Treating Post COVID-19 Symptoms with Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine
The first person to contact me about unresolved symptoms of Covid-19 was my cousin, Chloe. She and her family tested positive for the virus in early December and while she, her husband, and their two kids are now healthy and doing well, she still hasn’t regained her complete sense of taste or smell. “I’m so glad we’re all ok, but I have to say, not being able to taste anything really sucks,” she admits. After a week of herbal treatment, her sense of taste and smell have doubled and we’re hoping by the end of next week it will be completely restored.
Others with more serious post Covid symptoms find themselves in a more frightening predicament. Shortly after speaking to Chloe, a gentleman who was at the tail end of his illness reached out to me, looking for Chinese herbs to help recover his lung function. He was someone who had suffered from asthma prior to contracting Covid and now worries about more damage to his lungs. A former patient of mine also came back for treatment because she couldn’t shake the anxiety and insomnia she was experiencing since her bout back in November of last year. Each of these people I treated with herbs or a combination of herbs and acupuncture, which helped improve their health concerns.
Unfortunately, much is still unknown about how Covid will affect people over time. It seems that the list of maladies is longer and more varied than most doctors could have imagined. Most people recover fully after being sick while others, including young people and those with mild cases, can take weeks or months to feel like themselves again. Medical centers throughout the country are opening clinics which specialize in the care of people who have persistent symptoms or illnesses related to COVID-19 and I suspect more people will look to acupuncture and herbal medicine for aid in their recovery.
As practitioners of Eastern medicine we look for patterns of disharmony in the body to formulate a diagnosis and treatment strategy. Many of the after effects people are facing due to COVID fall into specific categories that we have been used to treating clinically before the pandemic. Below, I’ve listed some of the health concerns people are reporting and possible diagnoses according to Chinese Medicine.
Fatigue: Damage to the vital Qi
Difficulty breathing: Damage to the Lungs and/or Kideys
Pain: Blood or Qi stagnation, possible accumulation of Dampness
Foggy brain: Damage to the Spleen with Damp or Phlegm accumulation; Qi or Blood stagnation
Insomnia/Anxiety: Disturbance of the Heart or Liver
Heart palpitations: Damage to the Heart Blood or Yin
Cough: Damage to Lung qi/yin and/or Kidney qi; Phlegm accumulation
Depression: Liver qi stagnation, Spleen qi deficiency
Digestion problems: Speen or Stomach imbalance
Some people with lingering health issues may exhibit only one of these symptoms while others experience multiple. The integration of Eastern and Western medicine is most likely the best solution for recovery.
With vaccines rolling out, it is still important for us to continue to reduce the spread of disease by wearing face masks, regularly washing our hands, and maintaining social distance, until it is safe for everyone. Until then, stay safe, friends. If you are someone who is suffering from post Covid symptoms, talk to an acupuncturist who can help.