At this point in the pandemic, most people know someone who has had Covid-19 or has gotten it themselves. Some people recover from Covid quickly and have no major issues afterwards. However, there are some people who have lasting effects from the illness. This can be classified as “Long Covid”, where there can be difficulty concentrating (brain fog), loss of taste or smell, dizziness, tingling in the body, sleep issues and feelings of depression or anxiety.
In Chinese Medicine, Covid-19 is often viewed as an illness that causes two problems to arise in the body: an excess of Dampness and the stagnation of Blood. Dampness will lead to feelings of lethargy, difficulty concentrating, possible digestion changes and an increase in congestion. Blood stagnation can lead to tingling/numbness in the body, also cause brain fog, headache, body pain, and decrease energy. These both lead to heightened states of inflammation and discomfort in the body.
Acupuncture and specific herbs have been used for centuries to address the issues of Dampness and Blood stagnation. These modalities have the effect of helping reduce inflammation in the body, ease congestion in the head and chest, and help support lung and gut health. Everyone responds differently to treatment, but most people start to feel better within a several weeks of starting treatment.
For more scientific analysis on Covid-19 and acupuncture, please look through the following research article:
https://medicalacupuncture.org/for-physicians/research/audette-covid-paper/