關於 what is antibiotic ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

《吉爾.拜登的築家智慧(終)》
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九．母親退位

1988年拜登腦部出現動脈瘤，不論在緊急手術或術後復健時期，都必須要有人出面為拜登人生大小事做計劃佈局。
正當拜登家族人員圍桌相爭給出自己的建議時，她想起婆婆曾經告訴她的一句話，
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『Husbands and wives had a special obligation beyond the rest of the family.』

(❤️夫妻之間有一種特別的責任高於其他家庭成員。)
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因此，吉爾挺身而出與先生共體時艱，她不僅掌管拜登的大小事務，也對丈夫的醫療方式做決策。
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過了多年之後，不幸地吉爾三十多歲的長子博也得了癌症，在兒子護理照顧上等諸多事宜，她很難不干涉，她想要聽醫生的建言，幫兒子做決定。但她又憶起婆婆當年放手將為母親權責全然交託給她的智慧，痛徹心扉地體悟到要求母親放手及退居次位的心情有多麼不容易。
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『For so many years throughout my son's childhood, I had taken his temperature, I had given him his medicine, I had nursed him back to health. It was me he came to when he broke his arm or cut his leg. The doctors turned to me to ask if I wanted him to have stitches, a splint, and antibiotic. And now, in the greatest struggle of his life, I wanted to sit the doctors down and demand to know our options. Who else could know better what he needed? Who else could make those decisions other than someone who had watched him grow up? But there was only on answer: Hallie. She was his wife.

It wasn't my job anymore-it wasn't my place. It hurt like hell, but that's the way of it. Our roles within our families change and shift and evolve, and we have to learn to let go.』
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(❤️兒子多年的孩童時光，是我為他量體溫、餵他吃藥、親自照顧他康復。當他扭傷了肘、割破了腳，他總是奔向我。醫生替他縫補、包紮、敷藥，還會先詢問我的意見。此刻，他正跟生命搏鬥時，我仍希望能與醫生好好一起坐下來聽聽我們的選擇。只是除了看著兒子長大的我之外，還有誰比我知道兒子的需求？還有誰能替代我做出這些決定？答案唯有：哈莉，他的老婆。

這再也不是我的職責了，這裡已經容不下我。我感覺像被打入地獄，但這卻是必經的。我們在家中的每個角色都在改變、轉換、輪替，我們必須學會放手。)
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成為婆婆及祖母後的吉爾，知道自己於家中的地位必須轉換，且時時刻刻顧慮到家庭成員中每個人的需要，學著退讓、妥協及放手。如此一來才得以保持大家庭的和諧圓滿。
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雖然父母在孩子生命中曾經是主要角色，卻不是永遠。放手讓孩子為自己做決策，你沒有權責干涉，只能祈禱祝福 。這處境再心酸難過，都得保持冷靜、沉穩；並要懂得適時遞上一則智慧的建議或是給予一個適時地擁抱。
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『A part of us wants our children to always need us, always be around, always prefer our sock-folding, or always think we are the most important people in their lives. But we know that would mean they weren't growing or living their fullest lives. Success in parenthood means preparing your children to go out into the world and leave you behind. You try to give your kids everything so that one day they will give their kids everything. I think it's a little bit heartbreaking for parents when they realize they have to take a back seat in the life of someone they love so much, but in the end, it's a small price to pay for their happiness.』
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(❤️我們有時會希望孩子永遠需要我們，永遠在身邊，永遠比較喜歡我們折的襪子，一直視我們為一生中最重要的人。 但是那意味著孩子並沒有長大或是生活過得並不圓滿。 成功父母的真義是確保孩子能全副武裝做好準備去面對外面的世界，他能完全與妳脫離。 而當妳嘗試將一切給孩子，他們有一天也會毫無保留地為他們孩子付出。 我承認當父母意識到自己必須在摯愛的生活中退居次位時，這有點令人心碎，但是為了他們全然的幸福，妳必須付出小小的犧牲。)

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十. 永遠相互扶持的家人

長子博因腦癌逝世之後，吉爾一度陷入沮喪，置身晦暗的低潮。周遭的親朋好友認為她會像過去一樣堅強挺過傷痛並讓家人的心再度癒合，怎奈她喪子的破口太大，破碎的她已無能力再次修補這家庭。她感到無助及孤單，比誰都需要力量。
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此時，一則"長湯匙"的寓言故事，讓她警醒。

