Post COVID-19 and Long COVID Recovery

COVID-19 symptoms are various among the people. The symptoms are similar to Flu like symptoms but it can be worse than flu and you may end up into hospital for treatment. 

 

Even if you have mild COVID-19, you may get the LONG COVID symptoms after post COVID-19. 

Common symptoms during recovery phase ^[1]

• fatigue
• cough
• breathless
• joint or muscle pain
• chest pain 
• change of smell and taste
• mood swinging

other symptoms may occurs after COVID-19 recovery

• low-grade fever
• headache
• memory loss
• muscle pain
• rash
• digestive issues
• depression

 

How acupuncture and Eastern Herbal Medicine may help the long COVID symptoms

Acupuncture is to help move the energy in our body (氣-기, Chi, Qi) and blood, so that our body itself can fix problems that are caused by COVID-19. We uses a specific acupuncture points for a specific symptoms such as chronic fatigue, cough, etc. Acupuncture is a good natural method to help recovering from long COVID-19 symptoms. 

German researchers mentioned dandelion and pomegranate peel are effect for inhibit spike protein in COVID^[2] .

Traditional Eastern Herbal medicine can be used according to symptoms. During COVID-19 infection, our body spends a lot of energy to fight against Corona virus, so we get tired easily after COVID recovery. We may promote our body with a certain traditional herbal medicine such as Ginseng. Further more, chronic dry cough may happens after COVID-recovery due to being damaged in Lung Energy(氣) and Lung Yin Fluid. We can provide a certain herbal medicine to tonify Lung Energy and Fluid

 

Experience.

This COVID-19 is different from other Flu, It has lingering symptoms due to our body doesn't have enough energy to remove the symptoms of COVID-19 thoroughly and our body doesn't have ability to recover itself quickly. Eastern Medicine in Korea uses Gong Jin Dan for chronic fatigue symptoms.

We can use acupuncture and eastern herbal medicine to boost our body to help our body become normal as quickly as possible.

 

 

Reference : 

[1]. Understanding post-covid-19 symptoms and 'long covid'. healthdirect. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19/post-covid-symptoms-long-covid

[2] Causes and treatments for long haul covid. www.theepochtimes.com. (2022, April 25). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.theepochtimes.com/causes-and-treatments-for-long-haul-covid_4385618.html?welcomeuser=1

Indigestion

Many people suffer indigestion in modern society.  Indigestion is caused by many reasons. First of all, overeating, fast eating, and heavy eating causes indigestion without doubts. Other reasons can be having too much carbonated drink, smoking, taking caffeines, spicy and fatty food, mental issues such as depression and stress, pregnancy, a certain medicines, etc.

 

We might have symptoms of indigestion¹ such as

• Bloating, belching and gas
• Fullness, acid reflux
• Heart Burns
• Nausea and vomiting if severe cases
• Stomach pain....

What is well known remedy?

• Eat slowly and chew well
• Avoid late-night eating
• Avoid a certain food such as spicy or allergic food
• Do not smoke
• Avoid alcohol

I think the best well-known and fasted remedy is taking medicine such as Gaviscon.  However, I doubt whether it fixes the underline problems.

 

How does Eastern Medicine see the indigestion?

Basic causes of indigestion is accumulation of food and phlegm-dampness. Irregular eating habit, overeating and imbalanced eating damages the energy of digestive organ (Spleen).  Lack of energy for transformation and transportation function of Spleen (including Pancreas) causes food accumulation. Phlegm-damp is accumulated in the digestive organ due to having stress and overworking which causes abnormal fluid and metabolism. There is also one important reason to get indigestion. That is the Stress.

Simply, we divides where you get indigestion. 

- feeling indigested in the chest area

- pain and very uncomfortable just below sternum (xiphoid process)

- pain or uncomfortable above the belly button

- pain or discomfort under rib area

- pain or discomfort below belly button. 

We give different treatment according to symptoms and signs. 

 

How does Eastern Medicine treat the indigestion?

First, we move Energy (氣 - 기, Chi, Qi) and Blood in our body to remove blockage in the stomach area by acupuncture or herbal medicine. For the acupucnture, we use hands and feet, arms and legs, and stomach and back area to remove the blockae and to help the energy of Stomach and Spleen.

For the herbal medicine, we use purgative herbs, harmonising herbs, herb that remove blood stagnation herbs, etc depending on the symptoms and signs.

