The three epidemics I have experienced

• Post By: 汉青
• Date: 2020-01-30
• Category: Clinical Reflections

Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, which should be a lively day. The Chinese people are consciously staying at home to fight against the new coronavirus. This spirit deserves praise from the world.

In 2003, when I was in the first grade of junior high school, an infectious disease called SARS suddenly broke out. I vaguely remember that General Secretary Hu Jintao had just taken office at that time. News about the fight against SARS was broadcast on TV every day. Several packets of traditional Chinese medicine appeared at home. The mint flavor was very strong, but I never drank it. What impressed me the most was that I had to wear a thick, hot and troublesome double-layer cotton mask when I rode to and from school every day, and took it off when I got to the classroom. At that time, there were no classes for nearly a month, but I had to go to school for self-study. Looking back now, I realize that technology has advanced so fast.

In 2009, I was in my second year of college. I had completed my military training at the end of August and had just completed my dormitory registration in September. Bird flu broke out in the country. No one gave us masks at that time. I didn’t seem to wear a mask very much. I only knew that every time I entered the school, someone would take an infrared gun to measure my temperature. The school emptied out several buildings in the Liye Park and used them as isolation buildings. Anyone with fever symptoms had to be quarantined for a week.

It was a coincidence that Xiaolong next door had a fever of 38.5°C at this time. I went to check and found that his pulse was slippery and rapid, and the fur was yellow and red with some thorns. I immediately scraped his Dazhui and Du vessels. After scraping for about 20 minutes, he felt a strong urge to defecate. After defecation, he felt refreshed all over his body. Two hours later, his body temperature was normal again. However, Brother Long is a real person, so he truthfully reported the situation to the counselor and went into isolation for a week. The school treats the quarantined students very well. Everyone is given a phone card and provides free nutritious meals three times a day. Life there is quite nourishing.

A few days later, a handsome young man in the same dormitory also had a fever, showing typical symptoms such as aversion to cold, fever, cough, and a floating pulse. At that time, we did not want to be quarantined, so I prescribed him a large dose of Pueraria lobata decoction + 30g of Pediculus. Not long after drinking the medicine, he began to sweat, and his body temperature continued to rise. After he woke up, the sweat subsided and his body became cold. The symptoms disappeared, and he only felt weak. Afterwards, none of us had a fever again, and the epidemic was lifted after the National Day.

I still remember that in 2009, the school distributed boiled Chinese medicine to every student. The first one was boiled normally, and the second one was extracted. The color and taste of the extracted Chinese medicine liquid were different from the boiled medicine. I didn’t dare to drink it, so I used it to mop the floor.

According to data released by the country at the end of 2009, the bird flu epidemic caused about 120,000 confirmed cases across the country and about 20 million people in the United States. But I didn’t feel that the epidemic had a big impact on people’s lives at the time. Maybe it was because Tamiflu was effective against H1N1. . . . .

What has had a greater impact on me is that recently, there was a very severe wave of influenza in early 2019, and one family was affected by the flu. During an outpatient clinic in January, I saw 8 or 9 people with colds and fevers in the morning. After returning in the afternoon, I felt uncomfortable and developed a fever that night. This incident made me feel first-hand the dangers of occupational exposure and the importance of masks. As a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, I always firmly believe that righteousness cannot be affected by internal evils. However, when you can use a mask to protect righteousness, why not use it?

The new coronavirus epidemic is spreading rapidly and the state control is strong, but no one seems to be distributing traditional Chinese medicine. History has proven time and again that in the face of unknown diseases, in addition to scientific prevention and control, timely intervention of traditional Chinese medicine is very important. Instead of waiting for self-healing, it is better to treat with traditional Chinese medicine. I believe that the front line will give us a satisfactory result.

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今天是大年初六，本应该是一个热闹非凡的日子，中国人民为了抗击新型冠状病毒都自觉在家，这种精神值得世界赞扬。

2003年，我正在读初中一年级，一种叫做非典的传染病突然肆虐，依稀记得那时候胡锦涛总书记刚刚上任，电视里天天播报抗击非典的新闻，家里出现了好几包中药，薄荷味很浓，不过我也没喝过。而对我来说印象最深刻的就是，每天骑车上下学的时候都要带上又厚又热又麻烦的双层棉纱口罩，到了教室就摘下来了。那时候有接近一个月是不上课的，但是要去学校上自习，现在回过头来想想，科技进步的是真快。

2009年，我正在读大学二年级，8月底军训完，9月刚刚办完寝室，禽流感就在国内爆发了，那时候也没人给我们发口罩，我好像也没怎么戴口罩，只知道每次进校门的时候都会有人拿着红外枪测量体温，学校把立业园的几栋楼清空专门作为隔离楼来使用，谁出现了发热的症状都要进去隔离一个星期。

非常巧，隔壁的小龙在这时候发烧38.5℃，我去看了一下，脉滑数，苔黄质红有点刺，当即给他的大椎和督脉刮痧，刮了大概20分钟就有强烈便意，大便后浑身清爽，2小时候再测量体温正常。不过龙哥是个实在人，他还是如实向辅导员汇报了这个情况，进去隔离了一个星期。学校对被隔离的学生很好，每个人都发放了电话卡，一天三顿免费供应营养餐，在里面过的是相当滋润。

没过几天，同寝室的一个帅小伙也发烧了，表现出了恶寒发热、咳嗽等比较典型的症状，脉象浮数。那时候我们是不愿意被隔离的，于是乎我就给他开了大剂量葛根汤+前胡30g，喝完药之后没多久就开始出汗，同时体温继续升高，睡醒一觉后汗退身凉，症状消失，唯觉乏力。随后我们都再也没有出现发烧的情况，国庆后疫情就解除了。

我现在还记得，09年的时候学校给每个同学都发放了熬好的中药，第一次发的是正常煎煮的，第二次发的是萃取的，萃取的中药液，其颜色和味道都和煎煮的不同，我没敢喝，全拿来拖地了。

根据2009年底国家公布的数据，那次禽流感疫情造成了全国约12万人确诊，美国约2000万人感染。但是我在当时并没有感到疫情对人们的生活有多大影响，也许是因为达菲对H1N1是有效的吧。。。。。

对我的影响比较大的是最近，2019年初有一波流感非常厉害，一家一家的中招，在1月份的一次门诊时我一上午看了8、9个感冒发烧的，下午回去之后就感觉不舒服，当晚就发烧了。这次事件让我切身感受到了职业暴露的危险性和口罩的重要性。我作为中医人，始终坚信正气存内邪不可干，但是，能用口罩保护正气的时候为什么不用呢？

此次新型冠状病毒疫情传播迅速，国家控制强而有力，但是好像没人给发中药了。历史一次次地证明，在未知疾病面前，除了科学防控，中医药的及时介入非常重要，与其等待自愈，不如中医治疗，相信前线会给我们一个满意的结果。