The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 243

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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 243

Sasha Rian.

She was a globally famous pop star.

Even someone like me, who was completely ignorant about cultural industries like Hollywood movies and pop songs, knew of her.

She was like an NPC character whose name combination felt familiar from hearing it so much since my school days.

Due to the video where she mentioned Melon Soda Horizon, an algorithm was formed for a while and I watched several related videos.

How she won several Grammys, her records of staying on the Billboard TOP 100 for weeks.

Explosive stage performances, fashion pioneer, artist who creates eras.

She was someone with all these tremendous titles… no, modifiers attached to her.

“I’m Hanyewon. I’ll naturally maintain confidentiality while examining you, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Ah! I was wondering, but you really are Director Hanyewon. Nice to meet you!”

Melon Soda Horizon had even linked additional videos of the Oriental Medicine Clinic, right?

If she came all the way here, she must have seen that video and other materials showing my face.

‘What brought her all the way to South Korea? Is she on tour?’

I shook hands with Sasha and asked for her understanding.

“But my English is a bit lacking. Would it be okay if another director joins us for the examination?”

We were managing to communicate somehow, but it was quite uncomfortable.

Someone of her stature would normally bring an interpreter, but did she think I’d be good at English?

Sigh, if it were just a foreigner coming for acupuncture because of shoulder pain, they could just point to the painful spot and I could treat it there…

But if Sasha Rian came all this way, she almost certainly came for herbal medicine. That would require an in-depth consultation.

Hwang Sanghun always said he wasn’t confident in English either, but that was just his characteristic modesty.

It would be much better if we could examine her together.

“Sorry. That’s difficult. I’d prefer only Director Hanyewon to know.”

Sasha Rian refused with great difficulty.

She added that she deliberately didn’t bring an interpreter or manager.

For the language barrier, she’d use technology, holding up her smartphone.

‘Must be something confidential.’

Having no choice, I nodded.

I should study some English when I have time.

The Oriental Medicine Clinic was becoming too global, so I had no choice but to adapt.

“Understood. Please come to the examination room once you’re registered.”

I told Jin Minjeong that her identity was pop star Sasha Rian, and that her visit to the Oriental Medicine Clinic must be kept secret.

Shortly after, Sasha, having completed registration, sat in the examination room chair.

“Where are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Oh, my health has been very bad since ‘that incident.'”

…What incident?

Communication was already difficult, and she was proving to be a challenging patient from the start.

Swoosh.

Without providing any information, Sasha extended her hand.

‘Does she want me to figure it out?’

She looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Her blinking and smiling was quite cute, perhaps thanks to her appealing appearance.

What does she expect from an Oriental Medicine Clinic!

I could give a long speech about how pulse diagnosis is only part of traditional Korean medical diagnosis and can’t reveal everything on its own.

…But explaining that would be even more complicated.

Thump.

I first checked Sasha Rian’s pulse.

I’m not a fortune teller, so I couldn’t guess ‘that incident,’ but I could at least assess her physical condition.

‘Hmm?’

I expected a moderately weak and sunken qi-deficient pulse, but the severity was much worse.

The speed itself was fast and the pulse was detectable when felt, but it sank deeply with just slight pressure.

The strength was weak and far too thin.

The form itself wasn’t smooth either, feeling rough and scratchy… blood circulation was very unstable.

‘Qi deficiency with blood deficiency, …even signs of blood stasis?’

Qi deficiency can appear in overworked people, not just frail, weak grandmothers.

Celebrities, office workers who work many night shifts, and even athletes can have weak energy.

And blood deficiency meant the body lacked nutrients and blood wasn’t circulating properly. This included actual anemia with low blood counts, along with symptoms like pale complexion and dim vision.

But such severe qi and blood dual deficiency with blood stasis?

“Did you perhaps give birth?”

At my question, Sasha Rian flinched.

She looked very surprised.

But it wasn’t the clarity of having guessed the right answer.

“Almost similar.”

Her expression twisted subtly.

I couldn’t tell if she wanted me to guess or if she wanted to hide it.

That’s why I thought I understood.

If ‘that incident’ caused symptoms very similar to childbirth while potentially causing even more severe emotional changes.

“It’s a miscarriage.”

“Wow, I can’t believe you actually got that right!”

Sasha Rian grinned widely.

It seemed she had wanted me to guess correctly.

