Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment POST-COVID
The top U.S. health officials concluded that most Americans will get COVID, but how to treat it when we get it, and how to treat the long-term, post COVID symptoms is of most importance. According to the CDC the symptoms one may experience from long COVID may include one or a combination of the following:
difficulty breathing
decreased energy
fatigue
difficulty concentrating “brain fog”
cough
headache
menstrual changes
Post-COVID symptoms are reported as mild, lasting 4 to 6 weeks after the first infection, and some are made worse by physical activity or exercise. These symptoms can effect anyone who has tested positive for COVID no matter how severe the initial illness was, and even if you were asymptomatic. Scientist are learning more about these symptoms as we play out the days, weeks, and years after 2020.
Having had COVID myself and treating the symptoms I experienced with herbs, rest, nutrition, and Netflix, I realize how important it is to build back up your immune system after testing positive, but that this is a slower process than how quickly COVID depleted us.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine can help
Chinese Medicine views illness as an imbalance within the body that creates an overactive or under active immune response. As an Acupuncturist we use herbs, needles, cupping, and movement therapies to enhance and balance the body, restoring it’s natural homeostasis.
TCM formulas are taken in a similar manor to taking vitamins to support a healthy immune function. Because the formulas (and vitamin supplement) are natural i.e. plant/animal/mineral based, they are not regulated by governing bodies such as the CDC, and FDA, but TCM formulas have been studied and taken for thousands of years. Rest assured that if their properties to restore and balance the body were not genuine they would have been written off and made illegal like the sale of cigarettes in hospitals, or the use of crocodile dung as a contraceptive.
In order to have a safe and beneficial experience from TCM herbal formulas it is recommended to see a licensed acupuncturist, or TCM herbalist who has spent many years learning, studying, and treating patients with these formulas. An acupuncturist’s license is state and nationally regulated which holds them to higher standards.
Multi-Step approach to health
Unlike early versions of Coca-Cola which claimed to be a ‘cure all’ with it’s high percentage of cocaine, TCM takes a multi-phase approach to your healing. There is not one specific herb, formula, or therapy in TCM literature that acts alone or on one specific system. Even conventional medicine acts upon many systems at once, which is why you will notice there is always the caution of side-effects; including nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, bruising, hair loss, etc. when taking Pfizer or Merck prescriptions.
One of the important Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formulas to rebuild immunity is Chai Hu Gui Zhi Tang. But it is important to keep in mind that taking this formula is done in combination with diet, specifically rice congee. Traditionally this formula was given and the patient was also given a large bowl of rice congee and then made to lie down and rest under heavy blankets.
In this case, taking the formula is helpful and will benefit some, but it’s true benefit will be enhanced by taking the other two steps in the process to heal and restore balance to the body. Some other recommended enhancers to help promote and restore balance include:
Stress reduction techniques such as exercise, massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation
High-quality sleep, 7+ hours a night
Eating un-processed high quality fresh foods
Spending time outdoors, in fresh air and sunshine
Limiting screen time
Staying hydrated
Remember that herbal supplements and formulas are part of a healthy lifestyle, not a substitution or replacement for it. No amount of herbs or acupuncture needles will undo that 12 pack of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets in BBQ sauce you had for lunch while driving between appointments to meet a deadline.
Traditional Chinese Medicine aims to bring balance and restore inner-harmony to the body and promote overall health. Many of these herbal formulas can be taken with your Conventional Medical therapies. To get a better understanding of how this medicine can work for you, book an appointment for an in-depth one-on-one consultation. And may we wish you a happy healthy recovery.