Chronic indigestion takes time to fix because it is chronic. However, the digestive part in our body is one of the most important part. Without a strong digestive function, we cannot live well and healthy. 

 

Reference

1. WebMD. 2022. Indigestion and Your Digestive System. [online] Available at: <https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/indigestion> [Accessed 22 March 2022].

 

 

Liver in Western Medicine and Eastern Medicine

Liver is known as one of larger organ in our body.  In terms of anatomy, the liver is located under the rib case in the right side with dark reddish colour.

Structural aspects, this liver is the same in Western Medicine and Eastern Medicine.

However, this liver seems totally different in terms of functional aspects.

In modern medicine, the liver is responsible for filtering blood from digestive tract and resolving toxicity of chemicals and body metabolism. The liver also making proteins for blood clotting and has function of producing glucose and glycogen

When the liver becomes ill, we might have various symptoms such as jaundice, dark urine, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, appetite loss, weight loss, general malaise, fever, bloated stomach, swollen ankle, abdominal pain on right side, anemia, and changing in mental state such as altered sleep pattern, drowsiness, confusion.

 

How Eastern Medicine see the function of Liver

Liver in Eastern medicine produces life energy, communication and removing, and it stores blood and takes in charge of an emotion such as anger.  It also has a connection to eyes and controls tendons in our body, and manifests in the nails.¹

The liver takes responsible for dispersion and dredging. It regulates emotion and promotes digestion and absorption, maintains the circulation of Energy(氣 - 기,Chi, Qi), blood and body fluid. ^1.

Does an organ in the body controls an emotion? Does stress damages the liver? (mixed with eastern and western medicine)

In the Eastern Medicine theory, the liver is belonged to WOOD element because the liver function is similar to WOOD elements in our nature, and we explains its function by using the characteristic of WOOD element. 

 

How do we treat the Liver when Liver has a disease?

First, we have Liver meridian in our body, so we can use acupuncture point in the Liver meridian.

Second, we can use herbal medicine according to the symptoms and sign which produced by Liver disease. If liver cannot have dispersing and dredging function, then we use a herbal medicine which improve dispersing and dredging function in our body such as a mandarine peels.

 

Summary

I don't want to say which one is right. Two different medicine theory sees differently. Some aspects are same, but other aspects are totally different and the treatment is also totally different. We are living in 21 century and modern technology seems to be right. However, Eastern medicine theory has been used for more than 2000 years and it still uses this theory.  It would be wonderful if we can combine it together somehow. 

 

 

Ref 1: Liu Z, -W, Shu J, Tu J, -Y, Zhang C, -H, Hong J: Liver in the Chinese and Western Medicine. Integr Med Int 2017;4:39-45. doi: 10.1159/000466694

Mental Health

When it comes to the mental health, stress comes first. In modern society, everybody gets stress and talks about their mental health. Stress is part of our mental health issue. However mental health can cover more than just stress itself. 

According to BeyondBlue website, mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. mental health is very important in our life and the quality of the life. 

 

How much do you know about your mental health?

Do you know the mental activity comes from the energy of our body organs? In the western medicine, the mental health comes from your brain activity mainly such as thinking, worrying, depression, anxiety.  So you read books and have consultation with psychologist, and you take medication with reduce or increase chemicals in our brain such as dopamine and serotonin. 

People also mentioned meditation and exercise would help your mental health. So you ride bicycle, do bush walking, running, and even yoga.  Yes, definitely, all these exercise and medication would help your mental health. However, you didn't answer the first question which the mental activity comes from the energy of body organs?

 

How Eastern Medicine think of our mental activity?

In the Eastern Medicine theory, our organs such as Lung, Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidney, Gall bladder, Pericardium govern our metal activity. 

When a certain organ becomes weak or has disease, we tend to have a certain emotion or mental activity. Each organs have its own energy and characteristic, so that they represent our specific feelings.

• Happiness belongs to our Heart.
• Anger belongs to our Liver
• Worries belongs to our Lung
• thinking belongs to our spleen (including pancreas)
• Sadness belongs to our pericardium
• Fear belongs to our kideny
• Shocking belongs to our gallbladder

 

How can acupuncture help our mental health?

Acupuncture is a main tool for modifying and enhancing our body Energy Flow (氣 - 기, Chi, Qi).  If we explain our body Energy(氣) as bioelectromagnetic field in our body, the acupuncture needle is the best tool to modify this Energy(氣). The acupuncture needle can be inserted into a specifice points in the meridian in our body. 

