The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 266

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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 266

I continued to boost Jo Hwasun’s energy while performing acupuncture treatment.

Not only did I directly push yang energy through the needles, but I also encouraged her to strengthen her will.

After finishing the treatment, Jo Hwasun bowed deeply at the waist.

“Please take good care of me. Thank you so much.”

She even prepaid for a full three months’ worth of medicine.

It was a declaration that she completely trusted me and would follow the treatment plan.

I wrote the prescription with satisfaction and sent it to An Juhui.

Should I explain it to Lee Ahreum, or not?

I thought about just letting it pass, wondering if it might burden her unnecessarily.

“Clinic Director, what medicine did you decide to use?”

As soon as treatment hours ended, Lee Ahreum came to me and asked.

“I added astragalus, evodia, and atractylodes to the Eight-Ingredient formula.”

“Ah!”

“True Warrior Decoction is also good, but personally I find myself not using classical prescriptions much for yang deficiency.”

The True Warrior Decoction that Lee Ahreum said she would have used is a prescription named after one of the Four Divine Guardians, even in the Treatise on Cold Damage, which is like the foundation of traditional medicine.

Minor Blue Dragon Decoction and Major Blue Dragon Decoction are frequently used for respiratory diseases like colds, flu, and rhinitis, while White Tiger Decoction is prescribed when patients with excessive body heat need to be cooled down dramatically with gypsum.

And True Warrior Decoction is used opposite to White Tiger Decoction for strong cold symptoms – to warm up patients who are extremely sensitive to cold and have swelling due to water stagnation.

True Warrior was originally Black Warrior, but the name was changed to True Warrior during the Song Dynasty due to name taboos, and Vermillion Bird Decoction either had its records lost or doesn’t remain.

In any case, it’s clear that True Warrior Decoction is an excellent prescription.

However, as later formulas developed after the Treatise on Cold Damage, countless medicines for warming the body and reducing swelling emerged, so one doesn’t necessarily stick to classical prescriptions.

“Eight-Ingredient… That’s right. Cold hands and feet, abnormal urination, lower back and knee pain indicating weak lower body, swelling – it’s completely Eight-Ingredient! I was too trapped by the disease name and couldn’t break free from the manual!”

“The general direction and formula analysis are similar. True Warrior Decoction would have had decent effects too.”

The answer Lee Ahreum provided was really quite good.

If you want to pay attention to details, it’s more like gradually adding medicinal ingredients.

“Actually, I was quite at a loss, but seeing your model answer makes it clear. Treating yang deficiency while also supplementing qi, and using evodia together rather than adding too much aconite would be better for cold hands and feet.”

“Yes. Aconite is obvious, and since evodia is also irritating, I don’t use this combination often, but it’s essential when hands and feet are ice-cold like patient Jo Hwasun’s.”

Cold hands and feet are commonly seen symptoms, but being this cold was quite rare.

This might be the first time since I treated Seol Yuhui.

“How did you place the acupuncture needles?”

“How did you do it, Clinic Director?”

Lee Ahreum swallowed nervously.

“Ah, just the head, neck and shoulders, and since I don’t know Sa-am acupuncture well, I used kidney tonification and liver tonification patterns…”

“That’s right. That’s how you should do it. I would do the same. You did well.”

Only then did Lee Ahreum let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, even the prescription I provided isn’t guaranteed to be perfect.

It’s not like the system gives me scores, right?

Whether it’s 80 points or 90 points, as long as it can help according to the patient’s body, recovery will eventually come.

Actually, even if I had given Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction, it would have improved to some degree, right? Maybe around 60 or 65 points.

“Since we studied it together this time, next time tell her to take the medicine with confidence. It’s like you prescribed it indirectly, so let’s watch the progress together to see if she improves.”

“Yes, thank you!

Still, I keep studying because I hope to be even a little more helpful.

* * *

Jo Hwasun consistently came for visits according to the treatment plan.

On days when she said her stomach felt a bit stuffy, I treated her digestive system and head.

On days when her back hurt from work, I treated both her back and head together.

Actually, although she came with head tremors as the chief complaint, she had problems from head to toe.

“How is your back pain?”

“Much better. Every time I sat down and got up, it felt like I was carrying the whole world, but now it’s much smoother.”

How was her back, how was her stomach, were her hands and feet still severely cold?

While checking minor symptoms each visit, I deliberately avoided the topic of head tremors.

There was no need to stress more about a problem that would take a long time anyway.

“Yesterday was my day off so I went to the senior center, and they said my head trembling has decreased too. I think it’s getting better little by little.”

But Jo Hwasun was the first to mention the improvement.

“When you came into the treatment room earlier, it looked that way to me too. You’re recovering well, so let’s keep working hard.”

“I had given up on living, but I’m glad I came. Thank you… Next time I’ll bring my husband too. He’s also complaining about back pain like me.”

“Please do that. I’ll treat both mother and father well.”

Even the chief complaint showed changes noticeable to others.

Other symptoms had improved much more.

“Your pulse has improved a lot too. It was very sunken and slow, but some strength has returned.”

“I feel more energetic too.”

Not only her pulse, but her cold hands had also improved somewhat.

She said the subjective dry mouth had also decreased.

“By the way, can I come even when you’re not here, Clinic Director? These days my schedule is a bit irregular since I’m also watching my grandchild.”

