Covid-19 could progress to a chronic state with long-term symptoms, ranging from unrelenting fatigue, persistent malaise, and chronic pains to mood changes and depression. Such a condition became an emerging threat in the post-Covid era. According to the CDC, people call post-COVID conditions by many names, including Long-Covid Symptoms (LCS), long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, chronic COVID, late sequelae, and others. At least one in thirteen adults in the U.S. (7.5%) have Post-COVID Conditions, which last three or more months after first contracting the virus. Additionally, women are more likely than men to have the symptoms. Post-COVID Conditions have caused a significant burden on individual patients, households, and the healthcare system in the United States. People who experience Post-COVID Conditions most commonly report:
1. General symptoms: Tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life, symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort (also known as “post-exertional malaise”), and fever.
2. Respiratory and heart symptoms: Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations).
3. Neurological symptoms: Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”), headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness), pins-and-needles feelings, change in smell or taste, and depression or anxiety.
4. Digestive symptoms: Diarrhea and stomach pain.
5. Other symptoms: Joint or muscle pain, rash, changes in menstrual cycles. etc.
Several evidence-based medical studies from research institutions, such as the National Institution of Health (NIH), demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating Post-COVID Conditions. Reports include a case study on a male patient, a case study on a female patient, a generic study on Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis, and how acupuncture improves the depressive symptoms of LCS.
In our acupuncture office, we have observed the same trends and successful cases of treating Post-COVID Conditions with acupuncture in the past year. If you need acupuncture to help with Post-COVID Conditions and if you are Covid-negative now, please get a prescription from your specialist for acupuncture treatment and call us to make an appointment.