Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of those who have contracted COVID-19 are still not fully recovered. Even if they are no longer testing positive for weeks or months after their initial diagnosis, these individuals suffer from COVID-19 long hauler or post-COVID-19 symptoms.
According to Harvard Medical School: "Some long haulers experience continuous symptoms for weeks or months, while others feel better for weeks, then relapse with old or new symptoms. The constellation of symptoms long haulers experience, sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), is not unique to this infection. Other infections, such as Lyme disease, can cause similar long-lasting symptoms."
Symptoms of long haul COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome can vary. The more commonly reported symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, depression, chills and body aches, headache, joint pain, chest pain, cough, and diminished sense of taste or smell. Any one of these symptoms could impact quality of life. Finding treatment for these symptoms is where some are turning to acupuncture.
Recent studies have given modern medicine the insight needed to understand the specific mechanisms that allow acupuncture treatments to work. In these studies, acupuncture has been shown to improve:
Fatigue
Brain Fog
Shortness of Breath
Depression
Headache and Pain
Cough
Loss of Taste and Smell
So how does acupuncture relieve these symptoms? According to modern science, acupuncture has been shown to regulate and suppress inflammatory stress and calm cytokine storms. A cytokine storm is when the immune system floods the body with inflammatory proteins called cytokines. Recent research has shown that COVID-19 complications may in fact be caused by cytokine storms. Acupuncture interacts with the neural pathways and can calm the cytokine storms, which have been linked to shortness of breath and cough. In addition to its anti inflammatory effects, acupuncture also stimulates the nervous system to release endorphins. In this regard, it has proven to be an effective treatment for fatigue, depression and both headaches and pain. The more we learn about the long term impacts of COVID-19, the more we learn about the ways acupuncture can treat residual symptoms and improve long haulers' quality of life.
Whether you are suffering the long term effects of COVID-19, or experiencing symptoms as the result of another condition, it would be our pleasure to support you on your journey back to your best health. Please contact us for an evaluation to determine if acupuncture can help you.
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