Recommended Accounts
Much more professional than mine!
Main Text
Original article 【Essay】7 Recommended Public Accounts for Medical Skill Majors
Writing public account articles has been going on for over a year and a half, with a total of six essays, about one every three to four months. The last one was still in November last year, so it’s time to write another.
Recently, various matters have been taxing and stressful, greatly reducing my input, which naturally made it difficult to produce high-quality content. However, the public account’s followers recently surpassed 300, and I even discovered that some impressive teachers follow me. I felt obligated to post something.
Therefore, I decided to write an essay to share some of my treasured public accounts (doge) with everyone. I have only over 300 followers, not even worth advertising to, so you don’t have to worry about any biased recommendations.
During my learning process, these public accounts have influenced me perhaps as much as reading medical books. Rather than me summarizing their quality content, readers might better grasp more by reading the original materials directly.
The specific categories cover four main types: large-pulse diagnostics (dà fāng mài), acupuncture, manual therapy, and comprehensive types. I will introduce them in order below. Each public account is accompanied by hyperlinks to several articles, including the most famous articles and those I consider classics, to help you understand the content style and the medical system of the account owner.
My visible scope is limited, please forgive any omissions. Also, feel free to send me message recommendations on public accounts; let’s exchange resources.
Reminder before reading: Professional public accounts mainly contain scattered knowledge points, but this does not mean that reading or studying these articles in fragmented time is sufficient. Reading professional content requires time, patience, and deep thinking—much like reading medical texts.
Alright, that’s enough small talk, let’s get to the substantive content. There’s quite a lot, so feel free to bookmark and read slowly.
Comprehensive Type
1. Tao Shengyi
Those who read Dr. Tao’s public account often will naturally understand why this is placed first among comprehensive types. For those who haven’t read it, here’s an article below — a collection of medical case reports by Dr. Tao before November last year. Going through it, you will understand.
《Summary of Written Medical Cases》
Dr. Tao’s greatest influence on me lies in greatly broadening my horizons and vision. As a side note, Tao Shengyi is not the account owner’s real name.
2. Sanwu Medical Studio
An alumnus with a master’s and bachelor’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine. I discovered this account through the following article: 《Those Years, We Studied Traditional Chinese Medicine Together》. It was posted right after the college entrance exam, hence it spread widely on social media.
The article tells the personal experience of the account owner, “Teacher Qian Yun Zhu,” on the path of Chinese medicine. The formation process of his medical system, in his words, is “to enter the Dao through acupuncture, then open the doors to herbal medicines, exercises, zhuyou (traditional healing techniques), and a series of methods through acupuncture.”
This teacher’s techniques are also extremely rich. “Entering the Dao through acupuncture” means acupuncture occupies a major part. On one hand, it is reflected by the article’s detailed introduction of traditional acupuncture subtypes and sharing of acupuncture materials; on the other hand, there is this article: 《Intermediate Techniques in Ling Shu, Complete Beginner’s Guide to Renying and Cunkou Acupuncture》. Also, there are two articles covering acupuncture emergency cases and more details, but space is limited to list here.
Regarding exercise and manual techniques, see 《Exercise Chapter: Miscellaneous Talks and Deepening of Supplementation and Drainage Techniques》, as well as the Five Dragon acupuncture methods series, which focus more on theory than a set of moves, linking needle manipulation with massage acupoint techniques. Personally, I find this quite valuable.
In his herbal article 《Deconstructing My Tongue and Pulse Techniques》 at the very bottom, there is a hyperlink to a case of possession illness. It quotes: “Thousands of medical prescriptions cannot cover all their properties, hence there are decoctions, acupuncture, prohibitive incantations, talismans, and exercises. These five methods are all emergency techniques.”
