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

Chapter 1263 Chen Yang's Decisiveness

It has to be said that Chen Yang is indeed very famous, and his personal image is also very good. In the past year or two, all the news about Chen Yang has been positive.

Whether it's the Kyoto International Medical Center, Chen Yang's affairs in R country, or the patients Chen Yang treated, etc.

Therefore, when the patient's family learned about Chen Yang's identity, they all showed him a great deal of respect.

“Every minute is precious now. Arguing and chaos won’t help with the rescue. I need to understand the situation in more detail to better assist the patient.”

Chen Yang said loudly, "Please send one or two representatives to tell me the detailed process of the patient's visit to the clinic before the onset of the illness, including what symptoms he had, what the clinic said, what medicine was prescribed, and how he took it. The more detailed the better."

Chen Yang's words calmed the agitated and grieving family members down a little.

The patient's wife and son were chosen as representatives, and they recounted what had happened, their voices choked with emotion.

The patient had a cold and cough three days ago and went to "Huiwen Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic" for treatment. The "old expert" on duty said that he had a "cold cough" and prescribed three packets of "ancestral cough-relieving powder", saying that it was very effective.

I took two packets when I got home, one yesterday afternoon and one yesterday evening. This morning I said I felt dizzy, had heart palpitations, and felt tightness all over my body. Before I could even call 120, I suddenly convulsed and lost consciousness...

Chen Yang listened carefully and asked for more details. He had a general idea of ​​what was going on. This was likely a typical process of poisoning from the accumulation of neurotoxic drugs such as strychnine.

After reassuring the family members and promising to do his best, Chen Yang then requested to see the person in charge of "Huiwen Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic".

Two people arrived at the clinic. One was a fat man in his fifties who claimed to be the owner. He had an oily face and a glint in his eyes. The other was a "veteran expert" who was over seventy years old. He was thin and dressed in a Tang suit. His face was ashen, and he had long lost his "expert" demeanor.

Chen Yang didn't waste any words and asked directly, "What are the ingredients of your 'cough-relieving powder'? How much strychnos nux-vomica is used? What is the processing method?"

The shop owner stammered, "This...this is a family secret recipe, it's not convenient to reveal...of course, the strychnine seeds have been processed, and the dosage...is according to the family's traditional proportions..."

"What is the traditional ratio in grams? Is the preparation method sand-scalding? Deep-frying? Or boiling in licorice water?" Chen Yang pressed, his tone growing increasingly stern.

The "veteran expert" was sweating profusely and stammered, unable to give a specific answer.

Chen Yang immediately understood what was going on.

"Raw strychnine contains about 1.1%-1.5% strychnine, and after processing, the strychnine content must be controlled below 0.78%."

Chen Yang stared at the other party: "The concentration of strychnine detected in your powder, when converted to raw nux vomica, means that the content in one packet far exceeds the toxic dose! This is not treating an illness, it's killing someone! Is your 'ancestral secret recipe' just an improperly prepared and severely excessive use of toxic drugs?"

The museum owner and the "old expert" turned pale and were speechless.

"Director Chen, let's investigate this thoroughly before drawing any conclusions." The person in charge of the clinic was clearly a little flustered.

With so many people present, Chen Yang's questioning essentially confirmed their conclusion that they were using medication haphazardly.

"I'm a doctor, and I'm just gathering information right now. There's no need to hide anything that's perfectly legitimate."

Chen Yang then turned to the media and health bureau personnel present and said loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a serious case of the illegal use of toxic traditional Chinese medicine, which has led to the life-threatening condition of a patient!"

"It exposes the serious problems of some private medical institutions being blinded by greed, disregarding life, and lacking basic pharmaceutical knowledge and professional ethics!"

"But this absolutely does not represent standard and regulated traditional Chinese medicine! Authentic TCM practitioners use highly toxic drugs with extreme caution, emphasizing processing to remove toxins, compatibility checks, strict dosage, and application based on syndrome differentiation. Such indiscriminate and excessive use is absolutely prohibited!"