Now I understood why she came without an interpreter or manager, and even refused to be accompanied by other clinic directors.

If this got out, it would be incredibly noisy, right?

She must already be tired from scandals.

Maintaining confidentiality was absolutely natural.

As a medical professional, I calmly continued with my questions.

“How many weeks along was the miscarriage?”

I needed to confirm whether it was an early or late miscarriage.

Surely she wouldn’t ask me to guess this too?

“10 weeks. Phew, it wasn’t easy.”

“That’s an ambiguous timing. It was a natural miscarriage?”

“Yes.”

“How long ago was it?”

“A month… oh, it’s been 6 weeks now.”

Fortunately, Sasha smiled and readily answered all my questions.

It seemed I had gained considerable trust by correctly guessing ‘that matter.’

A month and a half had passed, and she’d been feeling unwell since then.

As far as I knew, the United States didn’t have much of a postpartum care culture like Korea.

“Did you get enough rest after the miscarriage? Did you receive any treatment at the hospital?”

“Oh, I thought I’d be fine, but I felt so, so very bad. So I rested for three days without doing anything.”

“And you returned to work after three days?”

“I had broadcasting schedules lined up, you know?”

It was hard to say she had properly recovered.

When I nodded sympathetically, she added another comment.

“I did go to the hospital, but there wasn’t really anything to treat. All the tests came back normal. They prescribed painkillers for headaches and recommended supplements, but since the headaches weren’t severe, I only took the supplements.”

“What are your specific symptoms? No bleeding?”

“Oh, there is bleeding too!”

For childbirth, lochia discharge continuing for about 6 weeks would be considered normal, but miscarriages usually end within 4 weeks.

It was clearly prolonged.

“What symptom causes you the most discomfort? Is it fatigue?”

“That’s right. I have so little energy! No matter how many supplements I take, my original condition doesn’t return. Same with exercise. When I sing, power needs to surge up from here, from my belly, you know? But I feel like my energy, my qi, my danjeon’s internal power has disappeared.”

Since a lot of English poured out at once, I had to listen very carefully.

‘…?’

Even though I had clearly heard it properly,

I couldn’t help but doubt my ears.

Danjeon’s Naegong?

So… danjeon…

I asked Sasha again to confirm whether she meant Qi, Internal Energy from the Energy Center in her belly.

“That’s right. I feel like I lost it after the miscarriage.”

“…”

This is driving me crazy, really.

What on earth did the YouTube algorithm do?

When linking Oriental Medicine Clinic videos, did something beyond Eastern medicine, even Eastern martial arts come up?

Or maybe she was originally very interested.

But that’s not how it works.

I had no way to explain it.

I suppressed the urge to beat my chest and explained Sasha’s symptoms.

“When qi and blood consumption is severe from a miscarriage, you can feel that way. You need to directly replenish the lost qi and blood, and take medicine to ensure smooth energy metabolism.”

“Oh, that’s right. I feel like I need to eat something, put something in to fill it up. Supplements aren’t enough.”

She kept emphasizing the feeling that something had been sucked out of her from this incident.

With her energy severely depleted and circulation blocked, she was experiencing the sensation of her body breaking down.

Interesting how the need for tonic medicine arises this way?

Unlike Korea, the United States didn’t have the postpartum care awareness of absolute rest for several weeks and taking tonic medicine.

While family helps to avoid overexertion, quickly returning to daily life was typical.

But someone like Sasha Rian, who constantly overworks with reduced recovery resilience,

and needs 100% condition every time she sings, would sensitively perceive any deficiency.

“You came to the right place. I’ll prescribe something to restore your vitality.”

“Thank you!”

The most problematic part could be sufficiently resolved with general tonic medicine.

I also checked other specific symptoms one by one.

“Do you have an appetite?”

“Not really. Oh, I don’t usually eat heavily anyway. Sandwiches, salads, that sort of thing. I am eating properly now though.”

“How’s your digestion?”

“Just… just okay. It’s been poor not since after the miscarriage, but since I got pregnant. It’s not like I constantly have indigestion, just a feeling that food doesn’t go down well?”

A situation where intestinal motility was reduced along with fatigue.

“Do you sleep well?”

“Work is so tiring that I do fall asleep when I lie down. Ah! But I have nightmares more often than before!”

Sasha exclaimed in admiration, saying she had realized a problem she wasn’t aware of.

