July 23, 2024

Chinese Medicine and Long Covid Syndrome

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been of interest to the global community for the past two years, leading to the search of innovative research ideas, mechanisms and strategies for the treatment, reduction and prevention of the spread of the disease.

The pandemic leaves long-term problems regardless of the severity of the infection, and 5% of patients who had even mild illness, as subclinical and asymptomatic forms, suffer from various symptoms, characterized as persistent patients and even 1% of them for more than a year.

The new syndrome, Long Covid or Post Covid, as recognized by the WHO, has begun to be understood in Greek patients who experience enormous difficulties after their illness, while at the same time, it gathers scientific interest, with experts looking for the causes and ways to treat it.

Long Covid syndrome, which occurs regardless of the severity of the infection with symptoms both physically and mentally, requires everyone to be sensitized so as not to feel invulnerable to the virus and especially to establish the vaccine as the only preventive measure to avoid disease and infectious side effects.

Medical Acupuncture is a peripheral tissue stimulation that is transmitted to the Central Nervous System and is described by neurophysiology. Acupuncture as a method of peripheral aesthetic stimulation (neurostimulation) causes changes in the aesthetics, excitability and function of the autonomic nervous system, hormone levels and the immune response, with the therapeutic goal of changes in the level of brain nuclei, nerve axes and functional neural networks.

Recent studies on the effect of Acupuncture on brain stimulation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have shown that large specific areas of the brain are activated and deactivated when acupuncture is applied to certain parts of man and animals body.

Acupuncture and Botanotherapy have been established internationally as a complete treatment system. The World Health Organization has recognized acupuncture as a medical treatment method for more than a hundred (100) diseases. In 2010, UNESCO included acupuncture in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In Greece Chinese Medicine has been recognized as a complimentary medicine by the Greek National Council. 

Medical wellness tourism is especially popular worldwide, as people have a strong need for relaxation and inner search to cope with the problems of Long Covid Syndrome, to detoxify as well as a need for longevity and well-being with an introspection imposed by the pandemic as a teacher of humility.

Konstantinos Kouskoukis

Professor of Dermatology 

Lawyer 

B’ Vice President GDHI 

President Hellenic Academy of Thermal Medicine 

President World Academy of Chinese & Complimentary Medicine