THE LONGEST DAY OF THE 1960 FLU SEASON

The Longest Day of the 1960 Flu Season.pdf

By Dr. Fung Fung

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Fung Fung’s book Sixty Years in Search of Cures.

Influenza is a contagious disease that strikes in population centers around the world. In San Francisco, we occasionally experience a particularly severe flu season. But the flu that we see in America cannot compare with what I saw and experienced in Vietnam with regard to intensity, frequency, and spread.

During my thirty years of practice in the Saigon- Cholon area, the flu struck one or two times a year. The major factor was poor sanitation, typical of a developing country. The occurrence of the flu followed the pattern of seasonal changes, appearing usually in the spring when growth began. A person who caught the flu developed a high fever in a matter of hours. Other symptoms included headache, joint pain, coughing, runny nose, phlegm, and an alternating sensation of heat and chills. After treatment, the flu receded swiftly in a couple of days. The flu epidemic in the city usually lasted about three weeks. There were few fatalities as a direct result of the flu.

One day in March of 1960 at the height of the flu season, I woke up at 5 a.m. and hurried through my morning routine. I stopped by the bedside of my youngest daughter to make sure that her fever was under control. There was already a commotion at the door. Some patients had arrived and were waiting outside. One of the three servants in the household rushed to the door and told them to wait quietly, for the doctor was not ready yet. My two teenage sons were up by this time. They went outside to count the patients and kept them in line. Around 6 a.m., one son reported that there were already over twenty patients outside. I told him to let them in. The patients spilled over into our living room next to my home office, and thus began my longest day.

The average consultation lasted for ten minutes. The charge was fifteen Vietnamese piastres as compared with the monthly wage of seven hundred piastres for a live-in servant. For each patient, I prescribed herbs for one day’s use. When the patient came back the next day, I would be able to see the effects of the herbs and the condition of the patient. This would allow me to perfect the second prescription and finalize the cure. When treating the flu, the goal is to reduce the fever, restore the balance of the body functions disrupted by the flu, to relax the body, and finally to strengthen the body to enable a swift recovery.

At 7 a.m., one of our maids accompanied three of our four children to school. My wife carried on the job of attending to the waiting patients. The living room was still crowded. At 8:00 a.m., an employee at the herb store came and informed me that many patients were waiting there. My wife asked the latecomers to go to the herb store which was only two blocks away.

Shortly before 9 a.m., I finished with the last patient at home. I went back to check on our youngest one who was now up and playing in bed. I wrote a prescription and told my wife that this should be the last one to finish off her fever. Then the cook told me that she might have caught the flu, too. I prescribed some herbs which would strengthen her body to guard against the flu. I grabbed the newspaper and left for the herb store. A “cyclo” was waiting at the door. It was a tricycle with a covered passenger seat at the front. I usually took a cyclo to the herb store so that I could spend a few quiet moments browsing the newspaper before my day began. On my way out the door, a maid was cleaning the living room. My wife was collecting the cash in the drawer to deposit in the bank.

I started working immediately after arriving at the herb store. The five employees were already busily packaging the herbs for patients who saw me earlier at home. The morning went by quickly. I took a one-hour lunch break at one of the many restaurants nearby. The wife of the restaurant owner came to my table and asked for a prescription, as did a couple of her employees. After lunch, I went back to the herb store to face the long line again. My office hour ended at 6p.m. By that time, everyone at the store was completely exhausted. One employee had come down with a fever, all the others needed some strengthening herbs, including myself.

I took the same pedicab home to join my family. Some patients were already waiting in the living room. They had been diverted there by the herb store employees shortly before the end of my office hour. I spent another hour treating patients at home. Then came dinner. I was happy to see our youngest one at the table. Her fever was gone. For the next few days, we only gave her rice gruel cooked with some fish, minced beef or pork, and some steamed vegetables on the side. She also had some orange, pear, or banana. This light but balanced diet helped her recover. A regular diet during the recovery period would only invite the fever back, a common occurrence in small children.

After dinner, before another patient could catch me, my wife and I dashed off to the Cantonese Expatriate Association a few blocks away. We frequented this club for recreation. Among their many activities, I enjoyed singing Cantonese opera while being accompanied by a group of amateur instrumentalists. As expected, some friends came to me and requested prescriptions. Some people struck by the flu that I did not know also interrupted my evening. A few of them were surprised at my sudden burst of temper for which I felt sorry afterward. The activities at the club ended around 10:30. Then we went out for a noodle snack, and returned home around 11:30, only to find yet more patients waiting to see me. Finally at midnight, after the last patient had left, I was able to relax in tranquility and replenish my energy for another grueling day.

Dr. Fung Fung is a Chinese herbalist with over 60 years’ experience. He is a consultant to Health Concerns, and has helped develop several effective formulas. His book, Sixty Years in Search of Cures is available through Health Concerns.

Chinese Herbs in the Western Clinic: Treatment of Arthritis
Andrew Gaeddert, Master Herbalist

The following is an excerpt from Andrew Gaeddert’s book Chinese Herbs in the Western Clinic.

Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint, and is usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and structural changes. Arthritis is linked to infection, rheumatic fever, ulcerative colitis, trauma, neurogenic disturbance, degenerative joint disease such as osteoarthritis, metabolic disturbance such as gout, psoriasis, Raynaud’s syndrome, bursitis, among other conditions.

