While many people who have suffered with COVID-19 recover naturally from this pandemic virus with or without treatment, an alarming 65 million are now battling long COVID (or “long-hauler’s”), causing a myriad of sustained symptoms. These complex and often debilitating long COVID symptoms occur past 12 weeks of initial infection and involve multiple organs and systems of the body. Long-hauler's not only affects those with a history of severe COVID infection, it can also affect those who only experienced mild symptoms, and even those who were asymptomatic. Due to lack of treatment options and understanding of long COVID, many people are left struggling with these chronic and often debilitating symptoms, with nowhere to turn.
The cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal and nervous systems are commonly affected in patients with long COVID, in a combination of different ways. Cardiac injury from COVID may lead to the symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, racing or pounding heart, and/or chest pain. Over 50% of patients with long-COVID also deal with respiratory issues due to lung damage, causing chronic cough and dyspnea. COVID-19 can damage the nervous system and cause structural changes in the brain, leading to altered or loss of taste and/or smell, headaches, anxiety/depression, memory loss and congnitive dysfunction. Persistant diarrhea and stomach pain can also be the result of long-COVID.
Symptoms of Long COVID:
anxiety
depression
fatigue
cough
chest pain
heart palpitations
racing heart
difficulty breathing
shortness of breath
poor memory
brain fog
sleep problems
pins-and-needles sensation
dizzy or lightheaded upon standing
difficulty concentrating
loss/change of taste and/or smell
headache
muscle and/or joint pain
diarrhea
stomach pain
nausea/vomiting
post-exertional malaise
changes in menstrual cycle
fever
rash
Multiple theories exist as to why long COVID exists. While your immune system works to combat the coronavirus, remnants of the virus can still survive in different organs, causing a persistant immune response and chronic inflammation. COVID-19 can also reactivate dormant viruses in the body (aka Epstein-Barr virus or mono). The coronavirus can also trigger an autoimmune reaction, causing organ damage. Additionally, "SARS-CoV-2 infects the central nervous system (CNS) and induces neuroinflammation and corresponding psychiatric symptoms."
Acupuncture is an effective therapeutic treatment for long COVID because it is proven to regulate the function of multiple systems of the body. First, acupuncture improves cardiac function by modulating the autonomic nerves, promoting blood circulation and improving heart rate variability. Acupuncture also improves respiratory function by increasing oxygen levels, and relieves cough and dyspnea. Long-term GI symptoms can be alleviated using acupuncture points to improve digestive function and stimulate the vagus nerve. Acupuncture also lowers inflammation, reduces blood sugar and body weight by regulating the neurohormone-glucose metabolism pathway. Chronic fatigue post-COVID is related to neuroinflammation caused by the viral infection, dysautonomia, and vagal nerve dysregulation. Acupuncture improves long-hauler's chronic fatigue by stimulating the vagal nerve, reducing neuroinflammation, and inhibiting microglial activation. The psychiatric symptoms of long-COVID (anxiety and depression) can be treating with acupuncture as it has the effect of "modulating the central nervous system activity and expression of 5-HT receptors in various brain regions." Last, but not least, the neurological symptoms of long COVID (including changes or loss of taste/smell, cognitive impairment, brain fog, and poor memory) have also shown to improve with acupuncture, as it stimulates specific nerves and regions of the brain. Clinical research has proven that acupuncture can help improve long-hauler’s symptoms and facilitate recovery from COVID as "acupuncture has profound effects on all levels of the nervous system, from the peripheral nerves and spinal cord to the brain, namely, the limbic system, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and cerebral cortex."
If you or someone you know is suffering the effects of long-COVID, acupuncture just may be the solution! With weekly acupuncture treatments, you can begin to improve your quality of life, reduce or eliminate chronic symptoms, increase your energy level, enhance your sleep, and improve your mental well-being. What's better, is acupuncture is a safe, natural and drug-free approach to treating this multifaceted condition.
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