illness that may follow SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 infection . As there is limited evidence for individual therapies and no singular treatment for PCS , guidelines endorse a multidisciplinary approach . This is a case report of a patient with PCS benefiting from a comprehensive approach including acupuncture with symptom-titrated physical activity ( STPA ).
Case : A 50-year-old woman presented from a Long-COVID Clinic referral to an outpatient hospital-affiliated acupuncturist . She had 8 months of fatigue , anosmia , chest pressure , palpitations , and other symptoms following mild assay-confirmed COVID-19 . Prior / concurrent medical testing revealed multisysteminflammatory involvement ( pericardial effusion , thyroid dysfunction , and elevated d-dimers ). Cardiology / pulmonology cleared the patient for exercise to tolerance considering that serious pathology was absent . The acupuncturist ' s Traditional Chinese Medicine impression was of Qi Deficiency of the Heart , Lung , Spleen , and Kidney . This patient received 7 sessions of scalp , auricular , and body acupuncture . Physical-therapist ( PT ) -led STPA began 1-week post-acupuncture , involving 6 30-minute exercise sessions while monitoring her heart rate , with as-needed rest .
Results : The patient ' s chest pressure and palpitations resolved after 1 acupuncture treatment . With 6 additional treatments , spanning 9 weeks , overlapping with PTled SPTA , she recovered completely and resumed her normal exercise .
Conclusions : Acupuncture appeared to facilitate PCS recovery . However , the independent effects of acupuncture are less clear , given the concurrent STPA / exercise therapy , and should be explored using large study designs . Acupuncture is an attractive potential PCS therapy , considering its holistic approach and that it may be added to a multidisciplinary , guideline-concordant regimen .
Jania C . The treatment of Long COVID with Chinese medicine : A case report . The Journal of Chinese Medicine . 2021 ; 127 .
Abstract : Long COVID is a relatively new disorder that is marked by chronic health complications following an acute infection of COVID-19 . Approximately 10 per cent of people that contract SARS-CoV-2 continue to be in poor health three weeks after the initial onset . Currently , there are no standardised treatment methods for those suffering with long COVID due to the marked variation between individual experiences . The subject of the study suffered with gastrointestinal pain , distention and irritable bowel for four months after initial infection . After using a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine , the patient ' s pain disappeared , the stools became formed and regular and distention was minimal . This case illustrates the possibility of using traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) as a viable treatment for long COVID . Keywords Long COVID , Chinese medicine , SARS- CoV-2 , TCM , coronavirus , COVID-19 , acupuncture , Chinese herbs , post-viral
Zheng ZZ , Ma NN , Li L , Jiang D . Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine on COVID-19 : Two Case Reports . Medical Acupuncture . 2021 ; 33 ( 1 ). https :// doi . org / 10.1089 / acu . 2020.1432
Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-infected pneumonia ( novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia [ NCIP ]) is a new viral illness initially identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 . According to the daily report on the epidemic situation of coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People ' s Republic of China on March 23 , 2020 : COVID-19 is highly infectious , causing extremely high incidence of NCIP throughout Wuhan and has spread swiftly to 34 provinces within China and > 100 other countries around the world between January and March 2020 . Up to August 11 , 2020 , there have been 89,383 cases diagnosed as coronavirus-infected pneumonia ; and 4,696 deaths in China ( mortality rate of 5.25 %) and worldwide reports have confirmed 19,936,210 cases and 732,499 deaths . These figures have been increasing daily . The treatment of viral conditions is well established within the context of Chinese Medicine . We report two successful cases in this study showing the patient ' s chest computed tomography scans and temperature charts made on before , during , and after treatment to demonstrate proof of the positive benefits achieved . Traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM ) demonstrates a positive effect in the treatment for COVID-19 . It is highly recommended that TCM be incorporated early on in the treatment schedule for COVID-19 .
Sun P . The Pathogenesis and Treatment of COVID-19 and Long COVID with Traditional Chinese Medicine . World Science . 2022 . ISBN : 978-1-80061-253-2 ( hardcover ) USD 178.00
Peilin Sun has recently released a book on the topic . According to World Scientific , ⁶ ‘ Mainstream treatment is effective , but to what extent ? Is there another course of treatment available for patients who do not respond well to mainstream treatments ? Traditional Chinese Medicine ( TCM ) is an alternative , due to its history of effectiveness in treating various viral infections such as hepatitis , mumps , the common cold , and herpes zoster . Yet practitioners have enough advanced knowledge in treating COVID-19 and Long COVID using TCM methods . This book aims to provide TCM practitioners with comprehensive , elaborate , and upto-date information and training to manage COVID-19 and Long COVID complaints . Each chapter provides detailed discussions on complete clinical patterns of COVID-19 , wide coverage on Long COVID treatments , Chinese
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