3. Li Chun
A senior fellow trained in the Daoist medical system with a lineage. The article 《Current Differences Between ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’ Inside and Outside the System》 mentions his learning path, summarizing that it mainly involves visiting famous teachers outside the system. He calls himself: “Looking back over ten years on the TCM path, it’s been twisting and arduous. So every time I talk about my medical path with friends, I say it’s a highly non-repeatable, rugged path, not suitable for mass selection.”
Though a Daoist practitioner, he does not recommend students fall into big pits such as numerology, sticking to medical technologies instead. His methods mainly feature acupuncture and herbal medicines. The acupuncture has a Daoist lineage, a classical system based on Ling, Su, and acupuncture mastery. There are case series such as 《Stage IV Ovarian Cancer with Liver Metastasis (Part 1)》, and 《Post-operative Pulmonary Metastasis of Upper Lip Ductal Carcinoma: Lucky Ones Are Favored by Heaven (Part 1)》, several visits combining acupuncture and herbal medicine.
He has a group chat “Medical Progress Together,” recently focusing on meridian systems and acupuncture.
Large-Pulse Diagnostics
1. Medical Daoist Kui—Bao Yongsheng
Teacher Bao is a young traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but he is the big shot I am willing to call “teacher.” His Zhihu nickname is “Bao Guowai” (包彀外).
I often mentioned Teacher Bao in previous shares, and this time I want to emphasize him first in the large-pulse diagnostics category.
Here are two articles by Teacher Bao. The first is 《Reviews and Comments on Historical Medical Books (Recommended Readings and Insights for Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine)》. Teacher Bao evaluates historical medical books with a rating system of up to ten stars, recommending based on star levels.
What is amazing about this article is firstly the sheer number of recommended books, especially the six- and seven-star parts, whose titles nearly cover two phone screens in WeChat’s standard font size. Even more respectable is that almost every book has commentary, with substantial content and very fair evaluations of historical doctors. This article proves Teacher Bao’s rich knowledge and points out the right path of medical Dao for later learners.
The second article is Teacher Bao’s famous case: 《40ml Cerebral Hemorrhage Accompanied by Confusion, Facial Droop, and Hemiplegia: Treatment Experience》. An acute cerebral hemorrhage case diagnosed online, with six visits. The patient was misdiagnosed and mistreated in between, in critical condition. Teacher Bao took over, prescribed half the dosage initially, clearing the mind. Within ten days, the patient walked normally and recovered faster than other patients, astonishing local doctors. After the fourth visit, treatment paused for a month; the patient then received electro-acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment in a rehabilitation hospital in Qingdao, condition worsened, and he returned to Teacher Bao, who gradually improved the patient.
Among the large-pulse diagnostics practitioners I have encountered, Teacher Bao is the strongest—the so-called legendary man. His Zhihu account “Bao Guowai” is updated irregularly with case records and previous Q&A related to Chinese medicine, worth browsing. The public account stopped updating long ago; interested readers should follow his Zhihu activities instead.
I do not superstitiously worship Teacher Bao. What he shows me is a medical Dao path with broad learning, returning from broad to concise, something traceable. Also, his boldness impresses me greatly. In the stroke case, Teacher Bao told the patient, “I have never treated stroke before, but I have read numerous books and know all situations, so I won’t make mistakes.” The patient’s family’s comment was accurate: “You have great courage, so young, never seen a case before, but with such a powerful knowledge base and extraordinary boldness.”
Teacher Bao once said, “I learned Chinese medicine to treat major diseases; otherwise, why would I have chosen all five of my college application choices as Chinese medicine?” During university, when advised not to study stroke and to only use simple acupuncture techniques to retain patients, Teacher Bao said: “I studied not only stroke but also malaria, diphtheria, cholera; I basically finished reading famous medical cases. No hesitation—if you are sick, I dare to treat you.” The heart of a great doctor is evident.
A few days ago, Teacher Bao held a lecture, “From Beginning to Clinical Practice (Part 1)” and “Tongxin Society Series Lecture | From Beginning to Clinical Practice (Part 2)”, published on the public account “Tongxing Society.”
