How Do You Boost Resilience During the Current COVID-19 Pandemic in Your Practice?

Abstract

A cupuncture-a member of the traditional and complementary medicine family-is an effective treatment modality that sends electrical signals to regulate functions in different organ systems in the human body. 1 Many studies exist to prove the efficacy of acupuncture for treating chronic and acute pain. The World Health Organisation has also endorsed the effectiveness of acupuncture for addressing various systemic disorders, thus not restricting the use of acupuncture to just pain management. 2 The most characteristic symptom of COVID-19 is respiratory distress and difficulty in spontaneous breathing. A recent study showed that COVID-19 also causes neurologic signs, such as headache, nausea, and vomiting. 3 The same study also showed that COVID-19 is not always confined to the respiratory tract and can also invade the central nervous system, inducing neurological problems. Acupuncture's lack of side-effects is a distinct advantage in application of this therapy for such cases.According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is necessary to tonify the Qi, dispel the Wind-Heat, and relieve toxicity, which can be collectively termed (in Western medicine) as treating an upper respiratory-tract infection and improving the upper respiratory mucosal immune system and the body's immune regulatory effects. 4 Several studies have proven that acupuncture is more effective than many antihistamine drugs for relieving respiratory distress. [5][6][7][8][9] Evidence from a systematic review and metaanalysis showed that acupuncture is effective for relieving the breathlessness, headache, sneezing, sore throat, fever, nasal congestion, cough, and general pain that occurs in anhidrosis. [10][11][12] Acupuncture can be helpful for improving immunity, relieving respiratory distress, and addressing neurologic and digestive symptoms. The points that may be used are as follows.