Hello dear Readers!

In this new wave of the Omicron variant of Covid 19, I have received many patients with sequelae of Fatigue. Have you ever wondered, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, what does this mean? Why can a disease that primarily affects the Lungs cause such extreme fatigue?

Let’s think according to the 5 Elements to better understand what is happening with our patients.

In Chinese Medicine we know that the Lung is the body’s biggest energy producer. This is because the Lungs is responsible for producing Defense Energy (Wei Qi) and Nutritive Energy (Yin Qi) through the union of Air and Food Energies (Gu Qi).

When the individual contracts Covid, the Lung will be affected even if there are no severe symptoms. The Omicron variant has been classified as a milder form of the disease (even though severe cases are still reported) and its main symptoms are mild upper respiratory system respiratory problems and fatigue.

Many patients report not being able to do simple things like talking on the phone, doing the dishes or playing the piano. And unlike the first version, what the patient reports is tiredness, not shortness of breath.

As the Lung is responsible for the body’s high energy production, when affected, it will try to correct its production and balanced functioning using the strength of its mother organ, that is, the Spleen. The Spleen, in turn, is responsible for capturing energy from food, and at first it will try to help the Lung in reestablishing their functions, however, with the average duration of the illness being 10 days, the Spleen becomes overloaded, not being able to perform its functions, among them, sending Gu Qi so that the Lungs work again.

Thus, fatigue is installed in the body, due to a low energy production and a low use of food.

Following the Spleen, the Stomach will be impaired. As the first viscera with a digestive function, the Stomach is responsible for breaking down food, maturing it and sending it to the Spleen to extract its essences. Since the Spleen will be weak and overloaded, it will not be able to carry out the reception of matter that comes from the Stomach.

Without reception by the Spleen, the Stomach diminishes its functions, as its work will not be efficiently used by the Spleen. With a deficient Stomach, the patient will have tiredness, lack of appetite, difficulty in digestion, intestinal malfunction, decreased production of Yin fluids by the Stomach, which will result in dry mouth, burning in the stomach and in more severe cases, persistent fever.

When the Stomach weakens, the entire energy-forming chair is broken, so the patient’s tiredness is severe. It is important, therefore, that the therapist knows how to evaluate and treat a post-Covid patient, not only strengthening his Lung, but also the Spleen and Stomach.

I suggest the following points:

• To strengthen the Lungs: Lu7, Lu9, CV17, in auriculotherapy, Lung point.
• To strengthen the Spleen: SP2, SP3, in auriculotherapy, Spleen point.
• To strengthen the Stomach: CV15, CV12, ST36 and SP6, in auriculotherapy, Stomach point.

Once the function of the Spleen is reestablished, which will be able to capture the energy of the Stomach and strengthening the Lungs so that it no longer steals the energy from the Spleen in excess, the patient will be able to resume normal energy production and the symptom of tiredness. and fatigue will resolve more quickly.

Hope it was helpful.

A big hug to everyone.

Fernanda Mara

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Good morning readers!

Today the subject is serious and interesting! Let’s talk about stomach reduction surgery, also known as bariatric surgery and how Chinese medicine sees the consequences of this process.

This type of surgery is indicated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), for patients with BMI above 35 kg / m² who have complications such as sleep apnea, hypertension, diabetes, increased blood fats and joint problems, or for patients with a BMI greater than 40 kg / m² who have not been successful in losing weight after two years of clinical treatment (including the use of medications).

In other words, it is not cosmetic surgery, and it is indicated carefully for those who are already having severe damage to health.

In this surgery, part of the stomach is isolated, decreasing its ability to receive food for digestion, causing, consequently, the patient to eat less and become drastically thin.

It is indisputable that the patient who performs this surgery has health benefits, but with less food intake, there is also less absorption of proteins, vitamins, minerals. And so, other health problems can arise, such as anemia, early osteoporosis among others.

But how does Chinese medicine see this process and how can it help people who have undergone bariatric surgery?

In Chinese Medicine, the Stomach is the organ that produces body fluids, the Jin Ye, which fluidize mucous membranes, generate tears, sweat, etc. It is also the main digestive organ, which sends the matured and decomposed food to the Spleen to transform Gu Qi (food energy) and thus the energy transformation chain goes through other organs. In this text, we will focus on the functioning of these two organs after bariatrics.

As the bariatric patient manages to consume only between 10 and 30% of the foods he was able to consume before the surgery, the Stomach will suffer in its functions, as it will no longer have the energy it had previously to function.

Stomach Qi Deficiency causes: dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin and vagina, hunger without wanting to eat, weakness muscles, reflux, changes in bowel function.

And as the Stomach receives less food, less raw material will also pass for the Spleen to function, which results in Deficient Qi and later Deficient Blood Spleen, which generates symptoms of: muscle weakness, impaired memory (lack of memory , lapses, difficulty in attention), sagging skin and muscles, chronic tiredness, loose stools, ptosis of organs, among other consequences.

With a weak Spleen, the entire energy transformation chain in the body will be compromised, and in the medium / long term, other organs such as the Lung, Kidney, Liver and Heart may be affected. Thus, problems such as decreased breathing capacity on physical exertion, sudden drops in blood pressure, difficulty in digesting fats, hair loss, brittle nails, may also appear.

As bariatric surgery is always indicated for patients who will really benefit their health, greater than the harm caused by it, the acupuncturist who receives a patient who underwent stomach reduction surgery in his office must ALWAYS strengthen the Stomach and the Spleen, trying not only to avoid / improve the symptoms mentioned above, but also to avoid breaking the energy transformation in the body.

They are suggested as points to strengthen the Stomach and Spleen: ST-36, ST-41, BL-21, BL-6, SP-2, SP-3, BL-20, BL-49.

In auriculotherapy, Stomach, Spleen, Pancreas, Metabolism points can be used.

And in therapeutic food, neutral foods from the Earth element should be used.

Chinese herbs should be used when the conventional treatment of acupuncture + therapeutic feeding is not enough.

A dietary re-education accompanied by a nutritionist and hormonal monitoring by the endocrinologist must always be performed in conjunction with acupuncture.

The treatment with acupuncture in these cases is extensive, and should be performed at least one session per week, for 3 to 6 months after surgery and then the patient is reassessed for discharge.

That’s it, I hope you liked it and that it was a very useful text.

A big hug for everyone!

Profa. Fernanda Mara