Everyone was dumbfounded hearing Qin Jiang say this.
The netizens in the livestream looked especially confused.
“Is there really such a thing as ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’ in this world? That doesn’t sound scientific at all!”
“It actually does exist. Modern medicine has already proven that human emotions and thoughts are only controlled by the brain and have no direct connection to the heart.”
“But studies show that the influence of psychological factors on ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’ is objectively real.”
“In plain English: Western medicine can’t prove that human emotions and thoughts affect the heart, but the objective fact is that they really do have an effect.”
Netizens were immediately full of sighs and wonder.
“Either way, you’ve got to admit Traditional Chinese Medicine is pretty awesome. This so-called Broken Heart Syndrome is easy to explain using TCM theory, even if it sounds a bit far-fetched.”
“I think we can’t make sweeping generalizations. Western medicine has its strengths, and TCM has its strengths. It’s like how we all know the human body has acupuncture points and meridians—Western medicine can’t prove those either.”
Qin Jiang didn’t know about these debates among the netizens.
All he knew was to prescribe the right treatment based on Li Yuan’s condition.
Li Yuan also hadn’t expected to come see a doctor, only for Qin Jiang not to prescribe her any medicine at all, but instead hit her with a big dose of inspirational chicken soup for the soul first.
The most incredible part was that after drinking down that chicken soup for the soul, her heart really didn’t hurt anymore!
That was just too bizarre!
Li Yuan asked, “Doctor, will this illness of mine come back again in the future?”
“I’m really terrified of the pain. Just now when my chest hurt, I felt like I could barely breathe.”
“I never want to experience that heartbroken feeling again.”
Qin Jiang explained very calmly, “Most people aren’t actually that fragile, getting heartache and heartbreak over just anything.”
“The reason you’re like this is because you were obsessing too much before, thinking about things too extremely.”
“There’s a saying in Taoism: ‘Deep feelings do not lead to long life.’ That’s the principle here.”
“Like I said before—whether it’s following celebrities, having a pet, or watching movies and TV dramas—don’t pour too much emotion into them. Learn to control your emotions and let them out slowly.”
“Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—no matter which of these four emotions it is, if you can’t control it well, it will greatly damage your body.”
Li Yuan nodded repeatedly at Qin Jiang’s words, indicating she understood.
Netizens also felt that Qin Jiang spoke very sensibly.
“I didn’t expect Dr. Qin to know something about Taoism.”
“Buddy, the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory in TCM actually originated from Taoism.”
“As they say, Taoism and medicine are inseparable. In the past, those wandering Taoist priests, many of them were also wandering doctors. That’s where the saying ‘ten Taoists, nine doctors’ comes from.”
“Since Dr. Qin’s medical skills are so advanced, he wouldn’t happen to know magic, would he?”
As the netizens chatted, the topic drifted off track.
Qin Jiang looked at Li Yuan and asked, “Do you feel any other discomfort anywhere else?”
After hesitating for a moment, Li Yuan still nodded.
“Doctor, I… I’ve actually had a problem since I was little, but I’ve never been able to get it cured.”
“Every time I eat, I’m in a lot of pain. Whenever I swallow something, it hurts a lot.”
As soon as Li Yuan said this, Qin Jiang immediately became very attentive.
“It hurts a lot whenever you swallow? Then are you afraid of water?”
Qin Jiang’s first thought was rabies.
Because when rabies attack, the most obvious symptom is that the patient develops hydrophobia (fear of water).
Not to mention actually drinking water—just hearing the word “water” makes the patient’s throat feel tight, as if an invisible hand were strangling their neck.
Li Yuan shook her head.
“I’m not afraid of water. It’s just that every time I swallow something, it hurts a lot.”
“I’ve been to many hospitals before, but none of them knew what my problem actually was, nor did they know how to solve it.”
As she spoke, Li Yuan prepared to demonstrate right then and there for Qin Jiang.
She took out a piece of bread, tore off a small piece, and put it in her mouth to chew.
Up to this point, everything seemed normal. But when Li Yuan tried to swallow what was in her mouth, Qin Jiang could clearly see a twisting deformation occur at her throat.
It felt like a huge worm inside had suddenly curled and twisted up.
Li Yuan’s expression became very pained. Her whole face turned bright red, and tears even came out from the pain!
The netizens in the livestream saw this and all found it unbelievable.
“Just now when she swallowed, her throat really did scrunch up, right?”
“Oh my god, this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this. It’s so extreme—it’s like when she swallows, her throat twists like a soda can being bent, and then it goes back to normal after she finishes.”
“Just seeing the look on her face makes me feel the pain. This poor woman has it so rough.”
Qin Jiang couldn’t help but ask, “Since swallowing is so difficult for you, how do you usually eat? Do you just force it down?”
Li Yuan smiled bitterly and nodded.
“I try to eat only liquid foods as much as possible. If I eat solid foods like rice, I feel especially terrible.”
“If it’s something like sticky rice, that’s even worse—I even feel like I might suffocate.”
“I’ve also wanted to cure this illness, but I’ve really been to so many hospitals, and they never understood why I’m like this.”
It was clear that Li Yuan was in a lot of pain.
“When did this illness of yours start? Have you had it since birth?”
If it was since birth, Qin Jiang would have to consider the possibility of a congenital genetic defect.
Who knew that Li Yuan would shake her head and say, “Not really. It started when I was about ten years old.”
“I don’t remember exactly when, because at first it only hurt a little bit when I swallowed, but over time it got more and more painful.”
“I even sometimes think this is a bit like the legendary punishment for gluttons. I had nightmares about it for a long time.”
The “glutton” Li Yuan mentioned was actually a scene from hell illustrations.
It says that if someone is greedy and commits too many killings, after they go to hell, an iron collar will be put around their neck.
Because of their greed, their stomach stays hungry all the time.
But because of the iron collar around their neck, every time they want to eat something, they can’t swallow it—they can only chew it in their mouth.
This situation does seem a bit like Li Yuan’s.
She really wants to eat lots of delicious things, but because of this illness, at most she can only satisfy her mouth’s craving, taste the flavor, without daring to swallow the food.
If this illness couldn’t be cured, Qin Jiang thought that in the later stages, she might even go to the opposite extreme and develop anorexia.
Thinking of this, Qin Jiang said to her, “Open your mouth. Let me give you an examination.”