2. Daohao Zhang Youzi
An older alumnus of our school’s Qihuang Class, who in February this year shared his personal experience surviving outside the system in the article 《Guide to Actions Outside the System》, which received many shares and follows. He said, “I want freedom, want to be a pure doctor, want to explore the truth of traditional Chinese medicine, no need to waste energy on trivial things, so I don’t want to enter the system.” Hence chose to survive outside the system.
By coincidence, I had already followed this alumnus before he posted the article. What attracted me was the case reports, prescription styles, and “light, delicate, and agile writing style” on his public account.
Some classic case reports include: 《Case of Food Stagnation (Yège Case)》, 18 visits, eroded gastritis with signs of cancerous transformation evolved into superficial gastritis; 《High Fever Case》, two weeks of high fever worsening, previous treatment ineffective, three doses reduced fever; 《Constipation Case》, relieving constipation immediately after unveiling the pot lid; 《Yinjiang-jue Case》, critical admission, family almost gave up, mainly treated with decoctions, improved and discharged; and 《Two Cases of Body Pain》, many wonderful cases worth studying and contemplating.
He also has several comfortable essays: 《Miscellaneous Talks and Observations》, 《Record of Observations II》, 《Record of Observations III》, 《Late Night Suddenly Dreaming of Youthful Times》. Reading his words, I often think of Professor Liu Guo of Wenbing Studies who often speaks of “lightness and agility,” evoking such feelings.
The alumnus’ system and learning path can be seen in 《Learning Sequence》.
He likes to prescribe small formulas, mostly small dosages. During the pandemic, I had no medicine pot at home and had to use large enamel bowls to decoct, gradually liking the style of small formulas. It truly saves money.
Acupuncture
1. Common Doctor Xiye
Senior brother Xing was also recommended in my previous articles; now I’ll elaborate further.
He once wrote an article titled 《First Year as a Resident, Competitiveness Led to My Roommate Quitting School》, describing his growth path, mainly practicing, reflecting, and improving therapeutic effects extensively during hospital internships and residency training. “Accumulating experience bit by bit, earning reputation bit by bit, and building medical skills bit by bit, little by little, grain by grain.”
He uses his personal experience to refute the claim that “seeking therapeutic effects in traditional Chinese medicine is infeasible,” greatly encouraging us students who are devoted to Chinese medical skills.
Regarding academic system, he seems mainly classical with Ling and Su Da Cheng (Lingsu) as the core, but with some modern elements as well—a rather refined approach and system. It’s not easy to describe; it’s easier to understand through his medical cases.
The first case is 《Habitual Constipation Patient Blocked the Toilet???》. This was probably his first known case, with obvious effects, showing the initial refinement of his system. But compared to later cases, it doesn’t yet show the “step-by-step” sense of order.
The second case is 《Cancer-induced Dyspnea and Asthma Case》. Though this case has fewer views, it is my personal favorite and the most worthy of study among Xing’s cases. During a one and a half hour consultation and treatment, he proceeded in four steps, showing “the hierarchical nature of acupuncture treatment: from laying the groundwork, to ordering, to removing obstacles, and finally targeted strikes”, step by step with clear order and thought. This thought is unified under his refined diagnostics and cognitive system. Correspondingly, the patient experienced different feelings with each step—from no change, to significant symptom relief and epigastric warmth, then to burping and epigastric relaxation—all consistent with treatment stages.
Afterwards, there are cases like 《Common Doctor Says: Breaking the Deadlock: Constant Wailing but Cognitive Decline and Mixed Aphasia》, multiple cerebral infarctions with cognitive decline, needle retention for one hour, symptoms improved visibly half an hour after needle removal, consciousness improved, even compatriots in the ward noticed improvement; and 《Common Doctor Says: Emergency Cases in Emergency Department》, emergency patient with sternum pain, cardiac diseases excluded, ineffective treatment with rabeprazole and chest aerosol even worsened symptoms; half an hour after needle treatment, symptoms abated; next morning revisited with no relapse. These two cases fully demonstrate the orderliness of the brother’s diagnostic and treatment system, especially noticeable in emergencies.
