Written by Dr. Shouchun Ma
Translated by Maggie Zeng
July 22, 2019
闲云谈平衡
马寿椿
每个人的现状，都是多年形成的，不能轻易打破这个平衡，只能调整这个平衡。一旦打破平衡，会引起连锁反应，造成很多新的不平衡。特别是体弱年高的人，和非常敏感的人，一旦打破，可能终身不能恢复平衡。
哪些因素会打破平衡？手术，突然改变饮食生活习惯，重大情绪刺激等等。 一个病人腰痛两周看医生，医生量了她的腿，一边长一边短，建议右倒增高鞋垫，她觉得找对病因了。结果腰痛没有好，髋关节又痛。 闲云以为，找错原因了，一腿长一腿短已经几十年了，已经建立了平衡。一侧增高鞋垫，反而打破了平衡。故腰痛未愈，髋痛又起。 又，腰痛仅两周，显然不是腿短引起的。 患者初不信，人家是很准确的丈量了的，而闲云仅凭脉证和推理，两周痊愈，才信了。
Dr. Ma talks about balance
The current health condition of each person has been formed over many years. It’s a balance. And it shouldn’t be easily broken, rather the balance should be adjusted when necessary. If the balance is broken, it will cause a chain reaction and cause many new imbalances. Especially for those who are frail and old, and very sensitive people, once the balance is broken, they may not be able to restore balance for life.
What are the factors that will break the balance? Surgeries, sudden changes in eating habits, major emotional stimuli, etc. A patient who had lower back pain for two weeks went to see a doctor. This doctor measured her legs, and found out one was shorter than the other. A shoe lift was recommended to address the issue, and the doctor felt confident that she identified the cause. It turned out though, the lower back pain didn’t go away, and the hip joint started to hurt.
Dr. Ma, however, thought the leg length discrepancy was not the cause, as it’s been that way for decades. Since the balance had been established for the patient for years, a sudden shoe lift broke the balance. Therefore, the back pain remained and the hip pain occurred. Also, the patient had the lower back pain for only two weeks, suggesting that it wasn’t caused by leg length discrepancy. The patient wouldn’t believe it at first since the leg length was carefully measured. Based solely on pulse, signs and reasoning, Dr. Ma cured her back pain in two weeks. And she is a believer now.
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问: 到底是什么原因引起的腰痛呢？又是怎么治愈的？
Q: So what was the cause of her lower back pain? How was it cured?
马医生: 一般急性腰扭伤和受寒引起的腰痛，针灸有良效，常常在三次内临床治愈。
Dr. Ma: Lower back pain caused by minor acute lumbar sprain or a cold can be cured by acupuncture, typically effective in three clinical treatments.
问:劳损型的腰痛怎么办呢？近来经常弯腰照顾生病的小狗
Q: What if the lower back pain was caused by lumbar strain? I’ve been bending over a sick puppy a lot lately.
马医生:就这里的临床看，腰痛常因扭伤，劳累，受寒，椎间盘脱出，局部痉挛，腰肌劳损，癌转移至骨⋯⋯不管哪种，针灸都有良效!
Dr. Ma: As far as the clinical situation is concerned, lower back pain is often caused by sprains, fatigue, cold, intervertebral disc prolapse, local paralysis, lumbar muscle strain, and cancer metastasis to the epiphysis. Regardless the cause, acupuncture has a good effect!
问:腿一个姿势久了就动不了(比如躺着微弯腿睡觉，起来发现腿不能一下子马上伸直）。也是受寒，还是肾功能不好引起的呢？也用针灸吗
Q: If the leg is in a position for a long time, it will not move (for example, when lying down with a slightly bent leg and sleeping, I found that the leg cannot be straightened immediately). Is this also caused by cold or kidney deficiency? Is acupuncture still recommended?
马医生:对于腰痛，针灸是首选。
Dr. Ma: For lower back pain, acupuncture is preferred.
问: 请问这个对湿疹有没有好处？
Q: Is acupuncture also helpful for eczema?
马医生:湿疹有多种表现形式，要看医生。
Dr. Ma: Eczema can take many forms. Please see your doctor.
Dr. Wu: 马教授谈的平衡问题很重要！病人来看病，通常是身体出现异常了，医生检查好像找到导致异常的直接原因，但只是简单快速地排除这病因了事，还是因人制宜把控好治疗的力度，范围和速度，逐步调节平衡与代赏，以免出现平衡失控结果，是对医生医术医德的考验。
Dr. Wu: Professor Ma’s topic on balance is very important! When a patient comes to see a doctor, it is usually because there is something wrong with their body. Sometimes the doctor seems to find an immediate cause of the abnormality. So should the doctor go with the quick and easy fix, or should he/she adjust the strength, scope and speed of the individual treatment in order to avoid the imbalance. This is a true test of the doctors’ medical skills as well as ethics.
问:是说湿疹有多种表现方式，还是说有多种疾病可以通过湿疹表现出来？
Q: Are you saying that eczema has multiple manifestations, or is it that multiple diseases can be manifested by eczema?
马医生:湿重，热重，血虚，血燥，风盛各有不同的表现形式，虽然同为湿疹。
Dr. Ma: Excessive body dampness, excessive body heat, blood deficiency, blood dryness, and excess wind can all result from eczema.
问:所以同是湿疹病人，用药会不同，不能一概而论
Q: So with eczema patients, medication will be different. It cannot be generalized.
马医生:有些湿疹很难治，即使是有经验的医生也还常常换思路，不是纸上可以讨论清楚的。
Dr. Ma: Some eczema can be difficult to treat, and even experienced doctors often need to think out of the box. Discussion without seeing the patient cannot lead to a good treatment plan.
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