I have added this very new condition to my treatable conditions list following a wave of enquiries and interest regarding the subject. Long covid is a very new condition and therefore, naturally, we don’t have a vast experience in treating it yet. However, I am very confident that Chinese medicine is the right treatment for it and will prove to be very effective. Why am I so confident? The answer is that after a careful examination of the long covid signs, symptoms and patterns it has become clear that it is a form of post-viral syndrome. Post -viral syndrome is a condition that arises following an acute viral infection.
Contact us today if you have Long Covid symptoms and discuss how we can help.
A typical acute viral infection (most commonly: viral meningitis, flu, and now covid-19) is supposed to last up to 2 weeks. In these cases of post-viral syndrome, the acute infection still lasts about 2 weeks, the virus then goes away but its legacy stays. The damage it causes to different systems in our bodies is still present and can cause a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms of post-viral syndrome include fatigue, joint and muscle pain, difficulties in concentration (brain fog), headaches, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Other possible symptoms are persistent cough, chest pain, insomnia, dizziness, pins and needles, depression and anxiety, tinnitus, earache, rashes, loss of sense of smell or taste and digestive system symptoms. In some cases, although less common, these symptoms have started not following a viral infection but following a vaccination.
This condition is not rare. I have treated a number of patients with it, with Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, over the years with good success in most cases. The reason that these patients come to my clinic to seek help is that, unfortunately, currently Western medicine doesn’t have any effective treatment for it. The reason for that is that there is no understanding of the pathology of the condition and of the causes of the symptoms. Luckily that is not the case in Chinese medicine.
What is the Chinese medicine understanding and treatment of post-viral symptoms, including long covid?
As we mentioned earlier, we are dealing here with the legacy of the initial viral infection, the damage caused by it, the mess that has been left behind. This damage causes an imbalance in the normal working of the body and this imbalance is the cause of the symptoms. According to Chinese medicine this imbalance can manifest in four main forms:
- Deficiency. The infection causes a deficiency (a weakness) in the body Qi (energy), blood, body fluids or in a certain organ. In this form the most common main symptoms are tiredness and fatigue.
- Excess. In this form the initial infection has left behind an excess of certain pathogens, most commonly fluids. These are pathogenic thick fluids that clog the body systems-in TCM it is called dampness, or phlegm (in the cases where the fluid is very thick). The most common symptoms in these cases are aches and pains, heaviness, and stiffness. Other forms of excessive pathogen are heat, cold and dryness.
- Blockage. In these cases, the legacy of the initial virus is disturbance in the free flow of the blood and energy in the body. In this form the prominent symptom is pain.
- Retained Pathogen: This fourth form is a bit different. In this one the virus enters the body for the initial infection. It then goes deeper into the body as often happens with viral infection when the Immune system of the patient is not strong enough to keep it at a superficial level. It then starts to be driven out of the body by the Immune system but again, due to the Immune weakness, it is not driven out fully but has to stay at an intermediate level in the body. The virus has not been cleared away fully and the patient feels as if the flu has never gone away. On top of flu-like symptoms such as body aches and fatigue, the patient will often feel alternate temperatures of hot and cold, a bitter taste in the mouth and a sore throat.
It is important to say that in some cases a combination of these forms can be present. Two, three and even all four forms can be present in one patient. The approach to each case is individual according to the patient’s symptoms and the patient’s constitution. A specific symptom, like the loss of taste and smell in long covid, can be treated as well.
So, what can TCM offer for a treatment? Using Acupuncture and Chinese herbs we will aim at correcting these imbalances to allow the body to return into normal function. In the case of deficiency, we will use strengthening herbs and Acupuncture points that supplement the deficiency. In the excess cases the treatment will be aimed at reducing the excess to restore balance: drying the excess dampness, cooling the excess heat, warming the cold, moistening the dryness etc. When blockage in the flow of Qi and blood is present, we will use Acupuncture points and herbs to remove the blockage and open the channels. In the case of retained pathogen the situation is a lot more complicated. A patient with this form of post-viral syndrome or long covid should be treated only by an experienced Chinese medicine practitioner who knows how to and has experience in treating this condition. The reason being that the treatment for this form is very specific and accurate. For successful treatment a very accurate diagnosis and choice of specific combination of herbs and Acupuncture points is needed.
This may all sound a bit complicated, but it is bread and butter for the experienced Chinese medicine practitioner. As I mentioned before, over the years I have treated a number of people with post viral syndrome, with very good success in most cases.