I have no idea how yesterday’s post (well, technically tomorrow’s) was received, but I can already feel it in my bones: the era of a true nationwide fight against the epidemic has arrived.

Over the past few days, every place in Beijing where people gather and queue up is no longer a nucleic acid testing site — they’ve all turned into restaurants and pharmacies. From morning till night, people line up outside pharmacies, buying nothing more than rapid antigen test kits, fever reducers, and cold medicines. This is a spectacle unseen in a thousand years. If only I’d known, I would have bought a pharmacy and stocked up during the hardest part of the first half of the year.

In early 2020, when the epidemic first became known to the public, masks sold out almost overnight. It took China a very long time before people could enjoy “mask freedom.” At that time, the prevailing attitude was that the virus had to be strictly contained at all costs, and the pressure of fighting the epidemic fell mainly on the government’s ability to allocate resources. The fearless dedication displayed by our healthcare workers deserves the highest praise. When we entered the zero-COVID era, grassroots workers and epidemic prevention volunteers became the backbone of the fight. Despite various incidents across the country, the hard work of frontline personnel was evident to all. As the virus’s transmissibility continued to increase, the traditional zero-COVID policy imposed too great an impact on normal life. Grassroots organizations were completely overloaded, and frontline prevention was on the verge of collapse. And so the post-epidemic era arrived: the government lifted the vast majority of temporary control measures, and the virus was now something people had to guard against on their own. Everyone became responsible for their own health.

Looking at the current situation, it seems only a matter of time before “negative-clearing” is achieved among the socially active population in first-tier cities, and so everyone is eagerly looking forward to staying negative. In recent days, more and more people around me have tested positive, including medical professionals. The general consensus is that this virus is nearly impossible to prevent. All the “preventive prescriptions” circulating online are derived purely from theory — none have been validated by practice, or rather, none have passed the test of practice. They offer more comfort than cure.

Over the past month, I have attended dozens of epidemic prevention meetings of all sizes. Many organizations wanted us to provide lists of preventive medicines, and I also participated in several seminars organized by government-affiliated academic societies on publishing preventive prescriptions. I’ve seen the epidemic prevention formulas published by colleagues in the field, and in truth, everyone’s understanding is basically the same: this disease can absolutely be treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine. But if you press them for proven experience in successful prevention, they usually have none to offer. I am strongly opposed to listing certain Chinese patent medicines as preventive drugs. Prevention should not require taking medication — and certainly not such cold-natured medicines.

According to the understanding of traditional medicine, the qi dynamics and climatic influences differ with each solar term and each region, so no single prescription can fully cover all of time and space. The most effective method for treating epidemics in ancient times was the “flood irrigation” approach — the entire population drinking herbal medicine. But those epidemics tended to be localized and short-lived, and the differences in individual constitution were not as pronounced as they are today. At this current stage, anyone who claims under any banner that taking a certain medicine will prevent you from catching COVID is, without exception, a fraud.

So what exactly should we do during this period of nationwide anti-epidemic fight?

First, you must wear a mask properly. This is the most effective way to prevent viral transmission. Don’t assume that because you have strong resistance, you’ll be fine. Although TCM holds that “when righteous qi abides within, pathogenic factors cannot invade,” there is a balance between righteous qi and pathogenic factors. When the pathogen’s transmissibility is extremely strong, righteous qi alone cannot withstand the invasion. Even if the symptoms turn out to be mild, using your own body as a battlefield is simply not worth it. Wearing a mask is a way of strengthening righteous qi — it serves as a physical barrier that greatly weakens the power of the pathogen.

Second, adopt the right mindset about the epidemic. Testing positive is nothing to be afraid of, and not every sore throat, fever, runny nose, or cough means you’re positive. We really should stop making such a big deal out of this disease. Right now, people everywhere are scrambling to get antigen test kits, and I honestly don’t understand the point of testing when you feel fine. The single most important priority in this nationwide fight is preventing transmission to the elderly — especially those who haven’t been vaccinated. That is the sole purpose of antigen and nucleic acid testing. As long as we hold fast to this core principle, the death toll won’t surge, and there won’t be a medical system collapse.

