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Wang Yuyuan contracted an exogenous pathogen in his earlier years. Due to improper treatment, the fluids of his entire body were scorched and consumed by the pathogenic heat. Ultimately, for over ten years, the residual heat was not completely eliminated, and the orifice of his right ear remained frequently blocked. This summer, he contracted another exogenous pathogen, with the illness lingering for more than fifty days. His face and feet became edematous, and he suffered from restless sleep. He felt gas rushing outward from his ears. This occurred because the new heat combined with the old heat, acting in collusion to cause harm, making it difficult to eliminate from the body. The physician failed to observe the entangled and knotted nature of the pathology, and his treatment was vague and missed the mark. It was not until late autumn, when metal (lung) energy was cold and water (kidney) energy was frigid, that the disease receded on its own. However, superficial conditions can recede, while deep-seated ones cannot disappear abruptly. The edema of the face and feet resulted from lung metal qi being congested by heat, losing its clear, descending, and purifying function. The restless sleep was due to the dryness and depletion of stomach fluids, which could no longer internally nourish the hun and po spirits. The sensation of great qi striking out from the ears occurred because the long-blocked orifice did not normally perceive the flow of qi; now, with the body weak and emaciated and no internal obstruction, the rebellious qi surged upward, making the sensation perceptible. Although the external symptoms had healed, internal regulation through diet and medicine still accounted for half of the importance. I hereby highlight the main points of these two aspects to clarify post-illness care methods for all those who have contracted exogenous pathogens. Generally, after contracting a pathogen, the primordial qi within the body is already deficient, and the pathogenic heat has not yet been cleared. At this stage, if one tonifies deficiency, the heat cannot be removed; if one clears heat, the deficient constitution cannot tolerate it. Even if one tonifies deficiency and clears heat simultaneously, it remains vague and fails to grasp the essential principle. However, apart from tonifying deficiency and clearing heat, there is no other method. One must distinguish carefully. There are two methods for tonifying deficiency: one is tonifying the spleen, and the other is tonifying the stomach. For instance, after malaria or dysentery, if spleen qi is weak and digestion fails, it is appropriate to tonify the spleen. After typhoid fever, if stomach fluids have been depleted for a long time and new fluids have not yet generated, it is appropriate to tonify the stomach. These two approaches differ vastly. There are also two methods for clearing heat: heat at the onset of illness is excess heat, suitable for clearance with bitter-cold herbs; heat after a severe illness is deficiency heat, suitable for clearance with sweet-cold herbs. These two also differ vastly. The innate qi of the human body resides entirely in the stomach's appetite. Insufficient fluids constitute deficiency; generating fluids constitutes tonifying deficiency. Therefore, using fluid-generating herbs combined with sweet-cold heat-clearing herbs treats deficiency heat post-infection. Examples include Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), Rehmanniae Radix Recens (Shengdi), Moutan Cortex (Mudanpi), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen), Pyri Fructus Juice (Lizhi), and Bambusae Medulla (Zhuli). Zhang Zhongjing often used Tiansan San (Tiansan Powder, i.e., Liuyi San) to clear deficiency heat, precisely utilizing the meaning of Shihui (Talcum) and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao)—one sweet and one cold. If one mistakenly uses tonifying-spleen herbs like Renshen, Poria (Fuling), and Atractylodis Rhizoma (Baizhu) as tonification, would it not be tonifying both the deficiency and the pathogenic heat? Regarding dietary tonification, one should only utilize their qi, not their flavor. Nourish with the qi of the five grains and fill with the qi of the five vegetables. During each meal, one may feel a gentle sweat permeating, gradually transporting the accumulated pathogenic heat out through the pores. How refreshing! People do not understand this principle; they rush to use rich and sweet foods for tonification. Although initially appearing vigorous and healthy, they fail to consider that greasy substances obstruct the meridians, preventing pathogenic heat from exiting. Over time, as the body becomes fully nourished and solidified, there will be even less opportunity for expulsion. Foregoing sages, aware of this, preferred bland diets and vegetables, allowing the body to remain temporarily deficient so that pathogens could easily exit; this is precious. In previous prescriptions, edema was attributed to the spleen, treated with Fuling and Baizhu; insomnia was attributed to the heart, treated with Suanzaoren and Fushen. This was generally because the principles of tonifying deficiency and clearing heat were unclear, hence the detailed explanation. Mr. Hu Youchen stated that the two methods of diet and medicine for post-typhoid care are sufficient to open the ears of the deaf.