Provider Feature // James Yardley of Yardley Healing Arts
Offering Hope for Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome with Chinese Medicine
By: James Yardley, MAcOM, LAc.
Currently in the U.S. and abroad, there is an increasing rise in the population of individuals suffering with what is being called Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome. This syndrome is found in individuals who at one point became ill and tested positive for COVID-19. These individuals went through the acute stage of the illness, later receiving a negative COVID-19 test, but still have some lingering symptoms that they did not have prior to the illness. The symptoms vary widely in how they present for different individuals and can range from mild to severe. Doctors are currently classifying two distinct groups presenting with what is being called post-COVID “long haulers”. One group of long haulers show some degree of damage to vital organs, including the lungs, hearts, kidneys, liver and brain. The second group show no detectable damage to these organs. A Harvard Health Publishing article lists the most common symptoms of long haulers as fatigue, body aches, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, inability to exercise, headache, and difficulty sleeping. The same article cites that as many as 50% to 80% of patients continue to experience bothersome symptoms 3 months after the onset of COVID-19, even after tests are negative for detecting the virus in their body. A University of Oxford study revealed that nearly 1 in 5 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. are also diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within three months. The most commons disorders reported being anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Western Medicine doctors and researchers are currently scrambling to understand the mysterious syndrome and have little explanation for why this syndrome is happening to so many people. On top of this, modern medicine is currently lacking reliable and effective treatments to fight the rising and debilitating condition. Research and trials are now being done to help doctors understand more about the syndrome. What is genuinely missing in the understanding, treatment, and dialogue of long-haulers, is integrative medicine’s role, and in particular, the unique benefits of Chinese Medicine. Many people are left misunderstood, undiagnosed, and untreated by western medicine because of the vagueness of the syndrome. Chinese Medicine is a medical system that excels at treating vague illnesses and may be able to successfully explain and treat the mystery of the long-haulers.
Explaining Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome within Chinese Medicine
Looking at the illness of COVID-19 through the lens of Chinese Medicine, we may define it as a Pestilence Damp-Toxin Complexity syndrome. For those not familiar with Chinese Medicine terms, let’s break this down. Pestilence describes a highly contagious disease outbreak. Dampness is a term used for fluid-like, sticky, lingering substance which can accumulate in the body from either improper diet, poor digestion, or an illness. The dampness may complicate by transforming into Phlegm, a thicker and sticker type of accumulation often found in the lungs. The toxin component means that COVID-19 has a high degree of toxicity to it, which makes this disease quick-moving and dangerous, even life-threatening as it may enter deep into the body. The dynamic nature of how this virus invades the body at different energetic layers and organ systems at the same time makes it a complexity syndrome. This type of disease will often be further complicated by the depletion of the individual’s Qi (energy) and Yin (cells, fluids, organs) and accumulate a stagnation of heat, phlegm-dampness, and blood stasis. The Qi and Yin deficiency symptoms can present with a lingering cough, shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, diarrhea, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and more. An accumulation of heat and phlegm-dampness can present with symptoms such as a loss of sense of taste and smell, chest oppression, nausea, a feeling of heaviness in the body, dizziness, depression, anxiety and more. Blood stasis commonly presents with intense, sharp pain, such as headaches and migraines. If not properly treated, the disharmony in the body may last for an indefinable amount of time and could lead to chronic and worsening symptoms and disorders. In Chinese Medicine, Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome is thought to be a combination of these patterns of disharmony. Western Medicine currently lacks the framework to diagnosis these vague types of illnesses, but in Chinese Medicine they are clearly understood and well treated. We can see the clear connection between the most common long-hauler symptoms and the Chinese Medicine patterns listed above, explaining the mystery behind the long-hauler’s symptoms through the lens of Chinese Medicine.
The Unique Potential of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Long-Haulers
Chinese Medicine contains a variety of modalities used for the treatment of diseases. These include Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Cupping, Gua Sha, Massage, Moxibustion, Food Therapy, and Qi Gong. Of most significance in treating Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome is the use of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM). CHM has been safely utilized to prevent infection of COVID-19 in hospital workers in China and is successfully used in the treatment of the disease itself. The Chinese government has mandated that CHM be used for all patients with COVID-19 because it has been found so effective. Commonly used Chinese herbs for COVID-19 prevention and treatment exert strong antiviral, immune modulating (immune system balancing), heat clearing, dampness draining, and detoxifying effects. The goal of CHM is encouraging an overall enhancement in the self-regulation of the body’s systems. Due to the heavy taxation on the body from the COVID-19 illness, long-haulers require special nourishing, or tonifying of the body’s energy, which is accomplished by CHM. One favorable Chinese herb, Huang Qi (Astragalus) has been shown to reduce cell death in organs, prevent fibrosis, and restore kidney function. Another important Chinese herb, Chai Hu (Bupleurum root) is an essential herb used for treating all kinds of lingering post-viral illnesses. In CHM, herbs are combined in balancing and synergistic ways, offering a more powerful and targeted approach to the treatment of diseases. Besides treating the physical symptoms, CHM can help to treat the mental and emotional aspects of this syndrome as well, since many herbs act dynamically on the mind and body. This way of using herbal medicine is uniquely sophisticated powerful, and CHM holds much potential for the recovery of so many long-haulers. Ideally Chinese herbs need to be taken for some time, and preferably for one month after all symptoms resolve so they don’t return. Please seek the advice of a licensed professional for further information and guidance.
If you are interested in working with a licensed Chinese Medicine practitioner, I would be more than happy to offer a free 15-minute consultation over the phone. To schedule call 303-358-4137, or email Yardleyhealingarts@gmail.com. You may also schedule an appointment with me from my website: www.Yardleyhealingarts.com