Let's Talk About Long Covid

More and more patients are coming to Boost Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine for support in their recovery from the debilitating and often very confusing symptoms of long Covid-19. Those symptoms vary by individual, but some of the most common symptoms include fatigue,

air hunger (shortness of breath); cough; muscle, joint and/or chest pain; headaches (particularly at the temple, side and/or back of the head); spiking or accelerated heart rate; fever alternating with chills; sleep problems; depression; anxiety; dizziness and problems with memory and concentration. Another common experience is for one's symptoms to get worse after mental or physical exertion.

Shaoyang - the "seesaw" stage of illness
​Whether from a Traditional Chinese Medicine or Western medicine standpoint, Long Covid-19 is a complex condition. Still, many of the symptoms I have encountered in the Boost clinic correspond to a stage in the entry of a disease into the body that is called Shaoyang. In the Shaoyang stage, a pathogen has moved through the body's exterior defenses and is threatening to invade more deeply, potentially even into the organs. It is actually an intermediate stage between the exterior and the interior and there can be seesaw effects as 

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the pathogen and the body struggle with each other. That could explain why pain can appear in different parts of the body over time in greater or lesser intensity, your energy level may vary widely or you may feel feverish sometimes and other times chilled. In long Covid, it often seems as if remnants the pathogen have become locked in this stage. ​

Recovery
Covid-19 has been shown to cause inflammation and, from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, is characterized by the accumulation in the body of pathological fluids called dampness. Acupuncture has demonstrable anti-inflammatory effects and Traditional Chinese Medicine has a number of ways to address dampness. If you suffer from long Covid, I encourage you to make an appointment to receive treatment and individualized dietary recommendations.

Generally, long Covid sufferers may be able to help their body to clear dampness and any residue of the pathogen by making some general changes to their diet. My number one recommendation would be to increase the amount of fluids that you consume with food. Soups, stews and congees (porridges) will hydrate your body much more effectively than only drinking water. More healthy fluids circulating in your system help to clear dampness. You can further ramp up the dampness clearing powers of your food by adding mung beans (the bean and the sprout), aduki beans, black sesame seeds, celery, turnips, pumpkin, sweet potato, seaweed and papaya. Lightly cooked or steamed foods are easier to digest than raw ones and should make up the bulk of your diet while clearing dampness. Eat smaller meals to aid digestion, perhaps more frequently to avoid snacking. Equally important are the foods and drinks to avoid: chocolate, sugar, dairy products, foods that are eaten frozen, coffee, alcohol, garlic, cold drinks consumed with meals, and fatty meats and other oily foods. I would advise avoiding tofu while clearing dampness as well.

Recipe idea - breakfast congee
​I will share my daily breakfast congee recipe below to give you an idea. It may not be for everyone, but I like it.

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Breakfast Congee Recipe
Ingredients:
160 ml mung beans
80 ml lentils or aduki beans
80 ml of millet or brown rice
8 cups of water
Garnishes that I add include mung bean sprouts, grated daikon radish, golden berries, ground black sesame seeds, dried cranberries, hemp seeds and Bragg liquid soy seasoning. I usually throw in a few raw pumpkin seeds too because they are kind to the prostate

Put the beans, grains and water in a slow cooker and cook for at least an hour. I have a slow cooker with an automated delayed start, so I can wake up to this first thing in the morning. Once it has cooked, I add the garnish and eat.
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The core ingredients and the garnishes can be changed up depending on the specifics of your health situation.