Zhang Jing instructed.

“Alright!” she responded.

After about two or three minutes, the woman suddenly said, “I feel so hot!”

She reached to unzip her jacket.

Zhang Jing quickly stopped her, explaining, “Feeling hot is a good sign. You’ll soon start sweating, and the cold and virus will be expelled with it.”

Just then, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, soon followed by her face.

“Doctor Zhang, I’m really hot, and my whole body is sweating. Can I take off my clothes now?”

“No, hold on a little longer. Once you sweat thoroughly, you’ll recover faster.”

As he spoke, the woman sniffled and then excitedly said, “Doctor Zhang, my nose feels completely clear now!”

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Soon after, she continued reporting her progress eagerly.

“My headache is gone.”

“All my joints feel much better.”

“I think my temperature has started to drop!”

Zhang Jing touched her forehead with the back of his hand and indeed felt a coolness.

However, he knew well that skin cooling after sweating does not necessarily mean the body temperature has truly fallen.

Only a measurement with a thermometer under the armpit could provide an accurate reading.

With this in mind, he said to the patient, “Keep covering yourself and sweating. I’ll go get a thermometer.”

She nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Jing quickly borrowed a mercury thermometer from the clinic’s front desk.

He shook the thermometer forcefully to lower the mercury, then handed it to the patient, “Place it under your armpit, making sure the bulb is pressed firmly against the skin.”

After giving instructions, he turned away to avoid embarrassing her.

A few minutes later, the patient handed back the thermometer.

Zhang Jing took it carefully with both hands, took a deep breath, and slowly turned it to read the scale.

He could hardly believe his eyes—the mercury clearly showed 36.7°C.

“Just as expected, the medicine’s effect is immediate!” Zhang Jing whispered excitedly.

The patient, however, did not understand immediately and asked anxiously, “What does that mean?”

“Your temperature has returned to normal!” Zhang Jing said excitedly, pointing to the thermometer.

Then the woman smiled broadly.

“Thank you! I’m so grateful to you, Doctor Zhang!”

“Oh, it’s all thanks to my teacher, Doctor Li Yu,” Zhang Jing modestly corrected.

“No, you and Director Li both deserve thanks. Honestly, in all my life, I’ve never met a doctor as responsible as you.”

Seeing the sincere look in her eyes, Zhang Jing felt moved.

Yes, this was how the doctor-patient relationship should be.

Over time, conflicts between doctors and patients had become more frequent, with incidents of violence against medical staff occurring now and then.

Many believed these arose from society’s growing restlessness, with patients becoming increasingly irritable.

Zhang Jing, however, disagreed.

He thought that “indifference” might be the key trigger.

Have you noticed that such incidents mostly happen in large general hospitals?

And the targets often are respected authorities within the hospital or the medical community?

This has nothing to do with medical skill.

Nor is it largely about medical ethics.

Western medicine, as evidence-based science, relies heavily on various examinations.

In a way, they see only cases, not people.

Thus, during diagnosis and treatment, communication with patients is often neglected.

They firmly believe that data does not lie, whereas patients’ descriptions may be subjective and unreliable.

Chinese medicine, however, is entirely different, as its core is people-centered.

Whether it’s the theories of harmony between heaven and man, analogy-based diagnosis, or the concept of qi circulating through the body, as well as syndrome differentiation and treatment, all regard the person as a whole.

Various illnesses ultimately stem from an imbalance of yin and yang.

Therefore, fundamentally, health is restored by adjusting yin and yang back into balance.

By contrast, Western medicine treats patients with high fever uniformly, regardless of age, gender, or constitution.

They quickly administer antipyretics, and if the fever recurs, then proceed with so-called evidence-based treatments.

...

“Doctor Zhang, should I still ask Director Li to prescribe more medicine? What if the fever returns after I go home?”

The patient’s question brought Zhang Jing back to the present.

“Well…” Zhang Jing pondered briefly, then said, “Unlike Western antipyretics, once Chinese medicine reduces the fever, it usually does not recur. But you can come with me to ask Teacher Li if you need additional herbal medicine to help regulate your body.”

“Alright, alright,” she agreed enthusiastically.

Zhang Jing then led the patient out of the medicine waiting lounge.

But instead of heading straight upstairs to see Li Yu, they first went to the decoction room to return the medicine cup.

“Why did you bring it back yourself? That’s unnecessary. I collect the cups from the lounge every day,” Huang Yaoshi said, a hint of surprise on his face.

In truth, he thought to himself: This young man is quite impressive—looks like Li Yu has a worthy successor.

“It’s no trouble, just a small thing. By the way, Huang Yaoshi, I’d like to come learn from you more when I have time. Would that be alright?” Zhang Jing asked politely.

Huang Yaoshi grinned broadly and laughed, “Of course, young man. It’s rare that someone holds this old codger in such regard. I’ll have the junior staff who manages the decoction room register your name. The door will be open for you anytime.”

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