有個男人請上帝帶他去參觀天堂及地獄。上帝給他看了兩個房間。第一個房間一群飢餓病弱的人圍繞在桌邊，中間有一大鍋香味四溢的湯，每個人手上都有一根長湯匙，但湯匙實在是太長了，他們根本無法喝到湯，飽受折磨的靈魂再怎麼努力都只是徒勞，這房間叫做「地獄」。另外的一間房間，同樣的場景、一樣的桌子、一樣的湯、一樣的超長湯匙，但用餐的人卻正滿足地將滿滿的湯倒入旁人的嘴裡，而這房間叫做「天堂」。
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『In hell, we starve alone. In heaven, we feed each other.』
(❤️在地獄，我們獨自飢餓。在天堂，我們餵飽彼此。)
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吉爾再也無法隱藏在黑暗中舔舐傷口，那無法使之癒合。當她已意識到自己不像表象中堅強時，要懂得釋出自身脆弱，並敞開胸懷坦然學著接受家人的關懷及幫助。
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不論是選擇或被選擇，血緣或非血緣，只要能真心彼此相伴之人皆能成為家人，在任何時刻我們都需要依偎扶持、相互照顧，唯有一途，才能好好地存活下來。
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『We are broken and bruised, but we are not alone. We rejoice together. We preserve together. We walk hand in hand through the twists and turns, and when we can't walk, we let ourselves be carried. It is the gift we give; our strength, our vulnerability, our faith in each other. We know we cannot heal ourselves, but we can lean on each other; we can lift each other up.

This is what makes us family. This is where the light enters.』

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(❤️雖然我們曾如此破碎且身負傷痕，但我們並不孤單。 只要我們聚在一起便感到歡樂且珍惜。 我們攜手走過人生的曲折，直到無力行走時，我們會扛著彼此。我們給出的力量、脆弱及信仰，那皆是美好的饋贈。縱使傷痕無法自行癒合，但我們可以彼此依偎，相互打氣。

正因此我們成了家人，那是光芒映照之處。)
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#家庭主婦讀書會
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😘如果妳有從讀書會裡得著智慧，歡迎大家分享和按讚👍，也歡迎大家留言分享妳的想法。

TCM Treatments of COVID-19

Written in Chinese by Dr. Andy Lee, March 7, 2020 (http://andylee.pro/wp/?p=7660)

Translated to English by Dr. James Yeh, March 13, 2020

I published an essay “From SARS to Novel Coronavirus” in Chinese on January 21, 2020 (http://andylee.pro/wp/?p=7169). At that time, I tried to discuss possible Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments of Novel Coronavirus based on my clinical experience of treating many severe cases of pneumonia caused by various influenza and other diseases. Since then, I have directly and indirectly participated in treating patients of Novel Coronavirus successfully, had discussions with many doctors fighting the epidemic at the front line and many researchers conducting related researches, and read many reports on this subject. Although the “Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia” has been renamed to “COVID-19” (coronavirus disease 2019) and the name of the virus has officially named from “2019-nCoV” to “SARS-CoV-2”, I now firmly believe that my original judgment, views, and interpretations are correct. For the sake of easiness for people to read and share, in this essay, I am reorganizing my previous discussions and including some explanations on certain confusions as well.

First, there are numerous provinces and cities in China using TCM to fight the “COVID-19” (I will use the term “Coronavirus” from now on.) No matter whether the treatments were primarily using TCM or the combination of TCM and the methods of Western medicine, there have been a significant amount of positive outcomes. On the other hand, the views of how to use TCM to treat and the use of corresponding herbal formulas vary quite a bit. Even when TCM remedies were effective, why did some patients fully recover and were discharged from the hospitals but other patients still could not get the virus-free “negative confirmation” from virus DNA tests?

