Have you ever wondered why two people may have the same illness, such as Covid infection, but have completely different responses and symptoms?

Sherry (pseudonym) came into my office a month after a positive rapid Covid test result. The initial symptoms she had were sore throat, dry cough, fatigue, insomnia, and diarrhea . Although her symptoms were not severe, the Covid infection left her with a lot of fatigue, and brain fog. She also noticed her GI functions were being affected as well. She complained of brain fog and not being able to concentrate on work. She also complained of a headache that comes and goes. 

Sars-Covid-2 has been around for more than 2 years. Although public health had a good understanding of this virus, there are still questions going unanswered. In this case, I want to present the idea of how Chinese medicine sees and treats the aftermath of Covid-19.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the definition of illness is not about the infection, it is about the state of imbalance between the internal and external environment. In contrast to Western medicine, when someone gets an infection, western medicine aims to eliminate the virus/bacteria causing the infection, Chinese medicine focuses on nourishing the body to fight off the infection on its own. In other words, TCM looks at our body and its reaction towards illness as a complete environmental entity; when our body is healthy, aka balanced, it will respond to a virus/bacteria very differently compared to when it is unhealthy, aka imbalanced. 

In TCM, Covid-19 is a pathogen of heat, dampness, and blood stasis, so it can manifest in the Lung, Spleen, and Kidney Zhang fu organs and meridians. Despite Covid-19 being seen as a pandemic and epidemic that impacts a wider range of population, a person’s resilience, internal strength, and the flow of Qi determines the prognosis and recovery from the illness. 

The pathogenic pattern of Covid-19 in a person usually depletes the Qi, which can show up as fatigue, brain fog, and depression. The inflammation from Covid-19 shown in Sherry’s case is a sign of residual heat in the lung and spleen meridians, therefore the symptoms can be shown through disrupted GI functions, and respiratory symptoms, such as diarrhea, and lingering cough. 

In the treatment protocol for Covid -19, the most important step is to nourish the spleen and stomach to build back the foundation of Qi. Our resilience depends on how strong our Qi is, and the flow of Qi also contributes to the health of a person. In other words, because of Covid-19 infection, Sherry’s Qi is depleted, causing the symptoms she’d been suffering from, and the main way to aid her recovery is to help her rebuild her Qi so her body is strong enough to recover from the infection. 

The use of acupuncture is a way of promoting the flow of Qi and blood. By stimulating the acupoints with needles, acupuncture can increase the blood flow, promote detoxification, and reduce the metabolic waste in the meridians that travel to the head.