A competent doctor can cure everything

Only then did I remember.

She was the lady at the restaurant, serving side dishes with a commanding look in her eyes, like a general.

Her hair was wrapped up in a hygienic cap, and she was always in a uniform with an apron.

But now, in plain clothes with a worried expression on her face, she looked like a completely different person, especially with her daughter nearing full term.

That aside, I quickly finished writing the initial chart and notified the resident.

Today’s obstetrics and gynecology on-call is first-year resident Lee Yi-won.

“32-year-old female presenting with pregnancy-related back pain. She is currently at 38 weeks of pregnancy. The back pain began at 30 weeks. This evening, while sitting in a chair and getting up, the pain worsened significantly, so she came to the ER.”

“Doctor.”

Lee Yi-won, who had been silently listening to the report, sharply responded.

“It’s August, and you’re still giving notifications like that? You should start with the CC (Chief Complaint). Does the current gestational age really matter more?”

“…I’ll be more careful.”

Even though I had clearly stated she came in for pregnancy-related back pain, she was nitpicking.

Was she trying to assert her authority since she’s new? Her tone was overly harsh.

Her sharp manner reminded me of Professor Bu Yeo-jung.

‘Professor Bu must really like Lee Yi-won. Maybe she sees herself when she was young in her.’

Soon, the first-year resident showed up in the emergency room.

Lee Yi-won pressed down on the patient’s back and then asked,

“On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain at all and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine, how severe is the pain?”

“Ugh… the worst pain I can imagine?”

“We usually equate a 10 to the pain of childbirth.”

“Ugh… I haven’t given birth yet, but… it feels like it might be a 10.”

The tears welling up in her eyes made it clear how much pain she was in.

That’s probably why she came to the ER at this hour.

“Doctor, but is it okay to get acupuncture while pregnant? Is it safe for my back?”

The restaurant lady’s concerned question made me think of the basic treatment methods for pregnancy-related back pain.

This is also Professor Bu Yeo-jung’s treatment approach.

‘Many patients are worried about acupuncture during pregnancy.’

To put it simply, acupuncture for pregnancy-related back pain is effective, with no known side effects for the pregnant woman. It doesn’t affect childbirth or newborn health, which is the general consensus.

For musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, acupuncture is generally considered the first choice over herbal medicine.

‘Herbal treatments are only considered if acupuncture doesn’t bring relief.’

Acupuncture points such as Guanwen, Siosu, Bladder Shu, and Huando are used along the foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian, which runs through the back and waist.

Acupoints around the sacroiliac joint, buttocks, and pubic symphysis are also useful.

But when I heard Lee Yi-won’s response, I had to double-check if I had heard it correctly.

She flinched at the guardian’s question and then said this:

“Well… if you’re worried, you don’t have to get acupuncture.”

That was wrong.

When providing treatment, there are times you need to step back and reassure the patient.

However, here, I should have reassured the patient with confidence.

But then I remembered that Lee Yi-won was only a first-year resident.

Moreover, since it’s still August and considering that Lee Yi-won was promoted in March, that means she’s been a resident for less than six months.

In terms of age, she’s probably younger than me, even though I entered after finishing my public health officer service.

‘Her clinical skills are still clearly inexperienced.’

It’s important to have a good rapport with the patient, but it’s problematic if you retreat when you need to be more assertive.

If a doctor lacks confidence, the patient will feel that the treatment is unsafe.

“Then, is it okay if I don’t get acupuncture?”

As expected, the vague response didn’t inspire confidence in the patient.

I could see Lee Yi-won getting flustered.

Her usual haughty and aloof expression had disappeared.

‘She’s gotten herself into a tight spot.’

“Well… then I’ll just do a light cupping and moxibustion, and apply a hot compress to your back.”

Not doing acupuncture, the first choice for treatment?

Cupping, moxibustion, and a hot compress won’t be enough to relieve severe back pain.

Moreover, using electrical physiotherapy devices isn’t an option for pregnant women.

What should I do?

‘This is definitely not an ideal situation.’

If the patient doesn’t improve, it’ll be embarrassing for Lee Yi-won, but that’s not my concern.

I don’t want to hear a comment like “There’s no point in going to a university hospital’s acupuncture emergency room.”

‘More than anything, I can’t just stand by while the patient is suffering in pain.’

But as an intern without treatment authority, it’s tricky for me to intervene in this situation.