Many TCM doctors participating in the treatments and discussions often look at the Coronavirus issue from a single “Point” or the condition of the patient at that specific moment. Some interpreted the disease as “Dampness” (濕), “Dryness” (燥), “Cold” (寒), or “Heat” (熱). (Translator’s note: These interpretations are often the opposite ends of the spectra, like Dampness is opposite to Dryness; and Cold is opposite to Heat.) From the clinical practice point of view, those treatments based on such conflicting interpretations all had positive effects to some degrees. Then, which interpretation is the “correct one”? In fact, those simple interpretations all have some merits but don’t fully cover the subject in hand. Although TCM is based on “Dialectical Treatment” (辯證論治), i.e. treatment is derived from “observation and diagnosis” of patients’ complex symptoms, the most important thing is that disease shouldn’t be viewed as an isolated problem at a specific time, but the whole development of symptoms along a timeline. Not only we need to observe and diagnose the current ailment but also we have to understand the development history of the disease and to project how the disease will develop in the future. For a single patient, we might be able to focus on the clinical results of this patient. But for epidemics, we have to look at a bigger picture and take into account how this Coronavirus develops health issues inside the human body from TCM’s perspective. And, in clinical treatments, we also need to consider many variants caused by each patient’s preconditions and one’s strength to fight off the disease.

From my experience of curing many patients who were inflicted with flu-induced pneumonia and complications, and the recent participation in treating and curing Coronavirus patients, it is proper to summarize that no matter whether the virus is Coronavirus, bird flu, swine flu, or the “common” flu, we found that the bodily deterioration caused by the virus, in general, follows the description from the TCM theory first covered in the ancient literature “Treatise on Cold Damage on Miscellaneous Disease ” (傷寒雜病論). However, the progressions of the disease from such special viruses are much faster, more severe, and/or more persistent than that of the common flu. Patients’ own original “health” condition also complicates the progression. (Translator’s note: For example, the infliction rate of young children is much smaller than that of adults for Coronavirus.)

As I explained before, the TCM theory discussed that for the common flu or “catching a cold”, the disease starts with “Exterior Deficiency or Weakness” (表虛). That is, the “exterior” of the body is invaded by the “External Pathogen” (外邪), like virus, and has adverse reactions. (Translator’s note: Here the exterior doesn’t mean just the outside surface of the body like the skin, but all the surfaces topologically exposed to the outside like lining of throat, nose, and bronchus of the body.) This is the first stage of the whole episode and often can be effectively treated with the herbal prescriptions such as “Gui Zhi Tang” (桂枝湯). If the patient is not properly treated, the body fluids within the surface and muscles could not function properly. It will cause the transition to the next stage “Exterior Excess” (表實). (Translator’s note: The word Excess has various meanings: excessive reactions all the way to neoplasm, excessive wasteful things, etc.) Viral infection at this stage is matched to one of the several syndromes named with the corresponding herbal remedies such as “Ge Geng Tang” (葛根湯), “Ma Huang Tang” (麻黃湯證), and others. The TCM theory calls this stage “Exterior Coldness” (表寒). In history, many TCM doctors considered this stage as the body being hurt by outside coldness (傷於寒) or in plain words “Catching Cold”. However, that is a misunderstanding. While outside coldness is one of the causes leading to the stage “Exterior Coldness”, it is not the only cause. When the body fluids could not function properly, the normal body fluids which had proper fluidity to circulate and to fulfill vital functions (活水) became a pot of “Dead Water” (死水), i.e. wasteful water which can’t fulfill vital functions. In other words, the ancient literature “Treatise on Cold Damage on Miscellaneous Disease” (傷寒雜病論) is much beyond the simple interpretation of how to treat the ailment caused by “cold damage”, but a classical literature of explaining both the physiology and pathology of human body functions.