Third, don’t believe rumors, and especially don’t take medications indiscriminately. Whatever the medicine, don’t take it without proper guidance — always follow your doctor’s advice. Over these three years, I have never published any COVID prevention or treatment prescriptions on any occasion. Partly, this is because the TCM community has never been united — practitioners look down on one another, which generates unnecessary disputes. Partly, it’s because I have no real confidence in achieving a genuine preventive effect. When your body feels unwell, you can first try to ride it out. But if something feels off, you should contact a doctor at the first opportunity, describe your symptoms, and get properly treated. That’s the way to the best outcome.

Never take medications on a whim!

后疫情时代是真正的全民抗疫时期

昨天（其实是明天）发布的推文有何反响我并不知道，但我已经切实感觉到，全民抗疫的时期真正到来了。

这几天，北京所有聚集排队的地方已经不再是核酸检测点，全部变成了餐饮店和药店，可以说从早到晚都有人在药店门口排队，买的东西无非就是抗原检测试剂、退烧药和一些感冒药，这种现象千年难遇，早知道上半年最困难的时期我就盘个药店囤货了。

在2020年初，疫情刚刚被人们熟知，口罩迅速脱销，国内缓了相当长一段时间才实现了口罩自由，那时候人们对疫情的态度是必须严防死守，抗疫的压力主要集中在政府的资源调控能力上，我们的医务人员表现出的大无畏精神值得大书特书。进入清零时代后，基层工作人员和防控志愿者成为了抗疫的中流砥柱，纵然全国各地发生了这样那样的事，但是一线人员的辛苦是有目共睹的。随着病毒传播力不断增强，传统的清零政策对正常生活影响太大，基层组织完全处于超负荷状态，一线防控处于崩溃的边缘，于是后疫情时代到了，政府颁布的绝大多数临时防控政策取消，病毒需要人民自己去防控，每个人都是自己的健康负责人。

从现在的情况看，一线城市具有社会面活动的人群实现”阴性清零”应该是早晚的问题，于是大家对如何能不阳充满了期待。近几日来，周围中招的人越来越多，不乏专业人士，大家普遍认为这病防不胜防，网上盛传的所有”预防方”都是理论推导来的，没有经过实践的检验，或者没有通过实践检验，都是安慰大于疗效。

近一个月来，我参加了大大小小防控工作会议数十场，很多单位都想要我们提供预防药物清单，也参与了几场政府学会关于发布预防方药的研讨会，也看到了各位同道发布的防疫方剂，其实大家的认识基本是一致的，那就是这个病中医完全可以治。但是你要非让他拿出点成功预防的经验，往往是没有的。我很反对将一些中成药列为预防药物，预防不应该吃药，更不应该吃那么凉的药。

按照传统医学的认知，每个节气、每个地区，它的运气气化是不相同的，所以一个方子不能完全覆盖所有的时间与空间。古代治疗瘟疫最有效的方法当属大水漫灌，全民喝药，但那个疫情往往都是局部的，而且是短暂的，人与人在体质上的差距不像现在这么大。当前阶段但凡打着旗号说吃这个药能不得新冠的，统统是骗子。

那么在全民抗疫时期，我们究竟应该怎么做？

首先，一定要正确佩戴口罩，这是防止病毒传播最有效的方法。不要想着自己抵抗力强就不会有事，虽然中医认为正气存内邪不可干，但这个正邪是有一定平衡的，当邪气的传播力很强的时候，正气无法抵御邪气的入侵，纵然症状比较轻微，但拿自己的身体作为战场是很不划算的。佩戴口罩就是增强正气，这是人体的一道屏障，能够极大地削弱邪气的力量。

第二，要树立正确的抗疫观念，阳了不可怕，而且也不是所有咽痛发烧流鼻涕咳嗽都是阳，完全不应该再把这个病当回事了。现在社会上都在到处抢抗原，我不理解没事测它干什么，当前全民抗疫最最最重要的是防止传播给老年人，特别是没有接种疫苗的老年人群，这也是测抗原测核酸的目的所在。只要把握住这个核心理念，因疫情死亡的人数就不会飙升，也不可能出现医疗挤兑。

第三，不要轻信各种谣言信息，尤其是不要乱服药，不论什么药都不要乱吃，一定要遵医嘱。这三年来我从来没有在任何场合发布过新冠的预防诊治方药，一方面是因为中医界向来不团结，你看不上我我看不上你的，会产生很多不必要的争论，一方面是因为我没有确切的把握能够实现预防的效果。当身体感到不适，首先可以抗一抗，如果感觉不对应第一时间联系医生咨询病情，对症下药，这样才能得到最好的诊治。

切忌随意服用药物！