How can I naturally steer the treatment plan in a way that both Lee Yi-won and the patient will accept?

‘I have to rule out trying bladder meridian acupuncture again.’

Lee Yi-won had already said that she wouldn’t do acupuncture on her (The patient ) back if she was nervous about it, and it would be ridiculous for Lee Yi-won suddenly change her mind.

The patient is more likely to lose trust and become upset, refusing treatment altogether.

So, is there no way to treat the back pain without directly inserting acupuncture needles into the back?

While Lee Yi-won was applying dry cupping along the bladder meridian and preparing moxibustion, I was racking my brain for a good solution.

What’s a good way to treat this…?

‘…!’

I’ve got it. Two options, actually.

They’re not particularly special treatments, though.

If Lee Yi-won heard this, she’d probably wonder why I didn’t think of it sooner.

‘She must have been flustered when she got stuck just trying to follow Professor Bu’s treatment style.’

Now, how can I subtly remind Lee Yi-won of this idea?

While waiting for five minutes as the cupping took effect, I followed Lee Yi-won to the computer so she could write in the EMR (electronic chart).

“Doctor.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a shame that we’re not doing acupuncture along the bladder meridian. It would likely alleviate the back pain.”

“Well, yes. But I think it’s better not to force treatments that make the patient anxious, so it can’t be helped.”

No, if only you’d explained confidently, the patient would have followed along.

I could feel that Lee Yi-won is still young.

But on the outside, I nodded in agreement, pretending to sympathize.

“Well, since the lower back is so close to the abdomen, the patient might be anxious about it. It would have been easier if it were farther from the abdomen, like the limbs.”

“Limbs…”

“Or maybe we could relax the muscles without inserting needles into the back.”

I casually threw out the suggestion, as if it were just a passing thought.

Upon hearing me, Lee Yi-won’s eyes widened.

Yes, figure it out.

This hint should be enough.

Lee Yi-won frowned slightly in concentration as she muttered to herself.

“Bladder meridian acupoints… and the kidney meridian points—where were they again? For the bladder meridian, there’s Zhiyin, Shangyang, Weizhong, and Sanli, and… ”

“The kidney meridian points are Jingguo, Fuliu, Taibai, and Taikei.”

“Ah, that’s right!”

Sure enough, with just a little hint, Lee Yi-won recalled the Saam Acupuncture Method.

Saam acupuncture is a unique acupuncture technique that has developed independently in Korea.

Rather than directly inserting needles into the painful area, it uses four specific acupoints from the five transport points on the limbs.

Additionally, it maximizes therapeutic effects through the use of tonification and sedation, which means that deficient points are tonified, and excessive points are sedated.

If someone says, “A certain acupuncturist only places four needles on the fingertips or toes, not the painful area,” you can recognize it as Saam acupuncture.

“And also, Doctor, you know how to do Chuna, right? Could I do some myofascial Chuna for the patient?”

Myofascial Chuna, also known as “muscle Chuna” or “soft tissue Chuna,” contrasts with osteopathic Chuna, which is used for bone realignment.

It’s a technique where the acupuncturist directly manipulates the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia by pushing and pulling to treat them.

“Yes, then after removing the cupping, you’ll immediately perform myofascial Chuna.”

It’s almost been 5 minutes.

I approached the bed where the patient was lying, naturally removing the cupping while speaking.

“Mrs, I’ll loosen up the tight muscles with my hands. This is called myofascial Chuna, and you can think of it as something similar to a massage.”

“Massage? Yes, please.”

By comparing it to a massage, the patient accepted the procedure without hesitation.

I placed my hands on the quadratus lumborum, which is located between the ribs and pelvis on the back.

“Ah!”

As expected, the bilateral quadratus lumborum muscles were as hard as stones, and even just touching them caused pain.

But as I gently rubbed the trigger points, I could feel the tense, stiff back muscles slowly relaxing.

I could clearly tell the pain was subsiding from the patient’s reactions.

“Oh my, oh my! This is amazing! My back feels so much better. The pain has been reduced by half!”

After the myofascial Chuna was done, the patient’s eyes opened wide in amazement.

The patient’s mother, hearing this, was overjoyed as well.

“Really? Oh, thank goodness!”

“Doctor, if it’s this much, I think I can manage. Thank you. The pain was so bad, I thought the baby was coming out. I’ll go home, wear the support belt, and try to bear it.”

I smiled at the patient and her family, who both looked much better.