“False heat… So do you feel like heat suddenly rushes to your head?”

“Yes!”

Her head felt hot, but when her temperature was taken, it was normal.

She really liked the expression “Fake Fever.”

“Does your stomach hurt?”

“Oh, I was going to mention this. Sometimes, once every 2 or 3 days. It’s different from indigestion. It feels like stabbing and squeezing. It seems like something that should come out isn’t coming out.”

“Those are uterine contraction symptoms, probably because there’s remaining blood stasis.”

At this frequency, I wouldn’t suspect complications.

Adding medicinal herbs to calm contractions and expel blood stasis should be sufficient.

“Yes. The tests say I’m fine. My chest also hurts a little when touched.”

An area that can become sensitive with hormonal changes after pregnancy.

“You have breast pain too, and do you feel any stuffiness inside your chest?”

“That too. Since I’m not feeling good. Well, who would feel good after a miscarriage?”

Sasha shrugged her shoulders.

While she spoke calmly about her mood symptoms, her expression was bright enough that she could be photographed right now without any problem.

“The discomfort has continued even after the first 3 days?”

“Yes, somehow… I just feel stuffy. It seems like I’m depressed? I’m not particularly sad, which is strange, right? Is this also because of hormones?”

Originally, words like ‘stuffy’ and ‘depressed’ had aspects of expressing complex emotions that were difficult to explain.

Unlike intuitive emotions such as ‘happy,’ ‘angry,’ and ‘sad.’

“You could see it that way. Rather than being angry or anxious, you’re sinking down? Depressed?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take that into consideration when prescribing.”

I would also need medicinal herbs that could relieve depression and calm the mind.

I carefully recorded all the miscellaneous symptoms.

“It’s so nice that you listen to everything like this. Looking into each thing, I wasn’t just tired – there were so many problems with my body.”

“Please tell me all your symptoms besides what I’ve asked so far. The diagnosis is mostly complete, but I’ll consider everything I can for the prescription.”

“I think that’s everything…”

“Constipation, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness or headaches, dry mouth, heart palpitations.”

As I listed symptoms that could appear in states of qi deficiency and blood deficiency.

“Oh, I have a little constipation. Come to think of it, I also get cold sweats. Dizziness… ah, when I try to sing and pull something up, I get dizzy.”

Symptoms kept coming out.

There were many trivial stories, like her feet occasionally itching, or feeling like she was standing in a concert hall when lying down to sleep.

Perhaps because it was an early miscarriage, she had almost no joint pain.

“You can view it as part of postpartum wind syndrome, and I’ve decided on the prescription. As I mentioned earlier, it’s medicine that greatly replenishes the lost qi and blood while improving blood circulation.”

Ahem.

It was a bit difficult to explain in English what medicinal ingredients do what and such details.

“It’s a prescription called ‘Gungguijohyeoleum’ with additions and subtractions – you can look it up if you’d like. For detailed parts, due to language issues… I’ll include English instructions for taking it.”

“Oh, of course! I trust you’ll do well.”

So I simplified it, but Sasha didn’t mind at all and clapped her hands.

“Will you get acupuncture too before leaving?”

Her eyes were full of expectation.

While it wasn’t absolutely necessary, improving qi and blood circulation wouldn’t hurt.

“Let’s do that.”

After confirming a few more things like medical history and medications, I pointed to the treatment room.

Unlike the mysterious demeanor she had when entering, Sasha stood up with a very satisfied expression.

But for some reason, instead of moving right away, she looked at me and smiled mischievously.

“The treatment room is over there?”

I pointed to the door once more, but there was a playful glint in Sasha’s eyes.

What…?

“Aren’t you curious who the baby’s father is?”

Before I could open my mouth, the joke popped out.

Of course, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious at all.

But wouldn’t it be rude to ask such things? I deliberately conducted the examination in a businesslike manner, asking only about physical symptoms to avoid being rude.

‘And I probably wouldn’t know anyway.’

Separate from the existence of curiosity.

Even if it were a fairly famous American political or business figure, celebrity, or sports star, there was a high chance I wouldn’t know them.

“Not particularly?”

So I shrugged my shoulders.

Did I gain her trust instead?

“Only you will know, Clinic Director.”

Sasha deliberately came close to me and whispered in my ear.

“…is what it is.”

“!!!!!!”

Crack.

I hastily covered my mouth.

…R-really?

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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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