🌿 Folk Prescriptions

What is the greatest insight of a gastroenterologist? Dr. Zhai Xinghong, Deputy Director of the Digestive Center at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, smiled and said: “We’re all familiar with the slogan ‘Healthy teeth mean good appetite, eat anything with pleasure.’ As a gastroenterologist, I sincerely believe that eating anything with pleasure is indeed a great happiness in life.”
Dr. Zhai explains that digestive system diseases are often related to diet and emotions. While diet is easier to regulate, emotions are harder to control. Modern people, due to work stress, intense competition, divorce, job loss, etc., often feel depressed and sometimes “too angry to eat.” TCM holds that “anger injures the liver, worry injures the spleen, sorrow injures the lungs.” Though we can fake smiles when angry, the gastrointestinal tract won’t lie—it will feel nauseous, hurt, and show us its reaction. It’s like the second face of the human body. Thus, in her clinical practice, Dr. Zhai emphasizes psychological counseling alongside medication. Whenever possible, she listens carefully to patients’ stories to identify the root causes and treats both body and mind.
One male patient reported abdominal pain and bloating shortly after retirement, worsening the more he thought about it. He underwent endoscopy and colonoscopy—all clear. Liver function tests were normal. Though Western medicine found no physical cause, the patient still felt miserable. Dr. Zhai asked if there was anything troubling him. The patient denied it. Based on experience, she prescribed a decoction to soothe the liver and strengthen the spleen, along with dietary advice. But the patient’s condition kept fluctuating. When Dr. Zhai asked again about any distress, the man finally admitted: Before retirement, he was the chief engineer at his workplace, surrounded by people who followed his every word and enjoyed excellent benefits. After retirement, suddenly no one paid attention, benefits dropped, and he felt profoundly lonely.
Thus, Dr. Zhai often carries this story with her: A ragged farmer claimed to be very happy. When asked why, he said: “I’ve always been poor. Once, my shoes wore out completely—I felt deeply sad. Then I saw a disabled person without feet struggling forward with crutches. Looking down at my own healthy feet, I regained joy.” Happiness doesn’t depend solely on wealth but on one’s attitude toward life. Dr. Zhai told the patient earnestly: “Retirement is natural, and feeling lost is understandable. But compared to laid-off people without livelihood or those unable to afford medical care, aren’t you already fortunate?” After this psychological guidance and increased dosage of liver-soothing, qi-regulating herbs, the retired chief engineer’s condition stabilized quickly. Deeply moved, the patient told the reporter: “Dr. Zhai treats our gastric problems with heart medicine!”