This is a difficult condition to treat, and cases are usually complicated by treatment with Western drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or steroids. Aspirin and other NSAIDs may weaken the digestive system such that Quiet Digestion or Stomach Caps are necessary. Steroids can damage the Kidney and therefore a formula such as Astra Essence may be used to give the Kidney more energy.

In Chinese medicine arthritis is attributed to Wind, Cold, and Dampness, accompanied by obstruction of Qi and Blood. However, there are cases of acute attacks following infections that are caused by Yin deficiency with internal Heat. Heat is a prominent characteristic in all acute attacks of rheumatoid arthritis.

CHINESE HERBAL THERAPY

Mobility 2 is based on the ancient formula Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang (Clematis and Stephania Formula). This formula dispels Wind, Dampness, and Cold. It also vitalizes the Blood and contains tonic herbs and therefore can be taken long-term for those who have weakened constitutions. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

AC-Q is used to treat arthritis, and contains a number of aromatic herbs that are especially good for eliminating Dampness. Practitioners in damp or humid environments report this formula is more effective. It may also he used when there are pustular swellings, or for aching pain, as the formula contains Qi moving herbs. In severe cases AC-Q and Mobility 2 may be combined, by administering two capsules of each formula TID or QID.

Dr. Fung’s Mobility 3 is used for Wind and for Damp-Cold pain. This formula is based on Dr. Fung’s 60 years’ experience with Chinese herbs.

Flavonex is a modern formula containing anti- inflammatory flavonoids. It contains herbs that nourish circulation, and therefore is often an excellent adjunct formula. Flavonex may also be used if there is Heat, as it is not overly warming. Coptis Purge Fire can be used if there is internal Heat, for example to reduce the burning in the initial stages of gout. It is recommended that Coptis Purge Fire be taken with Nine Flavor Tea, which will promote diuresis and drain Heat from the Blood. Suggested dosage is two capsules of each formula every two to three hours combined with Western medicine. Coptis Purge Fire capsules can also be crushed and applied topically as a wash after mixing with water. The above formulas may need to be directed by using Head-Q for upper body gout, and Mobility 2 can be used for lower body gout. While the short-term strategy involves clearing Heat, the long-term management of gout involves adopting a low purine diet, abstaining from alcohol, and using constitutional formulas such as Nine Flavor Tea for Yin deficiency, Six Gentlemen for Qi deficiency, or Rehmannia 8 for Yang deficiency.

Backbone is for a weak back and weak bones caused by Kidney Yang deficiency. Resinall K may be used for arthritis caused by trauma. It is a liquid extract and should be held under the tongue.

NOTES

It is important for those who have arthritis to maintain a diet that eliminates raw and fried foods, as well as iced and cold foods and drinks. Alcohol in moderation may be beneficial because it is warming.

CASE STUDY

A woman in her seventies with chronic osteoarthritis had signs of osteoporosis, edema, obesity, digestive troubles, and pale tongue. Her rapid pulse may have been caused by the several prescription medications she was taking. She reported that her medications were not working as they had in the past, and she was trying to avoid being put on a higher dosage of corticosteroid’s.

Since she was in severe pain, I suggested combining two capsules TID of Mobility 2, with two capsules TID of AC-Q, and that if she did not experience relief, she could increase the dosage of Mobility 2. I also asked her to take Quiet Digestion whenever she ate a large meal or had other digestive discomforts (she indicated that large meals “got stuck in her intestines”).

Within a week of starting on the herbs, the patient reported significant relief in the pain. She then asked whether she could start taking formulas for weight loss. However, I thought it best to maintain her on the combined AC-Q and Mobility 2 regimen for the next several weeks.

Analysis: Many patients who suffer chronic arthritis do not respond to Mobility 2 alone. For this reason, I almost always ask patients to take a combination of formulas. Arthritis patients, even those who experience good results, often lose interest in the Chinese herbs after several weeks or months, as they are anxious to try other therapies.

HERBAL TIPS

1. Herbs should not be used during pregnancy except under the direction of an experienced herbalist.
2. Tonic herbs or formulas are inappropriate during the initial stages of a cold or of the flu. In addition to strengthening the body, tonics may also strengthen the cold or flu symptoms. Instead, use specific cold and flu herbal formulas and resume tonic formulas once the illness has run its course.
3. Herbs are inappropriate during menstruation except for acute symptoms. For example, cold and flu treatment can be administered or specific formulas for menstrual cramps or nausea can also be administered.
4. If there is no response within a few days in an acute condition, or within a month for a chronic condition, you should probably use another formula or consult a more experienced herbalist. Be sure the patient has been taking an adequate dose, usually at least nine capsules a day for a chronic condition, or more for an acute condition. It is not unusual for herbs to be taken every few hours for acute conditions, or up to 20 capsules a day for chronic conditions. If the herbs are working, the patient should at least feel better after this period, even if the condition is not resolved.
5. Approximately 1% of American patients have allergies to one or more Chinese herbs. Patients with excess Dampness need to have the Dampness reduced before they can tolerate some herbs, particularly tonics. Ten percent of seriously ill patients cannot tolerate Chinese herbs. In many cases these patients severely underdose to the point where herbs are no longer beneficial.
6. Patients who have food allergies or digestive problems, or who seem unusually sensitive, need to be started at a lower dose of herbs and gradually built up to the regular dose. In such cases, herbs can also be taken with meals or combined with a digestive formula such as Quiet Digestion.

Andrew Gaeddert is an herbalist. His book Chinese Herbs in the Western Clinic is available through Health Concerns.