Chapter 34: Unhealthy Human Doll Lizi
Satisfied with Anji’s aptitude for learning medicine, Doctor He finally taught Anji the more practical things. For the beginning test, he told Anji to use Lizi as a human doll to show him where all twelve meridians were. Diligently, Anji used Lizi as a demonstration. Some meridian channels were in embarrassing locations, so Anji exercised discretion and opted for pointing instead of touching her maid.
After an hour of quizzing, Doctor He Qiu deemed Anji ready for the next lesson. Lizi was a great test subject for learning basic diagnosis. In traditional medicine, pulse taking was only one of the many methods. It was usually the most accurate but also the one that needed the most experience. Instead, he decided to teach Anji some basic acupressure points. Cultivators usually learned about them because it helped them paralyse their opponents by clotting the qi in these important pathways.
"Today, we will focus on learning some acupressure points on the Spleen and Liver meridians. These two meridians are the most common root issues of most illnesses born from an unhealthy lifestyle. Thankfully, the human doll you introduced today has that exact issue."
Surprised by Doctor He’s claim, Anji looked at Lizi curiously. Was this the same maid who often chided her for living an unhealthy lifestyle by missing meals and sleeping late? Talk about the
Grinning evilly at the chance to give Lizi a free medical treatment while demonstrating the adverse side effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, Doctor He mercilessly instructed Lizi to take a seat and remove her shoes and socks.
"Watch carefully," he instructed Anji with a wry smile. "This is called the sanyinjiao acupoint. Depending on the person, the location will differ. However, it is generally four fingers above the ankle ball joint and lies along the bone at the outer side of the right leg."
Pressing down on the spot mercilessly, Doctor He smirked knowingly as Lizi howled in pain.
"Most women usually find this spot painful, so it’s good to massage it often to improve the spleen health. Unhealthy eating habits can cause qi stagnation at the sanyinjiao spot over time. It can also help regulate a woman’s monthly cycle if the blood flow is excessively heavy or irregular."
Nodding, Anji tried to locate the sanyinjiao on her right leg and pressed on it when Doctor He confirmed the right location. Unlike Lizi, who was almost in tears from a light massage, Anji did not feel much pain even when Doctor He pressed on it.
"Lizi," the young princess tutted. "You’re unhealthier than me. Please eat your meals with me from now on and sleep on time."
Feeling shame after a lecture from her charge, Lizi nodded lamely and apologised. However, Doctor He was not done with the human doll.
"Along the Spleen meridian, two other acupressure points are affected when one has poor eating habits. The yinlingquan point is located at the side of the right leg about three fingers beneath the knee cap. Many elderly people with knee pain also find this spot painful as most of the body’s weight taxes the knee joint. The next point is the tibia. Human doll, lift and flex your foot."