Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence
Chapter 354: Trending Again
The once-noisy clinic fell silent.
Many people were focused on the sick child who had just drunk the Yellow Earth Soup.
Some hoped the Yellow Earth Soup would work.
Others hoped it would fail.
Suddenly, the child, who had been convulsing violently, began to tremble less and less, the frequency of the spasms slowing.
The color also seemed to be returning to his lips, which were no longer so bluish-purple.
The change was visible to the naked eye.
Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence.
But no one said a word.
’What if this is just a normal fluctuation in his condition?’
But then, 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
a few minutes later, a miracle occurred.
The child, who had been convulsing nonstop, actually stopped completely.
His breathing stabilized, and color began to return to his face.
Though still weak, he was clearly much better than before.
The vacant look in his eyes slowly started to focus.
Everyone was shocked.
"My God, he’s really not convulsing anymore."
"Am I seeing things? The yellow earth actually worked?"
"This... this is incredible! The theory of treating illness with the Five Elements... it’s actually real? Not just a superstition?!"
Gasps of amazement erupted from the crowd.
The reporters, who had originally come for the spectacle, were now completely stunned.
The flashes from their cameras flickered nonstop, the sound of shutters like a torrential downpour.
Many people had only ever read in books or heard on television about the Five Elements theory of healing.
This was the first time they had seen it with their own eyes.
If this got out, it would definitely be a trending topic.
The woman stared blankly at her son, who had completely stopped convulsing,
for a moment unable to believe it was real.
It wasn’t until her son called out, "Mama," that she cried out with joy, "My son, my son, you’re better! You’re better..."
Li Xu watched this scene calmly, not at all surprised.
The reporters snapped out of it and swarmed forward, surrounding Li Xu.
"Dr. Li, how did you diagnose the child’s illness as being rooted in the kidneys and come up with the idea of using yellow earth for treatment?"
"Dr. Li, what are your thoughts on this treatment? Do you believe this proves the scientific validity of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Five Elements theory?"
"Dr. Li, could you explain the principle behind this ’yellow earth treatment’ in detail?"
The questions came one after another.
The reporters’ faces were flushed with excitement.
They wrote and snapped photos nonstop, trying to gather as much material as possible.
Lin Xiaoyu was so excited her face was bright red.
’This is fantastic material.’
With this material,
she could definitely complete the assignment her editor-in-chief had given her.
And it would take *Urban Life* magazine’s readership to the next level.
In her view, "curing with yellow earth" would, in a way, be even more sensational than the paper in *The Lancet*.
Because for the longest time,
many people had insisted on viewing things through a scientific lens.
Their biggest argument against TCM was that it wasn’t scientific.
Now,
Li Xu had used an ’unscientific’ method to cure a sick child. What could they possibly say to that?
...
Faced with the reporters’ barrage of questions, Li Xu didn’t shy away.
This was a good opportunity to educate the public about TCM knowledge, especially traditional theories.
He cleared his throat and spoke unhurriedly, "Friends from the press, the child’s condition just now, from a TCM perspective, is a classic case of kidney-yang deficiency, leading to an overflow of water evil. The kidneys belong to the element of water, which is cold in nature. An overflow of this water nature leads to incessant convulsions and a cold body."
He gestured toward the child and continued to explain, "TCM emphasizes the mutual generation and restriction of the Five Elements.
"Within the Five Elements, earth restricts water.
"Therefore, I chose to use yellow earth for the treatment.
"Specifically, yellow earth from beneath a stove. Having been baked by smoke and fire for a long time, its earth nature is more arid and potent. This allows it to better warm and supplement the kidney-yang and restrain the water evil, preventing it from overflowing.
"This isn’t superstition, but rather the ancient and profound theoretical system of our Traditional Chinese Medicine."
Li Xu elaborated further, "Of course, I am not the first to do this.
"In fact, during the Song Dynasty, there was a famous pediatrician named Qian Yi.
"In his work, *Key to Therapeutics of Children’s Diseases*, he recorded a similar case.
"Once, when the medical sage Qian Yi was treating a Song Dynasty prince for a weak spleen and stomach and incessant watery diarrhea, he also boldly used yellow earth.
"He believed that the spleen and stomach belong to the element of earth, and earth can control water. By strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach, he could stop the diarrhea.
"The principle is remarkably similar to my use of yellow earth to control the water evil today. Both are classic applications that follow TCM’s Five Elements theory. When you think about it, I was only able to make today’s diagnosis by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Li Xu’s well-reasoned explanation, which clarified the principle behind the yellow earth treatment and cited a famous historical case from TCM, made the previously skeptical reporters look pensive.
They recorded Li Xu’s explanation, knowing it would be the centerpiece of their reports.
After the interview, the reporters left, satisfied with the material they had gathered.
The clinic finally grew quiet, leaving only Li Xu, Song Sisi, and a few patients who were still waiting.
That night, various major media outlets began publishing reports about the "yellow earth treatment."
"Miraculous TCM Skill Reappears! Dr. Li Xu Cures Stubborn Childhood Illness with Yellow Earth, Traditional Five Elements Theory Sparks Heated Debate!"
"Shocking! Dr. Li Xu Ingeniously Uses Stove-Side Earth to Cure Critically Ill Child with Convulsions!"
"*The Lancet* Paper’s Author Creates Another Miracle: Is Curing with Yellow Earth Superstition or Science?"
One eye-catching report after another flooded the internet like a tidal wave.
Because the buzz from Li Xu’s paper in *The Lancet* had not yet completely faded, and with the addition of a highly controversial topic like "curing with yellow earth," the news quickly caused a public uproar.
By the next morning, hashtags like #LiXuCuresWithYellowEarth, #TCMFiveElements, and #ScienceVsTradition had shot to the top of the trending lists on all major social media platforms.
In an instant, a huge storm erupted across the internet.
"HOLY SHIT, yellow earth can cure people? This Li Xu is a god!"
"I always thought TCM was a bunch of hocus-pocus, but seeing Dr. Li cure that convulsing child, I’m starting to believe."
"What kind of metaphysical trick is this? The Five Elements restricting each other, earth restricting water? Is TCM about to defy the heavens?"
"This is a total slap in the face to everyone who says TCM isn’t scientific. He used the most ’unscientific’ method to cure an illness that modern medicine was helpless against."
"So awesome. Dr. Li is basically the hope of TCM."
Praise, skepticism, and discussion filled the air.
But this time, the voices supporting and acknowledging TCM clearly had the upper hand.
A real-life case of being cured by yellow earth was more persuasive than any empty theory.
Miaoli, Hu Qiming, and the others also saw the flood of reports.
They were also discussing it in their alumni group chat.
[Miaoli: Oh my god, Li Xu is trending again! Curing someone with yellow earth this time, it’s insane!]
[Hu Qiming: I saw. That’s Li Xu for you.]
[Lu Junwei: Honestly, as TCM students, we all know the principle of healing through the generation and restriction of the Five Elements. But to actually use it in practice, especially for such a critical condition... none of us would ever dare. It requires an extremely profound understanding of TCM theory and incredible boldness.]
[Jiang Peng: Yeah, back when our *Inner Jing* professor was teaching the Five Elements, a lot of students thought it was just metaphysics. But now Li Xu has proven with his own actions that it’s not metaphysics, it’s real medicine.]
[Miaoli: Exactly. My department head said the same thing. This kind of deep understanding and application of Five Elements theory is something only a true master of TCM can achieve. Li Xu is amazing.]