More valuable is that he analyzes his overall understanding of disease mechanism and the rationale behind each acupuncture point in detail after each case, explaining very clearly. Therefore, although updates are quite slow (doge), it remains the most worth-following acupuncture public account I know.
Brother Xing has no family tradition in medicine but managed to self-study to such a high level and can stand his ground outside Beijing’s system even before graduate school — a huge encouragement to us.
2. Difficult to Insert Needle
This person also seems to be an older alumnus from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM). In my impression, the account owner’s theoretical system mainly involves two parts. First is abdominal acupuncture. The owner studied an abdominal acupuncture course during undergraduate, taught by an elder student of Bo Zhiyun, and later became a student of the instructor himself.
The other major part is the Inner Canon, including methods like the three parts and nine nodes comprehensive diagnosis; frequently used “growth” terminology in cases; acupuncture techniques like Yang Ci, Yin Ci, and Bao Ci—all styles from the early Inner Canon era. Aside from these two major parts, there are some modern elements too, such as Wang Juyi’s meridian diagnosis methods, dynamic needle techniques, and Jiao Mianzai’s content, making for a rich system.
This public WeChat account has two main points worth recommending. First, the update frequency: since November 2021, it has posted 107 articles, averaging 6 updates per month; second, the content mainly consists of medical case studies, and almost every case is followed by annotations from the Inner Canon of Huangdi (Nei Jing), which strongly demonstrates the account owner’s deep understanding and application of the Inner Canon.
I have not yet studied this public account thoroughly, comprehensively, or deeply, but after reading a few articles, I was deeply impressed, so I have starred and followed it. Because I haven’t read much, the articles I recommend below are probably not the most outstanding ones; I can only select two recent representative articles to provide links and showcase the style: one is “Acupuncture treatment for post-COVID hand tremors case study”, and the other is “Two cases of acupuncture treating insomnia”.
I think this account should be read as a “collection of acupuncture case studies based on the theoretical core of Ling Shu and Su Wen,” richer than the previously recommended Gao Shuzhong’s The One-Needle Therapy, and can be used as a key to unlock the Inner Canon.
I roughly understand that the content in this public account is rich and worthy of study. Unfortunately, I have not yet devoted dedicated time and energy to seriously studying it, as I have been primarily focused on reading books related to prescriptions and medicines. My internship is about to begin in May, and once I finish the five exams at hand, I should start going through this electronic book of acupuncture case studies.
3. Zheng Zedao
The account owner is a senior from the same major. The account name is also not the real name, but here I will still call him Senior Zheng. Senior Zheng focuses more on acupuncture and dermatology. His most famous article is “Investigation results on standardized training status”, which has reached over 10,000 views.
I have somewhat complicated feelings about recommending this public account due to my academic bias. But on one hand, setting aside prejudices, Senior Zheng is one of the few excellent seniors who can independently see patients and acquire patient sources before graduating as a graduate student; on the other hand, he is also a role model for bravely withdrawing from the training program in the first year to switch from a professional master’s to an academic master’s degree, pursuing medical skills wholeheartedly and never forgetting his original intention. Overall, it is highly recommended, and the academic bias can be set aside for now.
Senior Zheng’s growth path is introduced in the first article of this account from August 2020: “A story of a TCM student during the pandemic”. The article begins with, “The Titanic hitting the iceberg was a disaster for humanity, but for the fish in the ship’s aquarium, it was a miracle of life.” During the pandemic, Senior Zheng provided rare medical services to neighbors in the community while also spending large amounts of time consolidating fundamental skills and memorizing diligently.