Our body has main 12 meridians which are connected to our internal organs such as Heart, Liver, Lung, Spleen, Kidney, Pericardium, Gallbladder, etc.

Therefore, we use acupuncture to modify the energy flow (氣) in our body according to the diagnosis about your mental health. This acupuncture helps the energy of a certain organ which governs our certain feeling, so that we get better mental health. 

 

Who needs acupuncture?

Acupuncture doesn't have any chemical attached. It uses a fine needle, almost painless needle. Therefore, someone who suffers from any mental health issues can get acupuncture. Your acupuncturist will tell you about acupuncture and how it would help.

People who want to be in a good mental health states can also get acupuncture regularly to enhance their body Energy flows (氣).

Sciatic Pain

Sciatica is a pain radiate to the sciatic nerve, which causes a huge pain on the butt and radiates to one leg generally. This pain generally happens in the lumbar spine area and sciatic nerve area in the butt generally. The pain also radiates to the back of leg along the sciatic nerve. 

You may say, you have back pain, hip pan, leg pain and foot pain with severe pain or numbness and tingling sensation. It causes aching, burning pains or spasm.

Why does this pain happen?

Sciatica is known as lumbar issue which pinches nerve in the area between lumbar (L3) and sacrum (S3) area.  Pseudo Sciatica is known as piriformis syndrome where the piriformis muscle in the butt area compress the sciatic nerve.

 

 

 

How can it be treated currently?

For sciatica, pain killer medicine or surgery is recommended. For pseudo sciatica, manual therapy or osteopathy treatment is recommended.

 

How does Eastern medicine see this sciatica?

First of all, pain occurs due to blockage of Energy and blood flow in our body. The blockage may be occurred by external reason such as Wind-Cold-Dampness, or internal reason such as Energy and blood deficiency.  It may also be caused by postural issues such as sitting long time. 

Eastern medicine sees that there is blockage of Energy and Blood in the lumbar and butt area and make Energy and blood flows freely with all kinds of method such as acupuncture, cupping, scrapping, hot-pack, heat-lamp, etc. Furthermore, we use herbal medicine to boost Energy and blood if deficiency case in order to move Energy and blood.  The first and main method is acupuncture. We give acupuncture in the four limbs including hands and feet to make Energy and Blood move freely in the body, then we use local points to remove the blockage. 

In terms of the meridians in our body, Bladder and Gall Bladder meridian are considered initially to resolve the blockages. However, we may use other channels according to the diagnosis of the individual.

 

How often or many times do I need to get treatment?

This is totally depending on your condition and your constitution. Generally 1 or 2 treatment, you would see the pain reduction. However, it may recur soon. We generally recommends at least 4~6 acupuncture treatment initially.  If needed, we also recommend herbal medicine with acupuncture treatment. 

 

 

Fatigue and Well-being

Fatigue is defined as overall tiredness and lack of energy. Well-being includes positive emotion and mood, and it can be defined as happy and healthy. There is strong connection between fatigue and well-being. 

 

Are you well?

This is a good question you ask. What is well or wellness? Most people think they are well, healthy, and eating healthy. However, with a few question, we could find some odds in the health and well-being.  Then how can we be well? The best answer is that you eat well, sleep well, poop well. In modern society, we have too many things to take care, too busy with life. We cannot rest and worry a lot. All these make us tired and disturb our well-being. 

 

How can we improve our life and well-being

It is easy to say things then do things. To have a good life and well-being. you should eat well, sleep well, exercise well. Even though you do eat well, sleep well, and exercise well, you won't be 100% well because we are alive. Our health is not stay there forever. We are affected by outside natures as well as inside emotions.

 

How can Acupuncture help well-being and fatigue.

The main effect of Acupuncture is moving Energy (氣, 기, Chi, Qi) and blood. Energy(氣) goes first then blood follows, and blood nourishes Energy(氣) in human body.  In the Traditional Eastern Medicine, Energy(氣) and blood circulate well in your body, you are healthy and you do not have any pain in your body. 

Therefore, moving Energy(氣) and blood well in our body is well-being, and it helps our fatigue¹

 

How often do we need get acupuncture?

Standard acupuncture session is once in 3 days depending on the conditions, written ancient acupuncture book (Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic). In Australia, weekly bases treatment can be ideal. For general well-being and fatigue treatment, we recommend 12 weeks treatment which changes your Energy(氣) and blood.  You might have once a year for 12 weeks treatment for your general well-being. 