Normally, the ailment or symptoms of the common flu would be limited at this stage of “Exterior Coldness”. Even without any treatment, the human body often could fight off the virus with an immune response and fully recover. But when the effects of Exterior Coldness started to penetrate into the interior of the body, the first common organs to be affected will be the organs that have a short path to the outside. (Translator’s note: Topologically, trachea and lung are only a membrane distance away from the outside air.) Then the Exterior Coldness gets transformed into the next stages such as “Interior Coldness” (裡寒) and “Lung Coldness” (肺寒). (Translator’s note: Here “Lung” means the whole respiratory system, not only the lung organ.) Clinically, the patients start to show symptoms of the syndrome named after its herbal remedy “Xiao Qing Long Tang” (小青龍湯). At this stage, the patients have serious coughing and running nose. When the respiratory system is “affected by the coldness”, the body fluid function of the respiratory system gets affected. Just like when the cooling system of a car malfunctions, the engine would overheat. The circulation function of the lung becomes “Dry and Overheated” (燥热). This would lead to the next stage of “Heated Interior” (入裡化熱) and often be matched to its herbal remedy “Da Qing Long Tang” (大青龍湯). At this stage, it does not mean that the whole lung is “dry and heated”. In fact, many pneumonia patients exhibit “mixed coldness and heat” (寒熱夾雜) in the lung. For example, while the upper part of the lung is “dry and heated”, the lower part of the lung might suffer excessive mucus of a high density. Pleural effusion and hydronephrosis might start to develop quickly.

Such a complex situation was extensively discussed in Chapter 7 of the ancient literature “Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber” (金匱要略肺痿肺癰咳嗽上氣病脈證治第七篇). At this complex stage, the illness development varies significantly among patients of different preconditions and other variants. It is no longer the situation that a simple herbal remedy can be applied to all the situations. The TCM theory illustrates various treatments by those herbal remedies such as “She Gan Ma Hung Tang” (射干麻黃湯), “Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang” (葶藶大棗瀉肺湯), ”Ze Qi Tang” (澤漆湯), “Xiao Qing Long Jia Shi Gao Tang” (小青龍加石膏湯), and others. It doesn’t mean that one of the herbal remedies should be selected to treat a patient directly. Instead, the TCM Theory used these herbal remedies to teach its practitioners how to “think” and create a proper herbal remedy based on the conditions of a specific patient.

For example, the Coronavirus has quite a puzzling situation that many Western medicine doctors haven’t yet fully understood. Some severely affected patients exhibited fibrosis of the lung like the SARS phenomenon. Other severely affected patients did not have SARS-like lung fibrosis but had massive liquid cumulated in the lung, which even “drown” some patients to death. From the TCM point of view, it is not strange at all. Fibrosis of the lung is the typical following stage of Heated Interior matching to “Da Qing Long Tang” (大青龍湯). It was named as “Lung Atrophy” (肺痿) in the TCM theory. And the situation that one suffers from massive dense liquid accumulation is matched to symptoms of severe development after the stages matched to “She Gan Ma Hung Tang”( 射干麻黃湯) , “Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang” (葶藶大棗瀉肺湯), and others as discussed earlier. The TCM theory called it “Lung Abscess” (肺癰). In the TCM theory, Lung Atrophy and Lung Abscess are two progression paths of this virus depending on which path develops faster or even simultaneously. From the past and current reports, SARS virus tilts toward the path of Lung Atrophy, while the Coronavirus tilts a little more toward Lung Abscess.

The above explained the progression of flu and other epidemic virus infections. Now you might understand how different TCM doctors had different views or treatment methods, but all of the treatments had some partially positive effects. If a TCM doctor’s diagnosis at one particular moment was slight hotness of the lung, some mild herbs to “clean up the heat” (清熱解毒輕劑), often used by the “Southern School” doctrine (溫病派), might relieve the patient’s symptoms. But if a TCM doctor’s diagnosis at a different point of the progression was massive mucus accumulation, heavy dosage of strong herbs, often used by the “Northern or Classic School” doctrine (經方派) might be needed to treat Lung Abscess (肺癰). That is why we saw some reports that the “Pneumonia Formula One” (肺炎一號) used in Guangzhou city, which was based on mild herbs to reducing the “heat”, had some positive effects in Guangzhou but not so effective in Shanghai. In Shanghai, many TCM doctors had to switch to stronger herbal ingredient often found in “Da Qing Long Tang” (大青龍湯) and “She Gan Ma Hung Tang”( 射干麻黃湯) as discussed earlier. This was due to different weather patterns and different patients, i.e. different progression paths described in the previous paragraphs. In other words, from the specific moment of the doctor’s diagnosis, both views were correct. But neither of them grasped the progression timeline of this severe illness.