“Of course! This Clinic Director will take good care of you.”

I had been wanting to let Lee Ahreum feel her pulse anyway, so this worked out well.

I recommended that she come for acupuncture whenever time allowed.

Since she was taking tonic medicine while being treated, there probably wouldn’t be any lack of stamina.

‘Still need some time, but the trend is going smoothly.’

Since I’m the attending physician, I’ll handle the medication consultations, but Lee Ahreum and I will take turns administering acupuncture.

She even added Jo Hwasun to her patient record and organization notebook, documenting the progress.

“Director, thank you for your hard work!”

“Hmm… Ah, oh, yes! Have a safe trip home!”

But around that time, something seemed off about Lee Ahreum.

A strangely different feeling from usual?

We don’t cross paths much since we often treat patients on different floors, but every time we encountered each other, she would stare intently at me.

She seemed worried or depressed about something.

‘Should I ask? Or not? Did a patient say something unpleasant?’

Since I’d already meddled quite a bit, I hesitated to ask readily.

If I put myself in her shoes, how burdensome would a CEO who interferes in everything be!

If it were concerns about studying or treatment, Lee Ahreum would ask first, right? She’s not the type to be afraid of asking questions.

Perhaps there might be personal matters unrelated to the clinic, so I decided to wait for her.

“Yewon, how about the three of us have a company dinner with Director Lee? She seems to have some concerns.”

But unexpectedly.

Hwang Sanghun brought it up to me first.

* * *

I had been thinking that just souvenirs and incentives weren’t enough anyway.

While I’m always grateful to the nursing assistant staff who work hard, these two people filled in for me while I was away in Saudi Arabia, even coming in on holidays to work.

“Let’s take this opportunity to go eat something delicious. An expensive restaurant!”

I was too busy to make time for a while after returning, but now it’s fine.

I was going to make a reservation at the fine dining place I went to with Park Seon-yun before.

“No, Director! You don’t need to do that! I prefer Chinese restaurants!”

“Making reservations takes time too, let’s go there next time.”

But unfortunately, both of them firmly declined.

Hwang Sanghun ate well when his older brother treated him, so why refuse now?

Anyway, since the people who requested the company dinner insisted on a Chinese restaurant, the location was decided as Yongho Restaurant.

I’ll have to make a proper reservation for fine dining next time and take all the staff.

“So… Director Lee, is something wrong?”

I set a serious atmosphere with the fish-flavored shredded pork in front of me.

I felt like a martial arts master pondering the future of a junior disciple together.

“It’s not really a problem, um… Actually, I’m worried that I’m not good at gaining patients’ trust.”

“What? Is it because of patient Jo Hwasun?”

Lee Ahreum downed her bamboo leaf liquor in one gulp.

Hey, that’s not good if you do that?

“It’s not exactly that. Ah… How should I put it.”

“Eat some side dishes and talk slowly.”

“Yes. As you know, I’ve always greatly respected you, Director, and wanted to emulate you.”

I know, I know. This doesn’t seem like something that needs to be discussed so difficultly.

“So at first, I tried to follow your treatment style, Director, but it didn’t work well. But when you said my way was good too… I thought I had found my own style, but lately I feel very limited.”

Hwang Sanghun nodded along while listening to the story.

Perhaps there’s something the vice directors understand between themselves. It seemed he had heard her concerns before I did.

Our treatment styles are indeed different.

Lee Ahreum is the type who approaches very warmly, empathizes well, and gives good reactions.

“I think your style is good, Director. I think you’re doing very well. There are many patients who like Director Lee, aren’t there?”

Apart from style, the treatment effects are also good.

No particular complaints, and sales are doing well.

Though not as many as patients who only seek me, there were many patients who liked Lee Ahreum the most.

“Um… How should I put it, it’s a bit different. There are patients who like Director Lee and me too, but once they receive treatment from you on our days off, they become completely captivated. The charisma is completely different.”

“It’s natural for patients to prefer the head director. Even if you two open your own practices and have vice directors, you’ll experience similar things.”

“No. Even if I open my own practice, I won’t be able to do it like you, Director.”

Unlike Hwang Sanghun who flinches whenever opening a practice is mentioned, Lee Ahreum didn’t seem to have completely dismissed the idea.

I think both of them are doing very well as vice directors, and even if they open their own practices when they want to, they’ll do well enough.

Isn’t it just a strong desire for improvement to do better?

“I think Director Lee Ahreum has a talent for winning patients’ favor.”

Hwang Sanghun looked at me and summarized.

“Ah, right. I agree too. You too, oppa.”

“And you, Director Hanyewon… have a talent for winning patients’ trust.”

I agreed hastily, but as they say, you have to listen to Korean until the end.

It seemed he wanted to say more.

Lee Ahreum also nodded vigorously.

“That’s right, that’s what I wanted to say! At first, I thought if I worked hard, I could at least follow in your footsteps… but I feel the wall of talent!”

Hmm.

Charisma comes from confidence, and confidence ultimately needs to have a basis.

That basis is experience and skill.

By treating patients who can be healed and meeting patients who cannot be treated, gaining experience naturally, it seems like something that would be resolved on its own.

“Talent…”

I hadn’t really thought of it as talent.

But hearing it put that way, it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

‘Come to think of it, Master also had abundant experience and skill, but…’

He had a talent for instilling fear in patients rather than trust.

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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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