Once Old Zheng was settled, Tang Huaiqing explained to Li Xu why they were there. "Xiao Li, this is my army buddy, Old Zheng. He’s had allergic rhinitis for over thirty years now.
Over the years, he’s taken plenty of both Chinese and Western dicine, but it’s never gotten any better.
Especially in the last few years, as he’s gotten older and his physical condition has declined, the rhinitis has beco much worse when it acts up."
Li Xu’s brow furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
’Allergic rhinitis for over thirty years... that’s definitely a tricky case.’
Tang Huaiqing continued, "His condition mainly involves an itchy nose, constant sneezing, and a clear, runny nose. It’s especially severe every spring and autumn.
And he’s also particularly averse to wind and cold. He catches a cold at the slightest chill, and whenever he gets a cold, the rhinitis gets even worse.
The most troubleso part is, in the last two years, he’s also developed symptoms of urinary incontinence. Sotis, if he coughs too hard, he even has accidents.
He’s in his early fifties. Ever since he turned fifty, he’s had no sex life to speak of. He just has no interest in that departnt."
Old Zheng listened from the side, periodically wiping his nose with a handkerchief, his eyes full of helplessness.
Li Xu quickly ran through his knowledge of allergic rhinitis in his mind.
’In Chinese dicine, allergic rhinitis is often classified under historical diagnoses like "nasal hypersensitivity" or "sinus effusion."
The earliest records can be found in the *Suwen*, in the Chapter "On Different thods for Appropriate Treatnts," which states: "Those from the Northwest... its people eat rich and fatty foods, which generates internal heat. Their illnesses all arise from wind and cold."
Later generations of physicians also discussed this illness at length.
The *Zhubing Yuanhou Lun* ("Treatise on the Origins and Symptoms of All Diseases"), in the section "On Nasal Hypersensitivity," states: "Nasal hypersensitivity occurs when wind and cold qi from the lungs assail the nose. When heat qi is in the nose, it becos blocked and congested. When wind-cold qi is in the nose, there is a clear, watery discharge. The illness is always caused by the weakness of the zang-fu organs and a lack of density in the body’s superficial layer, allowing wind and cold to invade the lungs, thus causing nasal hypersensitivity."
This clearly pointed out the etiology and pathogenesis of nasal hypersensitivity, linking it mostly to the weakness of the zang-fu organs and the invasion of the lungs by wind and cold.
However, other physicians held different views.
For instance, the *Yizong Jinjian* ("Golden Mirror of the dical Tradition"), in the "Essential Secrets of External dicine" section, ntioned: "Nasal hypersensitivity, with a clear or turbid yellow discharge and a blocked nose, is always caused by heat in the lung ridian."
This showed that so physicians believed nasal hypersensitivity could also be caused by heat in the lung ridian.
Evidently, physicians throughout history were divided on the etiology and pathogenesis of "nasal hypersensitivity," attributing it to either cold or heat. A diagnosis and treatnt must be based on a differentiation of the specific symptoms.’
Seeing Li Xu lost in thought, Old Zheng assud his case was hopeless again.
He sighed and said to Tang Huaiqing, "Old Tang, I’m really sorry to trouble you. I’ve had this illness for so many years and tried everything. It looks like it’s incurable. And I made you co all this way with for nothing."
After hearing this, Tang Huaiqing imdiately waved his hand dismissively. "Old Zheng, now you’re talking like a stranger. What’s our relationship? We’re army buddies, comrades who’ve been through life and death together. If you say that again, I’ll really get angry with you.
If I, Tang Huaiqing, don’t have the skill to cure your old ailnt, that’s my problem, not yours.
I just ca along with you; it’s not like I’ve been a huge help."
He turned his head and explained to Li Xu, "Xiao Li, my buddy here, he’s just too earnest. He’s always worried about bothering people. I’ve watched him suffer from this illness for over thirty years, and it truly pains to see it.
