Hello readers!

Today let’s talk a bit about Post-Covid Syndrome, describing the tongue evaluation of a real patient.

The patient we are talking about, reports having had Covid in August 2021, without need for hospitalization and suffering from light symptoms, such as tiredness, body pain, few respiration related symptoms and a bit of throat inflammation.

However, as time went by, a few days after the test already ruled negative (to Covid), the patient started feeling extremely tired, lack of appetite and strong mental agitation combined with trouble sleeping. Based off these late symptoms, let’s evaluate the patient tongue, together:

1. About the Tongue’s Color:

We can observe that the patient has the tongue tip full of petechiae (small dark red ball mostly on the tip).

This sign shows that the patient suffers from Heart Heat, justifying the mental agitation and trouble sleeping.

In order to treat this symptom, I suggest the points HT3 and HT5, as well as Heart point in auriculotherapy.

2. Coating 

In this tongue, the main problem is in the coating. After carefully evaluating it, we can notice that the coating does not have a defined pattern from the root to the tongue’s tip. That’s why the ideal is, dividing the diagnosis of the tongue coating in steps:

2.a) Tongue’s Back: coating concentrated and slightly yellowish

• Indicates heat and humidity in the Lower Burner, especially on the Kidney. The concentrated humidity on the Lower Burner makes the patient loses vitality. The water loses its ascending movement to refresh the Heat from the Fire Element/Heart. The patient enters a depressive state, the tiredness never goes away. It’s necessary that we tone Yang and Kidney energy, in order that Water returns to it’s ascending movement, as well as removing humidity. Due to that, we suggest the points KI7 and CV4.

2.b) Coating Fault in the reflex region for Large and Small Intestine and Stomach:

• Indicates a Deficiency in Yin Energy and Body Fluids in these viscera. The symptoms are lack of appetite, resected feces and constipation. Besides that, the patient can suffer from bad breath, skin and mucosa dryness. Without body fluids, the absorption system won’t properly function. The patient will eat less and will not be able to absorb the nutrients in appropriate matter, turning weak and worsening the tiredness already caused by the previous humidity in Lower Burner.
• In this case, it’s important to use the points that promote fluid production, such as: PC6, ST36, SP6, KI6. In auriculotherapy, use Stomach and Spleen points.

3) Yellowish and thick coating in Spleen reflex region

• Unlike the Stomach region that is suffering from lack of fluids, the Spleen has Humidity and Heat. Under the acting of two new pathological factors, Spleen won’t be able to properly function. Memory will be weakened and the patient will be unwilling, with weight gain sensation and retaining fluids, the intestine won’t work properly. There will be no appetite.
• We need to remove heat and humidity from Spleen. Points as SP2, SP6 and SP9 can be of big help.

It’s important to comprehend that in an Post-Covid patient, Excess symptoms (humidity and heat) may occur concurrent to the Deficiency symptoms (Deficiency Yin and Fluids). Thus it’s important that the therapist is able to remove the pathological factors and strengthen the deficiencies in the same session.

In Chinese Food Therapy, we recommend Fresh aliments for the Heart and Neutral for the Kidney, Stomach and Spleen. Neutral Aliments are always the recommendation for patients with Excess/Deficiency symptoms in the same organ/region.

The complete food chart is at: https://www.facilitatingacupuncture.com/therapeutic-food-tables/

The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over yet, and a lot is still to be learnt. But it’s a fact that acupuncture and Chinese Food Therapy are big allies in sequel and Post-Covid syndrome treatment.

I hope that helped you!

Big hug!

Profa. Fernanda Mara