Hill's words left Wash and Svenson marveling.
It was just a common sprain, but this was the stage typically marked by swelling and pain.
After one course of treatment, Hill couldn't feel any pain, which was a testament to how effective it was.
"Joe, what do you think?"
Gabriel gently patted Billings.
Although the entire treatment process had been baffling, the results were undeniable.
Gabriel couldn't help but wonder if Chen Yu's method could be used to treat his players' injuries.
For professional athletes, sports injuries were commonplace.
You could even say that they were covered in injuries after every game.
The media often photographed players covered in ice packs after games, undergoing rehabilitative therapy.
So, Chen Yu's methods had enormous potential for post-game recovery.
Billings, his face dark, muttered, "It's whatever."
Gabriel gave a wry smile and didn't ask again.
Chen Yu instructed Hill to lie down and rest, then began to pack up his things.
All that was left was to wait.
'The System's healing effect wouldn't disappear immediately; it had a duration.'
Just then, one of the five residents led the others in applause.
One of them, a girl who seemed more outgoing, was already eagerly raising her hand, wanting to ask a question.
'It's like I'm the attending in charge.'
However, Chen Yu nodded, signaling for her to ask.
"Doctor Chen, how did you do that just now? It was incredible! Why wasn't there any blood?" The girl mimicked Chen Yu's motion of inserting the needle.
His movements had been lightning-fast, but the most crucial part was that there was no bleeding.
The human body is full of capillaries. To pierce the skin and go that deep without drawing blood was simply unbelievable.
Svenson nodded in agreement, having noticed that Chen Yu's needles went quite deep.
Chen Yu said, "This is a bit difficult to explain. It's mainly about identifying the acupoints, which you would know as trigger points."
The girl who asked the question nodded thoughtfully, then pressed, "Can Acupuncture treat other illnesses? Can you try it on me?"
Her face was full of anticipation.
Chen Yu gave an amused, exasperated nod. Besides, it didn't look like there was anything wrong with her.
'Also, Acupuncture is more effective for acute pain. I'm skeptical myself about how well it works on chronic conditions.'
Just then, Svenson suddenly said, "Chen, my back hurts frequently, and I can't stand up completely straight anymore. Can you help relieve it like you did for Wash?"
He had heard from Wash that Chen Yu had fixed her stiff neck with a single needle.
Chen Yu's gaze shifted to Svenson.
He could clearly see signs of hyperplasia and displacement between Svenson's vertebrae. There were also obvious lesions in the fascia and muscles.
'It's probably from exhaustion—a common lumbar muscle strain.'
'On the operating table, some patients' bones are especially hard. Swinging a mallet for hours on end is incredibly grueling.'
So, Svenson's condition was very common.
After a moment's thought, Chen Yu nodded.
'I have to wait 24 hours for Hill to recover anyway.'
'I'll be idle during that time, so I might as well grind for some System experience points.'
'Performing Acupuncture on people like this accumulates experience points.'
'I've used up all the Healing Effect, and I'll need more for Hill's follow-up rehabilitation.'
"Let me examine you."
Chen Yu stepped forward to perform a physical examination on Svenson.
"Chen, you must be quite young, but your technique for finding trigger points is so practiced and precise. How many years have you been an attending?" Wash asked curiously from the side.
She had noticed that as soon as Chen Yu started, he had easily found Svenson's most painful spot.
'Duh. I can see it directly. Of course it's accurate.'
"Actually, I only became an attending physician three months ago."
'There's nothing to hide. I graduated and got my license at the end of July, so it's been exactly three months.'
Wash was stunned.
The residents were also stunned.
They had thought Chen Yu was a big shot from some hospital, specially invited for a consultation.
Only now did they realize that he was just like them, having just finished his residency training.
A trace of astonishment flickered in Svenson's eyes. He also hadn't expected Chen Yu to have just finished his residency. From this treatment alone, it was clear Chen Yu had mastered a unique therapeutic method. In a hospital, he could easily start a research project and establish himself as a senior physician.
When he was Chen Yu's age, he had still been slogging away to build his credentials.
Chen Yu took out a silver needle and began to find an acupoint on Svenson's hand.
He was looking for the Zhongzi point, which has an immediate effect on chronic back pain.
The needle went in, and again, there was no blood.
He gently twirled the needle.
"Slowly straighten your back," Chen Yu said.
Svenson slowly straightened his back. When he felt pain and stopped, Chen Yu continued to twirl the needle.
After a few repetitions of this, Chen Yu left the needle in for several minutes before removing it with lightning speed.
"Try straightening your back again."
Svenson straightened his back again, and his eyes widened abruptly.
The pain was gone!
"Fuck, this is unbelievable!" Svenson couldn't help but swear.
He figured only a shot of morphine could have this kind of pain-relieving effect.
Chen Yu asked a nearby resident for a pen and marked the location of the Zhongzi point. "You don't need Acupuncture later on. You can just massage this spot often. While it can't cure the lesions on your spine, it can alleviate your pain."
Svenson nodded repeatedly, looking at his right hand as if he'd found a priceless treasure. He decided not to wash his hand for three days, determined to memorize the spot.
"Chen, this is truly miraculous. By the way, which hospital do you work at? If possible, could you come to our hospital as a visiting scholar for a time and teach us this amazing treatment method?" Svenson had already begun to shift his focus to research; Chen Yu's method held immense research value.
Wash also nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed intently on Chen Yu.
Chen Yu hesitated for a moment. "I used to work at Jackson Memorial Hospital, but I resigned not long ago."
"You resigned?"
Svenson was slightly stunned, then said excitedly, "Well, that's perfect! Come to our hospital. Our orthopedics department has ample funding. When you get here, I can help you apply for a research project."
Nearby, Billings choked and coughed violently.
'A research project?'
Back when he was working at the Orlando VA Medical Center, he had tried more than once to get a research project to burnish his credentials, but he never succeeded. In the end, feeling his prospects were dim, he switched careers to become a team doctor.
And now here was Chen Yu, not only invited to join Mayo but also being handed a research project on a silver platter.
In that moment, a wave of jealousy washed over Billings.
For a moment, Chen Yu was genuinely tempted.
'The Mayo Clinic!'
'It's the gold standard in the medical world.'
But after thinking it over, Chen Yu shook his head. "Sorry, I have other plans."
"That's a real shame." Svenson didn't try to persuade him. He figured Chen Yu probably wanted to open a private practice; people who voluntarily resigned from hospitals usually had that in mind.
Chen Yu glanced at the System.
His Sports Rehabilitation experience points had increased by 5, from the previous 41/100.
'One point per treatment.'
'This is for Sports Rehabilitation. If it were Sports Medicine, like performing a difficult surgery, I'd get even more experience points.'
"So, who else wants to try my Acupuncture?"
Chen Yu looked at the others. 'It's rare to find people who trust my Acupuncture this much. I'd be a fool not to take these free experience points.'