The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 165

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 165

 

Day and night reversed.

 

Ramen, tteokbokki, and ice cream during night shifts.

 

Plus stress from drunk customers.

 

“All of these could be causes of urticaria.”

 

“I thought it would get better if I quit the job, but it keeps happening like this. Last night I couldn’t sleep because it was so itchy, so I scratched until I cried!”

 

Min Juyeon trembled her shoulders and sniffled.

 

She had always had good skin and would make a fuss over even the smallest blemish, so it was understandable that she felt wronged seeing it become such a mess.

 

“Other people handle shift work just fine, so why am I like this… And why does it have to show up on my skin of all places?”

 

“Everyone’s natural resistance and congenital weak points are different. It’s especially frustrating because it’s visible.”

 

“Yesssss.”

 

But feeling wronged about getting a specific disease and constantly thinking about what you did wrong to cause it doesn’t really have a clear answer.

 

The human body doesn’t get disease A just because it receives stimulus A.

 

People are born with different innate qi, so while some stay healthy doing the same work, others fall apart after just one sleepless night.

 

Of course, shift work… even reasonably healthy people have a hard time enduring it long-term since disrupted sleep rhythms don’t give the body time to recover.

 

“Your skin barrier is damaged and lacks the ability to heal itself.”

 

“*Sob* Will it get better if I apply medicine?”

 

She seemed to understand but was still frustrated.

 

Jeong Inseong patted her back consolingly from beside her.

 

“You need oral medication too. We need to quickly calm the itching first so it doesn’t keep spreading.”

 

“Yes, yes. I was prepared for oral medication.”

 

As they talked, the surge of grief subsided, and Min Juyeon nodded.

 

“Let’s go through this step by step. You said the folliculitis from when you came in high school cleared up quickly, right? Did it keep coming and going after that? Or was it fine until this recent recurrence?”

 

“It was fine the whole time. Oh, but the folliculitis first appeared about a month before I started the convenience store job. There was a group project before first semester finals that was incredibly stressful. Back then it was just four or five spots on my cheek.”

 

At the time, she thought it would heal quickly like when she applied Hwangryeonhaedokgo ointment before and was cured right away.

 

She put it off thinking she’d get a prescription during vacation, then forgot about it.

 

“So you worked the convenience store job in that condition, and when the urticaria appeared, the folliculitis spread along with it?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“And you’ve quit the convenience store night shift now?”

 

“Yes. I felt so sorry… but the convenience store president took one look at my face and said he understood. I switched to a daytime cafe job!”

 

It was fortunate that she had eliminated the food and sleep factors.

 

After organizing her current medical history in chronological order, I explained about folliculitis.

 

“First, folliculitis, as I mentioned when you came before, is inflammation that occurs when follicle mites or bacteria enter the hair follicles.”

 

Min Juyeon nodded as if hearing this for the first time.

 

“We commonly say folliculitis ‘spreads,’ and I said that too, but it’s bacteria spreading over a wider area. Usually…”

 

“Did I spread the bacteria by scratching? And got nail poisoning too?”

 

“That has an effect.”

 

“Ahhhhh!”

 

Min Juyeon cried out in despair.

 

Even so, she didn’t touch her cheeks or chin and grabbed her hair instead.

 

“Right now the folliculitis is severe on both cheeks, with a few spots spread to the nape of your neck.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

“And the small bumps rising up are urticaria. Separate from the folliculitis, it’s caused by increased vascular permeability in the skin, with plasma fluid components entering and causing swelling. It’s not inflammation.”

 

“Ah, Inseong told me they were different too.”

 

Urticaria that flares up after eating certain foods is an allergic reaction.

 

Some cases are sensitive to specific stimuli like temperature.

 

But this type that persists for weeks without disappearing should be considered mostly idiopathic.

 

“It’s continuing even after you quit work, so finding the cause now isn’t very meaningful. Let’s try calming it down with medication first. You have itching too, right?”

 

“Yes. I scratched because it was itchy.”

 

She didn’t actually touch it but made scratching motions with her fingers.

 

“The folliculitis has some pus formation too. Your whole face is also slightly red. Do you feel heat as well?”