Acupuncture treatment is well-know for prevention. So your Energy(氣) and blood move freely, then you won't have serious diseases because we believe stasis of Energy(氣) and blood causes all the issues in our body.

 

  

 

What to expect after acupuncture?

We expect you could sleep well, eat well, poop well after acupuncture session. 

 

 

Reference:

1. Kim JE, Seo BK, Choi JB, et al. Acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue: a multicenter, nonblinded, randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:314. Published 2015 Jul 26. doi:10.1186/s13063-015-0857-0

Is sweating good for you?

Sweating is called perspiration. It comes from our sweat gland in response to the weather, exercise, or even stress.  Is sweating good? During exercise, we sweat to remove heat from our body, which is a good thing.  Sweating can also occur when we are in anxious or have a fever. Hyperthyroidism, menopause, and flu cause sweat in our body as well.  I guest normal sweating is good, but how do we know whether it is normal sweating or abnormal sweating. 

 

The main function of sweating is to control our body temperature. So too much sweating is problem as well as no sweating is problem. 

 

  

 

How Eastern Medicine see the sweat

In the eastern medicine, the body fluid is called 津液(진액, JinYe), and it is divided into two category which is Jin and Ye. Jin(津진) means fluid in the yang part of our body and Ye (液액) is Yin part of our body. We call these fluid sweat when it comes out of our body. If we sweat without any reason, then imbalance of Yin and Yang causes sweating. 

 

In Eastern Medicine, sweating happens when the heat of the heart meets the dampness of the spleen. In terms of division through upper, middle, lower, the upper part sweats when the heat of heart is severe and the stomach energy is deficient. In the middle part, sweating happens when the heat of stomach is strong and phlegm-dampness exist in the stomach. Dampness body type may also sweat a lot. In the lower part, sweating happens due to wind invasion or kidney fluid deficiency.  Overall, sweating happens when our body cannot control heal, water, phlegm, and dampness

Kinds of Sweating in Eastern Medicine

• Day time Self sweating - Sweating anytime. This happens due to Energy deficiency, Dampness or Phlegm in our body. 
  When a person move a little bit, then the person gets sweat in face and whole body. It is called Self-sweating. This generally happens to the person who have Energy deficiency (氣虛 기허, Qi Xu). However, overweighted person or person who drinks alcohol and doesn't do exercise can also get this kinds of sweating due to disturbed Energy(氣) movement by Phlegm-Dampness and Damp-Heat.
   
• Night sweat (Burglar Sweats) - Sweating while sleeping. and It stops when a person wakes up. This sweating happens due to Yin-deficiency generally, and I also happens due to Heat in Liver and Gall Bladder organ.
   
• Sweat in Head only - Sweating in the head. When Yang is deficient and Evil Energy attacks, the fluid comes up to the head and we sweat in the head. This may happen by blood issue, dampness, heat in the stomach, tuberculosis as well. 
• Sweating after eating food - Sweating in the face when eating food. Some sweat when they even look at a chilly. This kinds of person has heat and phlegm-dampness in the stomach
   
• Sweating in hands and feet - This happens by heat in the digestion organ and emotional status. People who get stress easily can sweat like water in their hands due to deficient Heat in the heart. 

 

How acupuncture and Eastern Medicine can help sweating. 

Using acupuncture treatment, we help to move Energy (氣: 기, Chi, Qi), to promote Energy, and to remove heat, phlegm and dampness. Normally, acupuncture help organ to remove heat, phlegm and dampness. 

Herbal medicine is more specifically targeted. If tis is Energy deficient case, we use Energy tonifying herbs such as Ginseng. 

 

Health with Him acupuncture clinic (Camberwell) provides an acupuncture and herbal medicine services related to abnormal sweating. 

Weight Management

It means a healthy diet and regular exercise. According to BetterHealth in victorian government site, healthy weight varies for different people and some health conditions make people control their weight. 

Therefore, eating the right amount and the proper food very important in out diet to manage our weight. Furthermore, we hear some news that some people lost a certain Kilo Gram with a certain diet. 

We all blame our habit of eating when it comes to weight management.  Not eating or less eating is the fastest way to reduce weight, I do not doubt about it. 

Weight Management in Eastern Medicine (Oriental Medicine)

In the Inner Cannon of Yellow Emperor (Huang Di Nei Jing),  2000 years ago, "Eating good food too much, It causes obesity." 

