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Dr. Xue Lizhai treated a male patient who suffered from a fistula in the arm, accompanied by dry mouth and fever. The pus was thick rather than clear and thin, and the pulse was slow. He applied moxibustion using a steamed soybean cake (Douchi Bing) and administered Bazhen Tang (Eight-Treasure Decoction) supplemented with Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix), Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus), Ruan Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), and Digupi (Paeuliae Cortex). After more than three months, the patient recovered. Later, due to improper sexual activity, the condition relapsed and ulcerated again. With clear pus and a large pulse, Dr. Xue declined further treatment, and the patient indeed died. Liu Hejian stated: When deficiency results from disease, it is considered a mild case because the pathogenic factor is still shallow and the Yuan Qi (Original Qi) has not yet been depleted. However, when labor, dietary irregularities, fatigue, excessive sexual activity, or emotional disturbances occur shortly after recovery, leading to exhaustion of Yang and weakness of Yin, resulting in severe emaciation, this constitutes a severe case of damage caused by deficiency. This occurs because the disease process has passed and the Yuan Qi has already been exhausted.

Another male patient, over twenty years old and constitutionally weak, developed a toxic sore on the lateral aspect of his left leg. It took three months to ulcerate, producing clear and thin pus with no new muscle growth. He was treated with Shiquan Dabu Tang (Ten-Ingredient Decoction for Great Tonification) added with Niuxi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix). After more than twenty doses, he gradually improved. Moxibustion with a steamed soybean cake was then applied, and he fully recovered within a month. Another elderly woman had tubercles (subcutaneous nodules) in her left arm that ulcerated only after more than a year, with clear pus and failure to heal. A male patient suffering from a deep-seated carbuncle (Tie Gu Yong) had a thin, short, and weak leg with an unhealed wound. All were treated internally with Shiquan Dabu Tang and externally with moxibustion using an apoplexy cake (Fuzi Bing) and tonifying plasters. With proper care and over a hundred doses, they recovered. Generally, for conditions of insufficiency, major tonification is appropriate, combined with moxibustion to replenish Yang Qi and dispel cold pathogens, which is the superior approach.

Dong Ci from Beijing, over forty years old, developed a chest abscess that formed a fistula, discharging about a bowl of pus daily, yet his appetite remained normal. He was treated with Shiquan Dabu Tang added with Beimu (Fritillariae Bulbus), Yuanzhi (Polygalae Radix), Bailian (Iris Tectorii Rhizoma), and Xuduan (Dipsaci Radix), along with moxibustion using an apoplexy cake. The pus discharge gradually decreased, and with careful nursing, he recovered after more than a year.

Another male patient with a fistula suddenly experienced aversion to cold during a period of yin-cold weather. His right hand pulse was faint, appearing almost absent. This indicated deficiency of Stomach Qi unable to withstand wind-cold. He was prescribed Sijunzi Tang (Four-Gentlemen Decoction) added with Pao Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Preparatum) and Rougui (Cinnamomi Cortex). Symptoms subsided slightly after two doses and stabilized after four more doses.

Yao Yingfeng treated Scholar Zheng, who suffered from flowing deposits (Liu Zhu, deep-seated abscesses) that had ulcerated and were near death. Yao said, "Qi is leaking from below, making it difficult to achieve success." He prepared the medicine as a porridge, wrapped the patient's body with decaying paper mulberry leaves (Bai Chu), leaving an opening at the Jianjing (SI 14) acupoint, and applied suction (cupping). The patient recovered.

Formula for Shedding the Fistula Tube: Human fingernails are roasted until yellow; tusk ivory chips and pangolin scales are roasted until yellow and ground into fine powder; frankincense (Ruxiang) and myrrh (Moyao) are roasted; cinnabar (Zhusha) is processed by water levigation; old sheep horn lamp bases (must be ten years old or older) are crushed and stir-fried with bran. These are all ground into extremely fine powder. Each ingredient is used in three qian (approx. 9g). They are mixed uniformly and re-ground. Yellow beeswax is used to bind them into pills the size of Sichuan pepper seeds. Initially, take five pills, increasing by one pill daily. After ten days, decrease by one pill daily until returning to five pills. Then increase by one pill daily again, cycling continuously. Take each time on an empty stomach with aged wine. The fistula tube will gradually shed and fall out, continuing until completely expelled.