“No, you don’t need to tough it out.”

“Huh?”

“If you get acupuncture treatment as well, your pain will improve even more.”

“But earlier, the female doctor said she wouldn’t give me acupuncture…”

Just then, Lee Yi-won appeared, holding acupuncture needles and alcohol swabs.

“I won’t be needling your back. But I’ll do acupuncture on your hands and feet. Is that alright? Just lie down comfortably and look at the ceiling.”

“Huh? My back hurts, but you’re going to needle my hands and feet?”

“It’s called Saam acupuncture. We use acupoints at the tips of your hands and feet to treat various conditions. The downside is that the needles might hurt a little.”

“Needles are painful anyway, so it’s probably better than my back pain. Please, go ahead.”

The patient seemed to like the myofascial Chuna, and she gladly accepted the Saam acupuncture as well.

I had explained this technique to Emma, the mercenary from Blue Whales, a while ago.

When you stimulate the extremities, various neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins are released from the brain.

The ancients probably didn’t use words like dopamine and endorphins, but…

‘It seems they had an experiential understanding of these phenomena.’

Lee Yi-won proceeded to needle each of the five transport points on the patient’s limbs.

While inserting the needles, she confidently performed the technique of tonification and sedation, rotating the needles as she did so.

As she needled, it seemed that she regained her confidence and returned to her usual composed and aloof demeanor.

‘Unlike before, now it just seems like cute, modest bravado.’

I waited for 15 minutes until the needles were ready to be removed, while observing the patient’s condition.

From my experience, the most challenging part of diagnosis, especially in “Myeongmunmunjeol”, is performing the physical examination, or “jeoljin”, that involves touching the patient’s body.

So, I pretended to check the muscle condition again.

“I’ll palpate the back muscles one more time.”

As my hand touched the area, several scenes rapidly compressed and passed before my eyes.

After the needles were removed, the pain had significantly improved, and the patient was able to go home.

The following week, she came to Hanbit University’s Obstetrics and Gynecology department and gave birth safely.

Ah, but the baby had jaundice, so it was decided that the baby would stay in the hospital’s neonatal unit for further care.

Since the mother’s stay was limited, she would be separated from the baby and move to a postpartum care center.

However…

‘…Hmm?’

Exactly seven days later, I saw the mother suffering from a high fever in the postpartum care center.

Medications like Tylenol were ineffective.

The nurses at the care center tried their best, but her fever continued to worsen.

Eventually, it was decided that she would be transferred to the hospital.

Unfortunately, since it occurred on the seventh day, I couldn’t follow up on what happened afterward.

Ding-ding-.

Suddenly, the timer for the acupuncture treatment brought me back to reality.

I immediately removed all the needles the patient had received.

“Wow, that’s amazing. I got needles in my hands and feet, and now my back feels better? I think it’s about 2 or 3 points now. I feel so much better!”

The future I had just seen was now unfolding in front of me.

The patient and her family, unaware of my thoughts, were both amazed and pleased.

But still, I felt uneasy about sending the patient off like this…

I decided to speak to the family member.

“You’re one of our hospital staff, right? I always see you in the cafeteria.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve also seen you on the hospital lobby TV.”

Ugh. Another little project from the PR team…

I awkwardly smiled and continued the conversation.

“Will your daughter go to a postpartum care center after giving birth?”

“Yes, since I can’t stay at the hospital for too long, I made a reservation in advance.”

“Actually, you could stay at the hospital longer.”

“Really?”

“We have a postpartum care package in the traditional medicine ward. You can receive care from our licensed acupuncturists, which is good for preventing postpartum conditions like ‘sanhu-pung’ (a type of postnatal illness). Sometimes, babies need to stay in the hospital a little longer, so many mothers prefer to stay in the same hospital as their babies.”

“I didn’t know that.”

She seemed to be responding politely without much interest at the moment.

But later, if the baby’s stay is extended, there’s a high chance she’ll inquire about the postpartum care package.

‘Well, I’ve done what I can…’

Once a patient is discharged from the ER, their electronic chart becomes inactive on the EMR system.

So, it’s hard to track the patient through their chart, and for now, I’ll have to keep an eye on the cafeteria lady’s whereabouts.

‘Not like I have the confidence to strike up a conversation like Wonil does, though.’

I sighed inwardly.

I just hope I don’t come across like one of those people who tries to be friendly just to get free meat side dishes.