Another point raised earlier was why did some patients fully recover while others did not? According to the information given by the doctors on the front line, there were so-called “Western medicine and TCM combined treatments” in which Western medicine drugs were continuously given to the patients and TCM herbs were used as supplements. When adding TCM herbs had a positive effect and made a speedier recovery, it was all goodness. But when adding TCM herbs did not have positive results, then what? According to the doctors on the front line, the medical team did not really think through the stages of disease progression as discussed earlier and switch to different TCM remedies, but only increased the dosage of Western medicine drugs such as Interferon (干擾素), Chloroquine phosphate (磷酸氯喹) used to treat malaria (抗瘧疾藥物), Arbidol (阿比多爾) used to treat influenza (抗流感藥物), and others. Heavy dosages of such drugs had severe side effects and sequelae. In those “combined” treatments, the medical teams didn’t have enough TCM expertise to make sound decisions on herbal remedies. Instead, they simply used TCM herbs as “extra help”.

How about treatments primarily with TCM remedies? The chief Western medicine expert who leads the fight against the Coronavirus, Dr. Nanshan Zhong, admitted under political pressure that TCM was useful against light or even medium threat situations of Coronavirus but insisted that TCM could not cure severe cases. His statement was based on his belief that there is no ingredient in TCM herbs that could kill Coronavirus. I am sorry to say that Dr. Zhong is incorrect in this aspect. With solid patient cases as proof, TCM can actually cure severe cases of Coronavirus infection and other flu-related infections. When it did not, it is the particular TCM doctors who had not mastered the whole theory and methodology of TCM. But one thing that Dr. Zhong said correctly was that no ingredient in TCM herbs can “kill” the virus. However, the TCM treatment isn’t based on the ability to kill the virus. (Translator’s note: Western medicine drugs could not kill the virus either.) Many people still have the level of limited understanding that TCM can only improve the immunization ability or some herbs such as the root of Isatis tinctoria (板藍根) has some natural antibiotic chemicals. Such understanding is unfortunately poor and very limited. Although modern medical science still could not fully comprehend TCM theory and its clinical outcome, against Coronavirus, the better explanation is that TCM remedies can “improve the internal environment of the human body”. (Translator’s note: So that the patient would not fall into the adverse conditions that the organs fail to function.) In plain words, when the virus causes more mucus, TCM remedies reduce the mucus. When the virus causes fibrosis, TCM remedies reduce the “heat level” of the lung. TCM remedies tend to push the body and organs back to the original healthy states. Once the environment is unfriendly for the virus to keep replicating, the patients will have higher chances to eradicate the virus by themselves and recover. One can probably say that this explanation and method is similar to the idea of using Western medicine Interferon but without severe side effects. That is, TCM can cure not because it has the ability to “kill” virus by some ingredients but to help to restore patients’ “internal environment” to healthier conditions that prevent the virus from replicating quickly. (Translator’s note: If one buys the same argument made by Dr. Zhong that a medication needs to have ingredients to kill the Coronavirus, then all the medications used today would not qualify. Then do we give up? In fact, why TCM was not selected to treat severe cases was because those stronger and less commonly used herbs were not applied properly or the TCM doctors at hand had less confidence for doing so. )

Now, we can go back to discuss how clinically TCM can treat and cure Coronavirus patients. For light to mild cases, most of the different TCM treatment methodologies could help. For medium to severe cases, as I discussed in my previous essay, we need to utilize the strength of certain herbs:

- Sheng Shi Gao (Gypsum, 生石膏): To reduce heat inside the lung (清肺熱) and enhance the liquid circulation in the respiratory system (加強肺津液運作)

- She Gan (Belamcanda chinensis, 射干)、Zi Wan (Aster tataricus, 紫菀) 、Kuan Dong Hua (Tussilago farfara flower, 款冬花)、Sheng Ban Xia (Pinellia ternate, 生半夏)、Ting Li (Sisymbrium indicum, 葶藶)、Da Ji (Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr., 大戟), etc.: To reduce accumulation of excessive mucus and wasteful fluids inside the respiratory system (去肺下方濃稠痰飲、肺積水、胸腔積液等)

- Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica Stapf., 麻黃), etc.: To enhance the lung function (宣肺、發陽)

- Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon japonicas, 麥門冬)、Xing Ren (Prunus armeniaca, 杏仁): To moisturize the lung (潤肺)

