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In the spring of the Bingyin year, I traveled to Shanghai and stayed at the Tongyi Guesthouse. The accountant, He Shaoquan from Han (Yangzhou), had long suffered from "heart itching" (a condition characterized by intense, internal itching sensation). Upon hearing of my arrival, he happily sought treatment from me. He recounted that the illness began eight years prior. Initially, the itching was extremely distressing, and various treatments proved ineffective. Later, driven by the itch, running wildly for a long time would miraculously stop the itching. At first, it occurred once every two or three months, but gradually became more frequent, until now it occurred multiple times within a single day and night. Even in severe winter, he did not bother to wear clothes; when the itching flared up, he felt compelled to run fast. I reasoned that this was caused by stagnation of Heart Qi and overly viscous blood. Running dissipated the stagnant Qi and clarified the blood, which explained its efficacy. I needled Yunmen (LU-2) of the Lung Meridian, and Tianchi (PC-1) and Neiguan (PC-6) of the Pericardium Meridian, employing specifically the method of draining Qi and dispersing blood. After two sessions, the itching did not recur; this is indeed one of the rare diseases.

Lawyer Gan Jingxian had studied in Europe and America for many years, adopting Western habits in diet and daily life, so when ill, he invariably used Western medicine. One day, his wife suffered from lower back pain so severe that she could not turn over. Injections, electrotherapy, and other methods were all exhausted without effect. As I had always been friendly with Mr. Gan, he asked me if my golden needle therapy could cure this ailment. I replied that golden needle therapy treats all diseases, let alone simple lower back pain. Thus, I needled Shenshu (BL-23) using the tonification method, and she recovered after one session. Mr. Jingxian regarded this as a miraculous technique. The causes of lower back pain are numerous, encompassing deficiency, excess, cold, and heat patterns. One must accurately identify the etiology to ensure precise needle application. Mrs. Gan’s condition was lower back pain due to Kidney Deficiency. If mistaken for an Excess pattern and treated with forceful pathogen-draining methods, it would be dangerous. For instance, Mr. Yu Yifen of Sun Dongwu and others also suffered from this disease, and their ailments resolved with needling, yet the needle techniques varied. This is because each case was treated according to the individual's specific etiology, rather than applying a uniform approach.

The wife of Mr. Yao Shouren had disharmonious Liver Wood and a constitution that was generally weak. Ten years into her marriage, she had not conceived. Due to Liver-Spleen dysfunction affecting the Stomach, she developed Dysphagia (Ge Syndrome). For three years, she could not swallow even a grain of rice, surviving only on liquid diet. She felt a sensation of obstruction in the throat, and although her abdomen felt hungry, she could not swallow food. At night, she invariably experienced tidal fever, and her menstruation was irregular with excessive leukorrhea. Upon careful consideration, without soothing the Liver and harmonizing the Spleen, one cannot revive the vital energy; treating only the Stomach would be like throwing stones into water [futile]. Therefore, I first needled Qimen (LR-14), followed by Geshu (BL-17), Baihuanshu (BL-30), Zhongwan (CV-12), and Zhongji (CV-3). Her appetite increased significantly, her menstruation regulated, and leukorrhea ceased. This year, she gave birth to a son. This is the expected outcome based on pathology, not something unexpected.