 

“It’s fine except when it gets really itchy.”

 

Skin symptoms are basically visible, but I checked if there were other aspects to consider.

 

“You seem to have an appetite – how’s your digestion?”

 

Skin symptoms are closely related to the digestive and respiratory systems, and if digestion is poor, it’s hard to absorb any medication.

 

“Not bad. When I was eating tteokbokki and ice cream every day, I had some diarrhea, but when I eat the meals my mother prepares, it’s fine.”

 

“You’re sleeping well since quitting night work?”

 

“I think it would be fine if I could just sleep without the itching. Once I fall asleep, I don’t wake up.”

 

“How about fatigue? Do you think your stamina is about average?”

 

“Yes. I don’t think I’m particularly weak.”

 

Jeong Inseong added a comment from the side.

 

“She’s healthy. She’s never even caught a cold.”

 

I checked her pulse and tongue too, but aside from being slightly fast, they were unremarkable.

 

“It seems we don’t need to consider much besides the skin symptoms. I’ll prescribe something to reduce head and face damp-heat while controlling the itching…”

 

I looked at Jeong Inseong, who had spoken last, and said:

 

“Have you thought about it? What do you think we should use?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Jeong Inseong asked back in surprise.

 

He wasn’t as flustered as when Grandmother Heo Sunnam’s story came up, but he was still quite bewildered.

 

“You’re asking such a surprise question?”

 

“It’s about your girlfriend, so you must have thought about it, right?”

 

“Uh, well, I’m still a second-year pre-med student so I don’t really know… Sopungsan? I asked a senior and they said it’s good for itching…”

 

“Don’t they teach herbal medicine in second-year pre-med?”

 

“No! We do biology, chemistry, Chinese characters, traditional medicine physiology, things like that!”

 

It was so long ago that my memory was hazy.

 

Is it normal not to know much as a second-year pre-med student? Even if the school doesn’t teach it, I think I bought and read herbal medicine books on my own.

 

…No, I need to be careful. Thinking like a professor again.

 

“There’s a reason Sopungsan is the first-line prescription for itching. It’s not a bad choice.”

 

However, there are no respiratory symptoms like runny nose, and her energy isn’t low enough to need ginseng.

 

I first thought of a different prescription that shares some herbs.

 

“I often use Cheongsangbangpungtang in cases like this. Hyeonggae and bangpung, which are also in Sopungsan, are naturally important for dispersion, and gilgyeong, hwanggeum, and hwangryeon help with folliculitis suppuration, while improving blood circulation and dispersing peripheral heat.”

 

Jeong Inseong quickly took out his phone to write it down.

 

“I’ll give you the medication guide, so read it together and compare it with Sopungsan.”

 

“Yes, thank you!”

 

“I won’t use the original formula as is… If it’s severe enough to interfere with sleep, it would be good to add baekseonpi and baekjillyeo. These herbs are excellent for itching. You’re not familiar with these herbs, right?”

 

Jeong Inseong nodded, saying he didn’t know them at all.

 

Since both he and his girlfriend had experienced skin conditions, studying related medicines during this opportunity would be helpful later.

 

“So it eliminates itching and treats inflammation?”

 

Min Juyeon summarized it perfectly.

 

“That’s right. Since it hasn’t been going on for very long, it might subside within a month, but folliculitis is more likely to take longer. Let’s see how much the suppuration and scattered lesions have reduced after a month and then prescribe the second treatment.”

 

“Yes! I should try not to scratch as much as possible, right?”

 

“That’s right. You need to minimize irritation.”

 

Not only should she avoid scratching, but she also needs to be careful with food.

 

“Your digestive system is fine, and since you said you don’t snack much anymore, I’ll focus on the skin treatment. You shouldn’t eat anything that might cause digestive problems, okay?”

 

“Yes. I’m going to quit instant noodles now! If only I can get better!”

 

Since the stress from her skin condition was considerable, Min Juyeon shouted with full enthusiasm.

 

* * *

 

Min Juyeon somewhat impulsively chose a night part-time job.

 

Her boyfriend Jeong Inseong had been doing various tutoring jobs starting as an academy assistant instructor and often bought her gifts, so she wanted to do something for him too.