That is, we need to combine the theory and targeted responses of the various herbal remedies such as “Da Qing Long Tang” (大青龍湯), “She Gan Ma Hung Tang” (射干麻黃湯) , “Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang” (葶藶大棗瀉肺湯), ”Ze Qi Tang” (澤漆湯)“, etc. as discussed earlier, and properly adjust the dosages and ratios of ingredients to fit the requirements of individual patients based on their conditions. In addition, if the patients have other ailments, those conditions need to be taken into account also, such as:

- For “Coldness and Wetness of the Middle and Lower Abdomen“ (中下焦寒濕) or “Deficient Kidney Function” (腎陽不足): Add Bao Fu Zi (processed Aconitum carmichaelii Debx root, 炮附子)、Xi Xin (Asarum sieboldii, 細辛), etc.

- When the liver function is weak or damaged by heavy dosages of Western medicine drugs such as interferon: Add Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix, 柴胡)、Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalnsis Geprgi root, 黃芩), etc.

There is no question that it is very challenging to fight off the Coronavirus. The clinical treatments will seriously test TCM doctors’ thorough understanding of TCM and their ability and courage to call the right shots under a great amount of pressure. On the other hand, it is also a good time to prove that TCM can be effectively used to fight various viruses in a superb and speedy fashion with little sequelae and at a much lower cost.

For fighting such a new and aggressive virus epidemic, there is no single TCM herbal formula that can treat all situations. One must have deep knowledge of the stages of the disease, along with close examinations on patients’ preconditions, so one can use the most effective prescription to intercept and turn the symptoms around. On the other hand, many provinces and cities in China provided TCM guidelines on Coronavirus treatments and pre-fixed herbal formulas to address people’s demands on a herbal remedy for “common usage”. Among them, I found the current recommendation from the Chinese National TCM Administration the most appropriate for a good percentage of Coronavirus patients. The herbal remedy was recently named as “Qing Fei Pai Du Tang” (清肺排毒湯), which could probably be translated to “clean up the lung and get rid of the toxic”. In line with the discussion above, this specific herbal formula includes Ma Huang (Ephedra sinica Stapf., 麻黃), Zhi Gan Cao (processed Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., 炙甘草)、Xing Ren (Prunus armeniaca, 杏仁)、Sheng Shi Gao (Gypsum, 生石膏)、Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamom, 桂枝)、Ze Xie (Alisma orientalis, 澤瀉)、Zhu Ling (Polyporus umbellatus, 豬苓)、Bai Zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., 白朮)、Fu Ling (Poria, 茯苓)、Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix, 柴胡)、Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalnsis Geprgi root, 黃芩)、Jiang Ban Xia (Pinellia ternate, 薑半夏)、Sheng Jiang (Ginger, 生薑)、Zi Wan (Aster tataricus, 紫菀)、Kuan Dong Hua (Tussilago farfara flower, 款冬花)、She Gan (Belamcanda chinensis, 射干)、Xi Xin (Asarum sieboldii, 細辛)、Shan Yao (Dioscorea oppositifolia, 山药)、Zhi Shi (Citrus aurantium, 枳實)、Chen Pi (Citrus reticulata Blanco, 陳皮)、and Huo Xiang (Pogostemon cabin, 藿香). Since such an herbal remedy was designed for “common usage”, it has to consider all degrees of disease severity. Therefore, the dosages can’t be too heavy, as the majority of the patient cases are light to mild. As the result, “Da Qing Long Tang” (大青龍湯) discussed earlier became a lighter herbal formula named as “Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang” (麻杏甘石湯). The stronger herbal ingredients such as Ting Li (Sisymbrium indicum, 葶藶) and Da Ji (Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr., 大戟) to treat pleural effusion and hydronephrosis are not included. Hence, for severe cases, the herbal remedy from the Chinese National TCM Administration needs to be enhanced with additional ingredients and larger dosages.

