Use of Chinese herbs to treat symptoms likely related to COVID-19: Survey analysis of licensed acupuncturists in the United States

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the prescribing of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) by licensed acupuncturists in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A 28-question survey with nine branching questions was disseminated through collegial networks, paid advertisements, and a study website in April-July 2021. Participants indicated they were licensed acupuncturists that treated more than five patients for symptoms likely related to COVID-19 to gain entry to the full survey. Surveys were undertaken electronically through the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) system. Results: The survey was undertaken by 103 participants representing all US geographic regions, and had an average of 17 years in practice. Sixty-five percent received or intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Phone and videoconference were the predominant methods of patient contact; granules and pill forms of CHM were the most commonly prescribed. A wide variety of information sources were used in devising patient treatments inclusive of anecdotal, observational, and scientific sources. Most patients were not receiving biomedical treatment. Ninety-seven percent of participants reported that they had no patients die of COVID-19, and the majority reported less than 25% of their patients developed long hauler syndrome (post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that licensed acupuncturists were treating COVID-19 infected individuals in the US during the early stages of the pandemic, and for many such patients this was the only therapeutic intervention they had access to from a licensed healthcare provider. Information disseminated from China through collegial networks, along with published sources including scientific studies, informed the approach to treatment for the vast majority of the acupuncturists surveyed. This study provides insight into an unusual circumstance in which clinicians needed to establish evidence-based approaches to the treatment of a new disease in the midst of a public health emergency.