I have had many questions regarding the effect that TCM may have on treating COVID. I respond that TCM can definitely help with any symptoms associated with the COVID virus. I recently discussed TCM treatment options with my Chinese medical colleagues. They all agreed that TCM best shines in prevention of COVID, like it does with any other infectious virus.

In TCM, we look at preventing any invasion from an exterior pathogen from taking root within the bodily system. If there is a successful invasion, from an exterior pathogen, then symptoms such as coughing, chills and fever etc. will manifest. At this point, prevention has not worked and we are treating an ailment.

So, what are the best preventative measures to take in combating COVID? As with any virus, your body is most capable of resisting COVID if you’re eating the right foods and maintaining a lifestyle consistent with decreasing your body’s risk of letting in a pathogen. Thus, a TCM practitioner will assess and then make recommendations regarding diet, lifestyle and exercise.

Research has shown that if the COVID virus is successful in penetrating your defense system, the first organ it attacks are the lungs. In TCM terms, the pathogens of wind and damp heat attack the lungs and the preliminary COVID symptoms will show such as difficulty in breathing, coughing and feeling congested.

If a TCM practitioner encounters a patient, at this stage of COVID, he would then aim to dispel the dampness/heat and tonify the blood and lung qi. He may use acupuncture points: LI4. LI11, KD7 and DU14 as well as prescribe Yin Qiao San, as the herbal formula. Again, the primary objective, at this stage, is penetrating the pathogen, ventilating the lung qi while dredging the exterior.

The goal with any virus, like COVID, is to never get to this stage, Thus, getting regular preventive-base acupuncture treatments is very important.