In summary, as long as the TCM doctors have sufficient knowledge and clinical experience, by applying the proper methodology, TCM alone is capable of dealing with severe Coronavirus infections. (Translator’s note: There is much to do to develop a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment methodology which can help many TCM doctors to pinpoint the patient’s condition and stages of the infection to make the proper decision, especially when fully qualified TCM doctors are of short supply.) At this moment, there is no “special drug” in Western medicine to cure Coronavirus, but to resort to cortisone, antibiotics, interferon, anti-malaria, anti-flu drugs to maintain the lives of patients and passively wait and hope that the patients’ bodies can find their own way to turn the situation around. Even then, the Western medicine drugs mentioned above all potentially have significant side effects and sequelae. Patients with severe cases might be able to get out of the deathbed but most likely live with some permanent damages to the body. Dr. Zhong, China’s chief Western medicine expert on the Coronavirus epidemic, also warned that the current path of developing the “special drug” would most likely lead to severe sequelae to the patients. Given that is the case, why don’t we put much more effort to fully develop the TCM treatment of viral infection, not just for Coronavirus but also for future viruses which will bound to happen in the future?

(Translator’s note: As China is getting good control of the virus spread and gradually recovers from this epidemic, the knowledge learned will be invaluable to the rest of the world. Europe and the United States are on the exponential rise of new cases as of the writing on 3/14/2020. Various models predict that in the US alone Coronavirus infections can reach millions, as discussed in the Opinion Column of New York Times, “How Much Worse the Coronavirus Could Get, in Charts” by Nicholas Kristof and Stuart A. Thompson, March 13, 2020. China should continue to put efforts to develop TCM diagnostic and treatment methodology so that millions of people in the rest of the world can be helped and saved. TCM is not just for science, it is for humanity.)

（http://andylee.pro/wp/?p=7729）
#當張仲景遇上史丹佛

[時事英文] 紐約時報報導: 武漢冠狀病毒*

The mysterious coronavirus that has killed at least four people and sickened more than 200 in China is capable of spreading from person to person, a prominent Chinese scientist said on Monday, adding to fears of a broader epidemic.

一位著名的中國科學家於週一表示，已在中國造成至少四人死亡、超過200人患病的神秘冠狀病毒能夠在人際之間傳播。這加劇了人們對更大範圍疫情的擔憂。

1. the mysterious coronavirus 神秘的冠狀病毒
2. be capable of… 能夠
3. spread from person to person 人際之間傳播
4. a prominent scientist 著名的中國科學家
5. add to fears 加劇了擔憂
6. broader epidemic 更大範圍的疫情

*Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously known by the provisional name 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus.It is contagious in humans and is the cause of the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak, an epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has been designated a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_novel_coronavirus

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The authorities had previously said the deadly virus seemed capable of spreading only from animals to humans in most cases, tracing the outbreak to a market in Wuhan.

有關部門此前曾表示，多數情況下，這種致命病毒似乎只會從動物傳播給人類，並將疫情追溯到武漢的一個市場。

7. trace the outbreak to… 將疾病的爆發追溯到…

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“Now we can say it is certain that it is a human-to-human transmission phenomenon,” Zhong Nanshan, a scientist who is leading a government-appointed expert panel on the outbreak, said in an interview on state-run television on Monday.

「現在可以說，肯定有人傳人現象，」科學家鍾南山週一在國家電視台的採訪中說。他是政府指定的專家小組的負責人。

8. human-to-human transmission 人傳人
9. expert panel 專家小組
10. state-run television 國家電視台

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The World Health Organization announced Monday that it was convening an emergency meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 22, “to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and what recommendations should be made to manage it.”

世界衛生組織(World Health Organization)週一宣布，將於1月22日（週三）召開緊急會議，「以確定此次疫情是否構成國際關注的突發公共衛生事件，以及應採取何種措施進行應對」。

11. convene an emergency meeting 召開緊急會議
12. ascertain whether… 確定…是否…
13. constitute 構成
14. a public health emergency 公共衛生緊急事件
15. International concern 國際關注
16. make recommendations 提出建議

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Symptoms of infection include a high fever, difficulty breathing and lung lesions. Milder cases may resemble the flu or a bad cold, making detection very difficult. The incubation period — the time from exposure to the onset of symptoms — is believed to be about two weeks.

