The COVID-19 pandemic was a threat to public health and safety around the world.The outbreak and spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) inflicted loss of human life across the planet.Prolonged COVID is a term used to describe post-COVID symptoms that may still be present despite recovery from COVID-19 infection.These symptoms vary from person to person and include, but are not limited to: anxiety and depression, extreme fatigue, chest pain and tightness, memory and concentration problems, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, joint pain, and others.It is estimated that more than 20 million American adults are living with long-term COVID, while about 7 million experience disabling long-term COVID.In January 2022, the long COVID was estimated to have caused a cumulative loss of about $400 billion.This estimate includes medical expenses, lost wages, and lost savings for individuals.It does not include costs incurred by government agencies or businesses.These alarming figures reinforce the need for an urgent holistic approach to the treatment of COVID-19 infection and prolonged COVID.The causes of prolonged COVID are not easy to explain by Western medicine.Theories include excessive inflammation mediated by mast cell activation.However, in Chinese medicine, the cause of prolonged COVID is considered to be the exhaustion of the body resulting from fighting the initial infection and, in some cases, the presence of the COVID pathogen in the body.Several studies have shown that acupuncture can improve symptoms of long-term COVID, such as breathlessness, nausea, insomnia, and fatigue, among others.Some of these studies showed that acupuncture increases the production of nitric oxide, which in turn inhibits the replication cycle of the first severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, which is similar to SARS-COV2.Clinical features and pathophysiology have also shown that endothelial dysfunction and nitric oxide deficiency contribute to the development of COVID-19.Nitric oxide is suggested to play an important role in the protective effects against inflammation and acute lung injury.In Chinese medicine, it is understood that when the body encounters a pathogen, the body activates its defensive layer of energy or Wei Qi in response to the pathogen.This helps expel the pathogen from the body.This defensive response can manifest as fever, sweating, coughing, sneezing, and runny nose.With a strong immune system, a person may not even notice that a pathogen has been found and expelled, other than a few sneezes or a little sweat.On the other hand, the patient's Wei Qi may fight the pathogen for some time before finally eradicating it from the body.This can make the patient feel unwell for a long period of time.When a pathogen is particularly virulent, like COVID-19, it is able to bypass these defenses and penetrate the body more deeply.In this case, certain acupuncture channels will come into action to prevent the pathogen from reaching the most critical areas of the body, that is, the internal organs.These channels, called Luo and Divergent channels, use the medium of blood and body fluids as a buffer that surrounds the pathogen to keep it at bay.At this point, the virus is no longer circulating in the body, so tests may come back negative.If the person is relaxed, well rested and nourished, the buffering capacity will be abundant, the pathogen can be successfully kept at bay, and no symptoms will manifest.In cases where the body is strong enough, it will mount what is often called a "healing crisis," which is an attempt to flush the pathogen out of the body.Symptoms such as a high fever with sweating or vomiting and diarrhea are seen as the pathogen is expelled from the body.When treating prolonged COVID with acupuncture, it is important to determine which body resources are deficient and nurture them accordingly.This diagnosis can be made from an analysis of the patient's signs, symptoms, and history.Two indispensable diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine are lingual diagnosis and pulse palpation.Following proper diagnosis, acupuncture treatment can nourish these overtaxed resources.Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in the treatment of COVID-19 since January 2020. Chinese medicine has a long history of preventing and controlling infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.There are many herbs that can be easily obtained and taken regularly to prevent COVID infection and even improve immunity.Some of them are ginseng (Ren Shen), astragalus (Huang Qi), Chinese red dates (Jujube), brown sugar and ginger (Sheng Jiang), among others.In the early phase of COVID-19, there is a manifestation of heat, cold, or dampness in the lungs, causing most patients to have symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and chills.Baidoukou (Amomum kravanh), Kuxingren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum), and Houpo (Magnolia Officinalis Cortex) are the three main Chinese herbs used at this stage.In the middle stage, most patients will have the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome of plague poison clogging the lungs.Kuxingren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum), Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum), and Tinglizi (Descurainiae Semen) are the most commonly used Chinese herbs at this stage.In the severe phase, the most common symptoms are dyspnea and coma.Mechanical ventilators and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) are often used.Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Fuzi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata) and Shanyurou (Fructus Corni) are the three most used Chinese herbs in this phase.One herb, Fuzi, has the effects of lowering heart failure, however, according to some studies, it also has neurotoxicity and cardiac toxicity.Fortunately, the combination with Gancao and Ganjiang can regulate the efficacy and toxicity of the herb.During the recovery stage, patients often have TCM syndromes of Lung and Spleen Qi deficiency and Yin-Qi deficiency.Fuling (Poria), Fabanxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma), and Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) are the most commonly used Chinese herbs at this stage.In addition to treating prolonged COVID with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines, there are lifestyle changes that are advised to patients.These are usually tailored to each case, but there are some general tips that will benefit most patients.These include:-Diet: food and drinks should be taken at warm temperatures.This is to help proper digestion.Cold and raw foods should be avoided in people with prolonged COVID.Also, certain foods and drinks are especially inflammatory and should be avoided.These include alcohol, caffeine, and sugary foods.Foods like chili, garlic and onion should be used with caution.Although they trigger the immune response and may be helpful initially, their continued use strains the immune system and can lead to later depletion of vital energy.-Hydration: it is essential, since it constitutes the base of the blood and the fluids that the body needs.Body fluids serve both as a vehicle to transport a pathogen out of the body and to help create the buffer that keeps a pathogen at bay.Hydration should go beyond drinking water.This is because you need to consume water in a slower form that gives your body a chance to better absorb it.Therefore, the consumption of moist foods such as porridge, broths, soups and stews is recommended.-Sleep: the need for adequate sleep can never be stressed enough.Immunity is usually created during sleep.Going to bed before 11 p.m. is advisable, especially in cases where the body's resources are already quite depleted.Keng-Chang Tsai, et al.A traditional Chinese medicine formula NRICM101 to target COVID-19 through multiple pathways: A bedside-to-bench study, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 133, 2021, 111037, ISSN 0753-3322, https://doi.org/10.1016/j .biopha.2020.111037.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220312294)SA Azer, COVID-19: pathophysiology, diagnosis, complications and investigational therapeutics, New Microbes and New Infections, Volume 37, 2020, 100738, ISSN 2052-2975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100738 .(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2052297520300901)Luo, Wenjun MSa;Zhai, Yan MSb,∗;Sun, Mi MDa;Guo, Dong MDa;Xie, Fang MSa;Yu, Zhou MSa;Tang, Zunhao MSa Clinical Study on Acupuncture Treatment of COVID-19, Medicine: January 14, 2022 – Volume 101 – Number 2 – p e28296.doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000028296Xin Yin, Shu-bin Cai, Lan-ting Tao, Lu-ming Chen, Zhong-de Zhang, Su-hong Xiao, Arthur Yin Fan, Xu Zou, Recovery of a patient with severe COVID-19 using acupuncture and adjuvant Chinese herbal medicine to standard care, Journal of Integrative Medicine, Volume 19, Issue 5, 2021, Pages 460-466, ISSN 2095-4964, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2021.06.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095496421000601)Jianping Liu, Fei Dong, Nicola Robinson, State Evidence of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, Volume 9, Issue 1, 2022, Pages 2-6, ISSN 2095- 7548, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcms.2022.01.005.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095754822000059)Join our Telegram channel to receive the latest news 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