January 6, 2024 - Long Covid & the Lung Channel
Research Shows Acupuncture Effective in Treating Long-Covid
Are you or someone you know having troubles recovering from a recent cold or covid? Do you have long lasting symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, body aches, headaches and insomnia? Do you want to feel like yourself again?
In East Asian Medicine (EAM), we are looking at the presentation of symptoms and your underlying constitution so in that sense, we do not necessarily differentiate long-covid from any other long lasting cold symptoms. That being said, there are symptoms of long-covid that are consistent across patients and thus, there are particular treatment principles.
I've recently been reviewing research being done in integrative hospitals around the country where acupuncture is included in treatment for long-covid (or post-covid syndrome). In one such study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35832109/), the conclusion was:
Acupuncture is a viable adjunctive health care modality as part of a multidisciplinary approach for symptom control and disease management to improve quality of life in Long COVID patients. Since acupuncture may favorably modify the length and outcome of this condition, the model of acupuncture presented in this article warrants broader use in the integrative clinical setting and for further research.
A quote from a patient: “By the third session, I woke up [thinking] I feel like myself again.”
Here is a link to another study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37799621/
The Lung Channel
Are you curious about the acupuncture channels? Let's start with the Lung channel. It is the Hand Tai Yin Channel and one of the 6 upper channels.
Every channel has an inner and outer portion. Half of them start inside the body and then emerge to the surface and the other half start on the surface and then go inward.
The Lung channel starts on the inside at the Stomach. It then descends to connect with the Large Intestine, returns upward to pass upper opening of the Stomach and goes across the Diaphragm. From there it penetrates the Lungs and then ascends to the throat area. From the throat, it goes down to below the collar bone to the first point on the channel (Lung 1) where the channel emerges. The channel then follows the Lung points from 1 to 11. From just below the collarbone on each side, it follows the upper arm, down to inner aspect of the elbow and along the antero-lateral border of the forearm and then up the thumb to the border of the base of the thumbnail.
The Lung channel connects to three different organs (or zangfu): Stomach, Large Intestine and Lungs.
The most used point on the Lung channel is Lung 7 Lie Que, meaning Broken Sequence.
It is used mainly for cold symptoms - chills, fever, nasal congestion, cough, shortness of breath, and more; it is also commonly paired with other points to treat a broader set of conditions.
A great physician of the Jin dynasty named it one of the 'eleven heavenly star points'; and was indicated by him for one-sided headache, wind painful obstruction and numbness of the whole body, obstruction of phlegm in the upper body, and lockjaw.
Interested in learning more about Acupuncture and EAM? Let me know what you are curious about.
Now Offering Reiki
Reiki is a form of energy healing that uses spiritually guided life-force energy or Qi.
I was recently given the Master Reiki attunement - I call it an upgrade to my ability to bring in super-charged energy healing.
I am offering Reiki with your acupuncture treatment or as a stand-alone treatment.