 

‘Should I buy him a watch for his birthday? He’d love it, wouldn’t he?’

 

That’s how she opened a part-time job website for the first time and found a posting for a convenience store right in front of school.

 

When she searched about what night shifts were like, the general consensus was that they were okay except for the day-night reversal.

 

During vacation, there’s not much to do during the day anyway, so it should be fine, right?

 

In the interview, the owner said there weren’t many customers and she could freely eat expired food.

 

She started working the very next day.

 

That was the problem.

 

While there weren’t many customers at night, since it was a university area, there were too many bars nearby.

 

Every time a customer who couldn’t control their body came in, she felt dizzy.

 

And during the early morning hours when there were almost no customers, she was too bored.

 

So what she kept reaching for was leftover food.

 

She became able to taste different types of instant noodles and identify them blindfolded, and she also discovered that some convenience store tteokbokki tasted better than restaurant versions.

 

And at some point.

 

“…Why is it so itchy?”

 

The slightly red area that had appeared on her cheek spread to her neck and shoulder area.

 

“What is this? Can this really spread like this?”

 

“The one on your neck looks like hives? Do you have any allergies?”

 

“I don’t have any…”

 

What started as slight itching kept recurring frequently.

 

Sometimes dozens of folliculitis bumps would suddenly appear all at once, and on days when the hives were severe, she spent the entire night scratching.

 

“Juyeon, it seems like the night shift might be the problem… How about trying something else?”

 

At her boyfriend’s cautious advice, she eventually quit the job.

 

But neither the folliculitis nor the hives subsided.

 

The itching was torturous. She was also self-conscious when going out.

 

She even started thinking that everyone would look at her face and say something.

 

From primer to concealer, foundation, and powder. The makeup covered it sufficiently when applied thoroughly, but…

 

‘It obviously doesn’t seem good for it.’

 

Even when she had symptoms in high school, they told her not to forcibly cover the follicles, and just thinking about it, cosmetic powder didn’t seem like it would be good.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to get treatment? You look like you’re suffering too much.”

 

Her boyfriend, who had once suffered from severe acne, deeply empathized with her pain.

 

Back then, her skin had been as clean as white jade, so how did it end up like this?

 

“I want to help cure you, but I still don’t know much yet….”

 

When she said she would receive treatment, Jeong Inseong took Min Juyeon to the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic he had visited before.

 

Jeong Inseong had also received acne treatment there, and it was a place Grandmother regularly attended.

 

“Wait, it’s grown this big?”

 

What kind of Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic uses three floors? There are more doctors now too?

 

Min Juyeon was shocked.

 

When she first came, she thought it was just an ordinary Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic, but it was incredibly impressive!

 

“I’m supposed to work here after graduation?”

 

Of course, there was still a long way until graduation, but Jeong Inseong grinned, saying the Clinic Director had promised to give him a job.

 

“I need to study my major… more diligently…. If I don’t know anything like this, I might not get hired….”

 

And when leaving the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic, Jeong Inseong became dejected.

 

He seemed discouraged after being unable to answer questions.

 

“You still have four and a half years left, so what’s the problem?”

 

Unlike him, Min Juyeon’s tearful face brightened completely.

 

She had a strong premonition that if she took the medicine as instructed, the itching would heal and even the folliculitis would disappear.

 

“Look, look, it was really rough here on my neck but it’s definitely reduced, right?”

 

And that premonition proved exactly right.

 

After taking the medicine for about ten days, the itching almost completely disappeared, and the folliculitis began to shrink in area.

 

Just not having to forcibly endure the urge to scratch greatly reduced her daily stress.

 

And another ten days later.

 

“I thought it was flaring up again, but it immediately subsided!”

 

The hives were gone.

 

The immediate itching that would start that very night when she felt stressed also disappeared.

 

When a month had passed, only five or six folliculitis spots remained on her left cheek and three or four on her right.

 

“Clinic Directoooor!”

 

A month ago, she had entered the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic’s examination room in tears.

 

This time, she threw the door wide open with a cheer of joy.

 

“Oh, you’ve improved a lot?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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