Obesity is caused by Dampness and Phlegm in the body. The dampness and Phlegm disturb the flows of Energy (氣 - 기, Chi, Qi) and make energy deficiency. Therefore phlegm-dampness is the main cause of obesity. Normally, Spleen (Eastern Medicine) has function of removing dampness or phlegm out of body. However, the phlegm-dampness become accumulated in the body if the energy of Spleen is weak. Then the phlegm-dampness make our body overweight. Obesity comes from mal-functioning of digestion part of our body. 

How Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine help reducing obesity. 

We use acupuncture and herbal medicine to tonify Spleen and remove dampness in our body. We also make our Lung clear to help the flows of energy.  These makes our internal organ strong,  reduce deficient heat, tonify Yang energy from Kidney, and remove extra fluid in our body. That is make our body function well.

Finally we can add some more method such as  reducing appetite and helping our large intestine to remove stools easily.  

This will reduce our weight. However it won't make you as thinner as you want because our method is making your body functioning well. It means it will remove pathological overweight, not your wishes.

Weight management in Acupuncture and Herbal medicine takes time. It may takes up to 6 months to 1 year. 

 

Well-Being

Well-being is defined as having good feeling and functioning well. It is also know as wellness. So what makes us being well?

Dimensions of Well-being is drawn like this:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Financial
• Intellectual
• Occupational
• Environment
• Spiritual
• Social

We all spend a lot of energy to balance those dimensions. It won't be easy to say one is more important than the other because it is all connected and affects each other.

 

How does Eastern Medicine define Well-Being in our body?

 

Eastern Medicine defines well-being in the body as all 5 elements are balanced.  To make it more simple, 陰(음, Yin) and  陽 (양, yang) should be balanced. 

So How can we make 陰(음, Yin) and  陽 (양, yang) balance?

Human is part of nature and created by the property of nature. So we follows the characteristics of the nature. Universe tries to be balanced all the time automatically. The earth also tries to be balanced all the time, and Human body tries to be balanced too. Sometimes, our body cannot be balanced, then we call our body is in disease state.

To make our body be balanced, we eat well, sleep well, exercise well, think well. So being well is very important. 

In the Eastern Medicine, acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to balance 陰(음, Yin) and  陽 (양, yang) in our body. 

 

One tip to help our body be balanced.  --> Drink Eum Yang Tang (Yin Yang Tang)

When you have time to drink water. If possible, then please make Eum Yang Tang (Yin Yang Tang) and drink to help our body balance Yin and Yang with circulation of Energy(기, Chi, Qi) and Blood

Eum Yang Tang is well-known in Korea for helping digestive issue,  and it helps Energy and Blood circulation in our body.  

Headache(2) and Stress

Stress causes headache. Not 100% but it is reasonably right. Generally, stress causes all sort of problem in the body because stress blocks Energy(氣:기, Chi, Qi) and Blood(血:혈, Xue) movement in our body. 

The headache comes from stress is generally tension-type headache which has dull and aching pain. It also has tightness in the head (forehead, side, and back of the head) and tenderness in the scalp, neck and shoulder. This kind of headache comes from lack of Energy and blood flowing to the head. 

If the stress continues, it consumes Energy and Blood and causes other type of headache.

Energy (氣, 기, Chi, Qi) deficient headache

Energy deficient headache happens due to Energy deficiency which commonly happens by lower blood pressure or digestive issues. It sometimes happens after overworking or over-drinking. 

This kind of headache has symptoms of tiredness, pain on the side of eyes (temporal area). If it is severe, it cause excruciating pain in the eyes. It may causes dizziness when standing up quickly after sitting down. you may feel both shoulder heavy and pain like pressure. It may have tinnitus as well. 

This kind of Energy deficient headache may happens to the old, the weak, and students. People who have stress all the time may also has this kind stress because stress consumes Energy quickly. 

 

How acupuncture can help to reduce the headache

If the headache causes by the deficiency of Energy(氣:기, Chi, Qi) and Blood(血:혈, Xue), then acupuncture should be applied to improve Energy and Blood, and move the Energy and Blood to the head so that the head can be nourished by Energy and Blood. 

In this case, herbal medicine can be used together with acupuncture to tonify the Energy and Blood. Ginseng is a good herbal medicine to tonify Energy(氣:기, Chi, Qi) 

 

Health with Him Acupuncture clinic provides acupuncture and herbal medicine service to these kind of headache.