I saw in the news recently that you’re very skilled, so we ca to see."
Li Xu nodded.
This kind of deep camaraderie between soldiers seed especially precious in today’s restless society.
Only after the two had finished speaking did Li Xu say, "I understand how you both feel. Sir, please don’t worry. Now that you’ve co to , I will certainly do my best. I have a general understanding of the symptoms you’ve just described. However, I still need to take your pulse and look at your tongue."
Old Zheng nodded, extended his wrist, and gestured for Li Xu to take his pulse.
Li Xu extended his right hand, placing three fingers lightly on the three key pulse-taking positions on Old Zheng’s wrist. He focused his mind, quieted his breath, and felt the beat of the pulse.
Old Zheng’s pulse was deep, fine, and weak. The pulse at the deepest position was especially weak. This gave Li Xu a preliminary diagnosis.
Next, Li Xu had Old Zheng stick out his tongue so he could observe its coating.
Old Zheng’s tongue was pale and lacked luster. The coating was thin, white, and moist. This corroborated the symptoms he had described, such as aversion to cold, fear of wind, and urinary incontinence.
"Sir, your pulse is deep, fine, and weak, and your tongue is pale and without luster."
Li Xu began to speak slowly and deliberately. "This indicates that your core problem is a deficiency of qi and blood."
Fearing they wouldn’t understand, he explained further: "A deep pulse ans I have to press down hard to feel it beat. A fine pulse ans it feels like a thin thread, not full enough. And a weak pulse ans the beat is feeble, almost imperceptible. All three of these combined clearly point to one problem—a severe insufficiency of qi and blood."
"In Chinese dicine, it is said that qi is the commander of blood, and blood is the mother of qi.
A deficiency of qi and blood leads to insufficient generation of new qi and blood. The pulse channels are not full, which in turn causes a series of problems like general fatigue, listlessness, and a weakened immune system.
Your current aversion to cold, urinary incontinence, and even leakage when you cough, as well as your chronic, unhealed rhinitis, are all closely related to this qi and blood deficiency in your body."
Li Xu had pointed out the core of the illness.
Old Zheng and Tang Huaiqing nodded repeatedly as they listened.
They felt that what Li Xu said made sense.
This was especially true for Tang Huaiqing. He had practiced dicine for many years, and though he was a Western-trained doctor, he had a basic understanding of Chinese dicine and knew that qi and blood deficiency was at the root of many chronic illnesses.
He said, "Xiao Li, I’ve tried many thods for Old Zheng’s condition. We’ve used common mast cell stabilizers like sodium cromoglicate, antihistamines like loratadine, and leukotriene receptor antagonists like montelukast, including nasal corticosteroids—we’ve used all of these on him. We’ve even tried so non-specific and specific desensitization therapies."
Tang Huaiqing sighed and continued, "But the core problem is that most of these Western dicines only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. They only focus on desensitization and alleviating symptoms, but they tend to ignore the patient’s underlying physical condition, especially the immune system and the state of their qi and blood. As a result, the effects are often temporary, and the relapse rate is very high. As for specific desensitization therapy, while it sounds promising, its indications are very narrow, the course of treatnt is long, and its ultimate effectiveness, frankly, is still up for debate."
Li Xu nodded, showing his understanding.
Western dicine certainly has its advantages in controlling acute flare-ups, but when it cos to curing chronic diseases, especially those involving the holistic conditioning of the body, it often falls short.
"Uncle Tang is right, and that’s precisely where the strength of Chinese dicine lies."
Li Xu picked up the thread of the conversation. "The core advantage of Chinese dicine in treating allergic rhinitis is that through pattern differentiation and treatnt, it regulates the body’s yin-yang balance, fundantally strengthening the upright qi to prevent recurrence. We have a saying: ’When upright qi resides within, pathogenic factors cannot invade.’ As long as the body’s own functions return to normal and its resistance to external pathogens is strengthened, these allergic reactions will naturally lessen, or even disappear."
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