Regarding theoretical systems, this involves some of the academic bias mentioned. Although I have biases, traditional Chinese medicine should grow freely to allow more possibilities and should not be fixed or standardized. Academic disagreements and biases are normal; moreover, every school can address some clinical problems, and as long as your original intention is to heal and save people, we are comrades and there is no need to attack each other.
I will try to avoid making any subjective evaluations and will simply provide a brief introduction based on this account’s posts.
On the one hand, Senior Zheng has a broad vision. The account includes an article about studying TCM in the United States, as well as several recounting the senior’s visiting studies in various places. Also, the linked articles mention that Senior Zheng registered for courses outside to learn acupuncture techniques and also independently searched acupuncture materials from the last century on CNKI, discovering much.
On the other hand, Senior Zheng emphasizes research and practice, with much reflection on TCM theory itself. For example, “Case Study: Is TCM tongue diagnosis reliable?” includes well-documented case details over five days, with five tongue photos attached; the later research section is detailed, tracing the theoretical origins of tongue diagnosis from the Inner Canon to the Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting on the evolution of tongue diagnosis theory. Another article, “Case Study: Rare dermatology disease of scrofuloderma”, also includes many detailed clinical materials concerning diagnosis and differentiation between palmoplantar pustulosis and pustular psoriasis. The treatment effect of this case was very good.
In acupuncture, there are articles like “Case Study: The tortuous treatment history of a patient with knee joint pain” and “Errors in acupuncture textbooks: Tianfu acupoint”. It is apparent that the senior is practical and greatly influenced by teacher Huang Longxiang, valuing research work.
Techniques
To be honest, I have relatively little understanding of techniques and a shaky foundation; I have only heard of some methods. Therefore, the following text introduction will be relatively brief and mainly cite the original texts. I recommend everyone read extensively.
1. Xingzheng Shen’an (Form Correct, Spirit Calm)
Yan Xihuan’s WeChat public account was also mentioned briefly in the “Article Preface” I posted yesterday. I won’t introduce more here; I just share some classic articles for everyone to read themselves. After reading, you will naturally understand Yan’s system and style.
I don’t introduce because I am not eloquent enough to concisely explain Yan’s system, and there is absolutely no intention to belittle. Please do not underestimate it—read more content on this public account. This is the first recommendation for technique-related content.
“Transcript | August 25, Yan Xihuan’s Linglan live course · Part 1”, “Transcript | August 25, Yan Xihuan’s Linglan live course · Part 2”, “Transcript | August 25, Yan Xihuan’s Linglan live course · Part 3”
“When Jin Tui Tong Luo meets acupuncture”, “When Jin Tui Tong Luo meets acupuncture (II)”, “Two dimensions of trauma technique level discussion”, “Discussing balance techniques in Jin Tui Tong Luo therapy”
2. Slow Learning of TCM
Liu Luyao, a teacher with backgrounds in martial arts, qigong, and Daoist medicine. His system focuses mainly on techniques and acupuncture and is very insightful. Below are several articles—those interested in reading Liu’s content in depth can start from these:
“境界 of techniques (Part 1) | Starting from the simple infallible ‘child health massage’”
“境界 of techniques (Part 2) | Starting from a recommended TCM book list for newbies”
“Technical wisdom behind ‘wisdom’—Thoughts prompted by labeling ‘palace orthopedics’ as ‘obsolete’”(https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAxMjEwNTgxOA==&mid=2650469567&idx=1&sn=d1438b6632876499294ce213390696e4&scene=21#wechat_redirect)"
“Appreciation of Jan-Huang-Zhang cold massage method (with FY suggestions) | External treatment methods for colds (Part 2)” “Hu Zha Acupuncture Method’s Rice Transplant Needle Formation | Why acupuncture on the thoracic vertebra for temporomandibular joint pain?” “Teaching Post | Rice Transplant Needle Formation: Thoracic Vertebra Root-cutting Needling—How to treat asthma to eliminate the root?” “Asthma | From ‘effective rescue with tuina during attacks’ to ‘acupoint rooting cure for asthma’”
An interesting story: Senior Zheng once recommended in a group chat the book by Teacher Guan Ling, “Experience of Structural Acupuncture Needling,” which is actually based on group chat records from a famous acupuncture experts’ group. While reading, I saw both Teachers Yan Xihuan and Liu Luyao, which was a pleasant surprise.