This incident is clearly a typical case of using the guise of traditional Chinese medicine and ancestral secret recipes to arbitrarily prescribe medicine without proper diagnosis.

Since Chen Yang has encountered this situation, he certainly won't tolerate it.

Upon hearing Chen Yang's words in front of the media and health workers, the clinic's manager collapsed to the ground, his face turning deathly pale.

Chen Yang's expression softened, and he said to the family members, "Please believe that legitimate traditional Chinese medicine is safe and effective."

"This incident was committed by a very small number of bad apples. The hospital and the law will definitely give you an explanation. Now, let's focus all our energy on saving lives!"

Chen Yang's words were clear and logical, with a firm stance. He not only strongly condemned the violations but also upheld the overall image of traditional Chinese medicine, while bringing the focus back to the rescue itself.

Everyone present, including the media, quieted down and began to view the incident more rationally.

Health bureau staff seized the opportunity to step forward and take the clinic's manager away for further investigation. The media also obtained preliminary information and began to write relatively objective reports.

The chaotic scene was finally brought under control.

Chen Yang brought Zhuang Qiwen and Xia Hongliang back into the ICU. Xia Hongliang had just completed his first round of acupuncture.

"How's the situation?" Chen Yang asked.

Xia Hongliang's forehead was covered in sweat, and his expression was focused: "After strong stimulation of the Renzhong and Neiguan points, the patient just had a slight frowning reaction. Although it disappeared quickly, it may mean that the brainstem function has not been completely suppressed."

"After acupuncture at Yongquan and Taichong points, the frequency of minor muscle twitching in the limbs seemed to slow down. The heart rate briefly stabilized at around 125 beats per minute, but then fluctuated again."

Zhuang Qiwen stared intently at the monitor and the data: "Blood pressure is still hovering at a low level, relying on vasopressors to maintain it. Hemoperfusion and dialysis are underway, but the toxins are tightly bound to tissue proteins, so the clearance efficiency may be limited. Liver enzymes and creatinine are still rising, and the myocardial enzyme profile is also alarmingly high."

Chen Yang approached the hospital bed and carefully examined the patient again.

The patient's complexion was bluish-gray with a strange flush, and the cyanosis of the lips had not improved significantly, but the opisthotonus-like rigidity that had appeared occasionally before did not seem to have appeared for the time being.

Chen Yang gently opened the patient's eyelids to observe the pupils, and then tried to take the pulse. Under the interference of sedative drugs and instruments, it was difficult to grasp the pulse accurately, but the rapid and chaotic pulse mixed with a deep, tight and hesitant feeling still indicated a critical situation of deep-seated toxic heat, disordered qi and blood, and impending collapse of yin and yang.

“Acupuncture can be repeated every hour. When selecting acupoints, consider adding Baihui and Dazhui to awaken the mind and open the orifices, and adding Zusanli and Sanyinjiao to try to protect the Qi of the spleen and stomach and nourish Yin and subdue Yang. However, the stimulation intensity must be strictly controlled, and it is advisable to use gentle twisting and turning to avoid excessive disturbance.”

Chen Yang pondered for a moment and said, "Western medicine's rescue plan is already very comprehensive. The focus of our TCM assistance is on 'opening the orifices and waking the mind to prevent convulsions,' 'protecting the heart and liver to reduce damage,' and possibly 'harmonizing qi and blood to promote detoxification.'"

Chen Yang then looked at Zhuang Qiwen and said, "Dr. Zhuang, please adjust the previously proposed Chinese medicine approach based on the current situation."

"Considering that large doses cannot be administered orally, could you devise a highly effective enema formula with extremely small doses? Or, is it possible to administer a very small amount of specially treated detoxifying and restorative medicine via nasogastric tube?"

"The principle is: use less and focus on the key points, directly target the disease, and do not increase the metabolic burden on the body."

Chen Yang still entrusted this matter to Zhuang Qiwen.