感染癥狀包括高燒、呼吸困難和肺部病變。較輕的病例可能類似於流感或重感冒，使檢測非常困難。潛伏期——從接觸病毒到癥狀發作的時間——大約為兩週。

17. symptoms of the infection 感染癥狀
18. lung lesions 肺部病變，損傷
19. milder cases 較輕的病例
20. resemble 類似；與…相似
21. the incubation period 潛伏期*
22. from exposure to the onset of symptoms 從接觸病毒到癥狀發作

*http://terms.naer.edu.tw/detail/1320192/

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To prevent the spread of respiratory infections, the W.H.O. recommends that people wash their hands regularly, cover their mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, and avoid direct contact with farm or wild animals.

為防止呼吸道感染的傳播，世界衛生組織建議人們經常洗手，咳嗽和打噴嚏時捂住口鼻，避免同農場或野生的動物直接接觸。

23. respiratory infection 呼吸道感染
24. recommend that... 建議…
25. avoid direct contact with... 避免或…直接接觸

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Sources:

https://cn.nytimes.com/…/coronavirus-china-sy…/zh-hant/dual/

https://cn.nytimes.com/…/…/what-is-coronavirus/zh-hant/dual/

Image source: https://www.nytimes.com/20…/…/21/health/cdc-coronavirus.html

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接下來則是提供同學預防疾病相關的關鍵片語:

Set I. 我們從預防疾病(disease prevention)相關的詞彙組塊 (lexical chunks) 開始:

1. improve our hygiene (加強衛生)
2. wet (弄濕), lather (起泡), scrub (搓洗), rinse (洗淨), and dry our hands (擦乾我們的手)
3. cook poultry and pork thoroughly (煮熟雞肉和豬肉)
4. refrigerate all leftovers (冷藏剩菜)
5. get vaccinated (注射預防針)
6. develop an immunity to (對…產生免疫)

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Set II. 當我們生病時我們應該用甚麼相關的詞彙組塊來表達?

1. contract a disease (感染一種病)
2. receive treatment (接受治療 )
3. seek help from a medical professional (尋求專業醫療照護)
4. do not diagnose our own illnesses (不要自行診斷)
5. follow the doctor’s orders (聽從醫師的指示)
6. take our medication and follow the prescription (遵循處方吃藥)
7. follow the prescribed course of treatment (遵循處方治療)
8. not finishing the prescription may slow down the healing process (沒吃完處方簽藥物可能會延緩復原的時間 )
9. cause germs to develop antibiotic resistance (導致細菌產生抗藥性)

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Set III. 以下是與流行疾病相關的詞彙組塊:

1. contain an outbreak (阻止疫情的爆發)
2. contagious disease (傳染病)
3. an epidemic (流行病)
4. a pandemic (國家疫情爆發或擴散)
5. a global pandemic (國家和全世界的流行病)
6. avoid touching our mouths, noses, or eyes (避免觸碰我們的口鼻眼)
7. cover our mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing (咳嗽或打噴嚏時請遮口鼻)
8. avoid crowded places (避免前往人多的地方)
9. reduce human transmission 減少人類傳染
10. stay home if you show signs of illness (若感到不適請留在家中)
11. develop symptoms of the diseases (產生生病症狀)
12. seek medical attention by contacting your health care provider (與您的醫療服務提供者聯絡尋求醫療協助)
13. have severe symptoms (有嚴重的症狀)
14. difficulty in breathing (難以呼吸)
15. wear a surgical mask (使用外科口罩)
16. reduce chances of contracting a disease (避免染上疾病)
17. pay attention to public announcements about the disease (注意關於疫情的公告)
18. be prepared for possible pandemics (對於疫情爆發要有準備)

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Set IV. 最後我們要如何保持健康的詞彙組塊:

1. stay healthy (保持健康)
2. mentally healthy (心理上的健康)
3. understand our own emotions (認識與了解自己的情緒)
4. talk to others about problems such as depressions
(與其他人談談自己的問題，如情緒低落或憂鬱)
5. stay socially healthy (維持社交上的健康)
6. maintain good relationships (維持良好的關係)
7. stay physically healthy (維持生理上的健康)
8. exercise regularly (定期地運動)
9. get plenty of rest (有充足的休息)
10. maintain healthy eating habits (保持健康飲食習慣)
11. eat nutritious meals (每餐要吃得營養)

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保健心智圖: https://goo.gl/seqt5k

保健相關單字: https://wp.me/p44l9b-Tt (+mp3)

時事英文大全: https://wp.me/p44l9b-1Y8