This concludes the public account introductions; here is a picture for eye candy.
These are basically all the essential public accounts saved at the bottom.
Since the content is professional, I hope everyone can take time to read carefully; it is beneficial for learning. More important than single moves or tricks is that most of the above content can help us understand the framework a complete theoretical system should have and the traceable learning path.
Besides the above public accounts, there are many other excellent article recommendations that I cannot detail here due to space limitations. For example, “From superficial to subtle: an account of the exploration of the Shaoshan Huotianliang acupuncture method in recent years”, which sorts out the Shaoshan Huotianliang method and includes a lecture video by Zhang Jin; “Dysmenorrhea case”, by an excellent senior, a disciple of Huang Zifeng, showcasing specific application of jingjin; “Talking about TCM students’ stories (11,000 words)”, thoroughly and carefully answers questions for beginners in TCM, including the author’s personal feelings that resonate well.
Now for the actual essay
Although this is called an essay, the time and energy spent far exceed what an essay usually requires. I originally thought 5,000 characters would suffice, but it ended up exceeding 7,000 characters.
I read quite broadly because I want to build as comprehensive a system as possible and find a traceable learning path. For example, before climbing a mountain, I want to get a rough understanding of its trends, area, and other features, then find the correct path.
But there is a problem with this approach: “The Great Way is lost due to many forks; scholars perish due to many methods.”
I was very excited the first time I read Teacher Zhang Xijian’s “Theory of Disease Mechanism Structure” because I realized I should master the complex disease mechanism structure and, based on that, handle prescriptions, acupuncture, etc., to achieve fine precision. I understood the need to build a theoretical framework.
But sadly, at that time I did not have enough ability to analyze nor to handle the analyzed structure properly. Worse still, I was too excited, with no reflective thought or cautious mindset.
Because of this, I once made the big mistake of harming the deficient with excess. I prescribed a very messy formula; for a deficient patient, it contained 3g of wine-treated Da Huang and 20g of cooked Rehmannia. Half a dose caused abdominal pain and diarrhea for a day, and the symptoms did not improve after modifying the prescription.
This case was a wake-up call.
However, I did not give up on analyzing disease mechanism structure because I believe this approach is sound. The problem lies in my execution, as I lacked the ability to uphold this approach.
Afterwards, I continued reading more cautiously and carefully, leading to the case “[Medical Case] Si Lizhong Tang treating irritability, heat, and insomnia,” the only case I can currently present that still uses the basic disease mechanism structure analysis.
In short, pursuing completeness is not easy at the beginning. Unlike using classical prescriptions with straightforward formula-syndrome correspondence, or acupuncture with simple and effective point selection, which may yield early efficacy and motivation to continue; if you seek completeness but are still unable to make a comprehensive diagnosis or handle it comprehensively, you may feel very uncomfortable. You are prone to losing direction amid many options, piecing together bits randomly, disorganized, and may easily make big mistakes.
Normally, one should accumulate a certain amount of knowledge before practical verification; pursuing completeness implies needing much more knowledge than others. Starting without sufficient ability led to mistakes in my case, serving as a cautionary tale. The field was too large for me to manage, and forcing completeness only meant collapse.
Fortunately, I now understand my capacity limits and have a renewed understanding of applying disease mechanism analysis, barely getting through the initial awkward stage.
My path is now clear; I just lack the kung fu to devote time and effort to delve deeply and practice.
With this article, I encourage fellow practitioners.
The sea of medicine is vast; may we soon find the ferry that belongs to us.