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The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: The ultimate principle of treatment lies in "one," and this "one" is the acquisition of the cause. Close the doors and windows, focus on the patient, repeatedly inquire about their condition, and follow their intent to understand their true state. Those who possess Shen spirit (vital spirit/consciousness) will prosper; those who lose it will perish. Once the cause is obtained, the name of the disease can be determined; once the name is determined, the method of treatment becomes known.

Diseases may present with pulse and symptoms that correspond or do not correspond. There are cases where a long-standing illness is compounded by a new pathogenic invasion, or where external contraction of Wind-Cold is accompanied by internal injury to the Five Emotions (Wu Zhi), causing the disease to invade and transmit organs out of its usual sequence. Therefore, one must carefully examine the cause of the disease, the suffering endured, observe the gain or loss of will and intention, the presence or absence of Shen spirit, dietary preferences, living conditions, and sexual exertion. These factors should be integrated with pulse and symptom analysis for deductive reasoning. However, one must not be confused by the words of the patient's family and lose decisiveness.

I once treated a young man who had suffered from Shanghan (Cold Damage) for three or four days, presenting with headache, fever, and chest pain that was intolerable to pressure. The family stated: "Three days ago, he fell ill after eating noodles." I said: "Incorrect. Noodles are grain food; why would one stop eating them? This is likely due to external contraction of Wind-Cold leading to internal stagnation of food, rather than the noodles causing the headache and fever. Therefore, in cases of food retention combined with cold contraction, only exterior-releasing methods should be used; one should not blame the food. If the interior Qi becomes loose, the external pathogen will sink inward."

Food stagnating internally typically causes pain upon palpation in the epigastrium below the chest. Now, since the pain is above the chest and intolerable to pressure, this must be Jie Xiong (Chest Binding/Constraint) resulting from erroneous purgation. The family reported: "Yesterday, another physician was consulted. Upon being told the cause was eating noodles, he prescribed digestive-resolving medicines, which resulted in severe chest pain." Upon examination, I found that the exterior syndromes were still present. I therefore used Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) with modifications. After one dose, he recovered.

Another case involved a neighbor's girl, aged thirteen or fourteen, who had just begun to develop smallpox. By the seventh or eighth day, the pustules had not yet matured into pus, and the physician had carelessly concluded the treatment. Her father said: "All household affairs are managed by this daughter; she works extremely hard daily." Hearing this, the physician added large doses of Huangqi (Astragali Radix) and Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma). After ingestion, the patient felt very uncomfortable. The next day, realizing the error of administering Huangqi and Baizhu, the physician switched to cooling, detoxifying agents and used Cornu Asii (Asiatic Unicorn Horn) and Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum (Turtle Shell and Plastron) to attack the toxin. However, the toxin could not be resolved, leading to an untreatable condition. These cases all stem from being misled by the family's words and failing to maintain independent judgment. I record these two instances as a warning for listening to others' accounts.