Hello dear Readers!

I know a lot has already been written about COVID-19, however I believe every additional information should be of extreme importance.

In my office, I have been noticing lately, a rise in patients who suffer from after Covid-19 sequels that are completely treatable through Chinese Medicine, and I believe it’s the same for all of you. Therefore  I deem it of tremendous importance that the acupuncturist comprehends where the sequels can show up and the “why” behind them.

Covid is a disease that starts attacking the Lung and through this attack, all other organs might suffer, based on the 5 elements knowledge, the following situations might happen:

• Lung not nourishing Kidney – in this situation, mother does not nourish her son and the sequels are related to the Kidney and urinary System functioning, such as kidney failure, UTIs, urinary urgency, and more. In Chinese Medicine the Kidney is also responsible for the bones, and with that in mind we can justify joint pain and bone demineralization that might also happen on after-covid. Another important point that is directly linked to female fertility. The Kidney has extreme importance on a woman’s ability to get pregnant, all vital energy is stored there. That’s why, once weakened, a woman might have trouble getting pregnant. Psychologically the patient might become insecure and develop phobias.

• Lung failing to control Liver – in this situation, the Grandpa, Lung, is incapable of controlling Grandchild, Liver, and the patient may suffer from hepatic inflammations such as hepatitis, fatty liver disease,  decrease in Liver metabolism, etc. In Chinese Medicine the Liver is responsible for nourishing muscles with blood and for that, on after-covid, the patient may suffer from intense muscular pain, muscular tension in specific points and even erection problems. Problems regarding period may also arise, once that the Liver is the one that transports the blood to the uterus so that menstruation occurs. Psychologically the patient shall become irritable and face troubled sleep caused by dreams or nightmares, then waking up in the morning as if it had not even slept.

• Lung taking over Heart – in this situation, Lung is suffering from Qi stagnation due to Covid, this way developing a strong excess disease that will go against grandpa, Heart, domination, leading to heart arrhythmia, palpitations, anxiety crises and panic and all types of mental disturb. Blood circulation may become slow and impaired. Bruises may show up due to capillary fragility, and varicose veins might start appearing as well.

• Lung consuming Spleen energy – in this situation, the sick son excessively consumes mother’s energy. Hence, a weakened Spleen shall lead to a low blood production, even resulting in anemia, alterations on menstrual volume, memory loss, insomnia, chronic fatigue, and others. On top of that, the weakened Spleen may make the patient develop insulin resistance or diabetes, once the Pancreas in Chinese Medicine has energetic shared function.

• Lung with sequels on Lung itself – on the most affected organ, the Lung. In Chinese Medicine, the Lung is in charge of skin and hair. That’s why, hair loss have become so intense and the skin dry. Besides, since it’s in charge of breathing and sense of smell, it’s common that even after some months past the Covid infection, the patient may suffer from shortness of breath and low oxygen saturation. The sense of smell may also be impaired even after a few months from infection. Psychologically the patient may become sad, frustrated and with a difficult on moving forward, attached to the past and turning itself melancholy 

After finding out which organ was energetically affected by Covid, the therapist shall dispose of more resources in order to heal him, always treating the shock organ, the Lung, and strengthening it or dissipating the organ’s energy that became unbalanced. 

There are already scientific researches proving, diverse sequel improvement by means of acupuncture, moxibustion, laser puncture therapy, diet therapy and more.

If you want, I can state a few treatments in my next texts!

A very tight hug to everyone!

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Hello Readers!

Today we are going to talk scientifically about Covid-19 related to Diabetes and Acupuncture.

According to Gupta, R. et al (2020), in an article published in the journal Elsevier, it cannot be said that a diabetic patient is more susceptible to contracting Covid-19, however, there is a real risk that the disease will be more serious and lead to death patients with diabetes as a basic comorbidity. The numbers shown in the article are:

• In a study of 26 fatal cases, 42.3% of the patients were diabetic.
• Another study showed that of 150 people (68 deaths and 82 recovered) diabetes could be a danger alert for Covid-19 complications.
• In 72314 cases an analysis showed that diabetic people raise Covid-19’s mortality statistics from 2.3% to 7.3%.

The Brazilian Society of Endocrinology, in March 2020, cited that diabetic patients infected with Covid-19 may have a lack of appetite, spend long periods without food and even, under the use of pain medications, fever, among others, can easily deregulate blood glucose levels. Thus, the recommendation is for the control of measures to be done more frequently.

Scientific studies of Acupuncture point out that the point E36 and VC12 are important allies in the control of blood glucose in patients suffering from diabetes. Kumar, R. et al (2017) mentioned in their article that VC12 stimulation immediately lowers glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Peplow, P. and Baxter, D. (2012) showed that the point VC12 and E36 when stimulated for an average of 30 minutes using electroacupuncture between 2 and 15Hz decreases blood glucose in humans and rats.

Based on this knowledge, would it be possible to help diabetic patients with Covid-19 inside hospitals, using the acupuncture points already studied with confirmation of their effectiveness? Would Acupuncture be a more natural glycemic control resource for patients who are hospitalized and need constant control? Would it be a safe technique, since excess medication can lead to hyperglycemia?

Currently, in Brazil, Acupuncture has no regulation. This means that visits within hospitals with this technique are not allowed or recognized. It is known that in Wuhan, the region where Covid-19 had its starting point for the world, Coronavirus treatments included, for the most part, Traditional Chinese Medicine resources, not only acupuncture points, but also herbal medicine, moxa therapy , among others, associated with western care.

It is necessary, that acupuncturists unite to show the effectiveness of the technique not only in its positive results reported by the patients, but also with scientific bases so that, in cases of great pandemics, we can help the patients also in the front line.

As long as this does not happen, we can continue using VC12 and E36 in diabetic patients, in our office, who are not contaminated with Covid-19, with the intention of helping with treatments to stabilize blood glucose and help with endocrine treatments of traditional Western medicine.

The benefits of acupuncture are certain. The more balanced a patient is in times of serious and opportunistic illnesses, the greater his chances of not being contaminated. And if contamination occurs, it is certain that your recovery will be faster.

There is no doubt that Acupuncture is a solid and safe way to protect the population.

A big hug to everyone.

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Bibliographic references:

• Clarification Notes from the Brazilian Diabetes Society on the coronavirus (Covid-19): https://www.diabetes.org.br/PROFISSIONAIS/
• Clinical considerations for patients with diabetes in times of COVID-19
  epidemic: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339818286_Considerations_for_Patients_with_Diabetes_in_Times_of_COVID-19_Epidemic
• Electroacupuncture for Control of Blood Glucose in Diabetes: Literature Review: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2005290111000641
• Immediate Effect of Needling at CV-12 (Zhongwan) Acupuncture Point on Blood Glucose Level in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2005290117300523

Good afternoon readers!

Today we are going to talk a little bit about memory, or rather, the lack of it …

How many times have you started reading, but when you reached the bottom of the page, did you no longer remember the beginning? Or how many times did you open a drawer in your room and had to go back to the kitchen to remember what you got? Or yet … how many times have I said: “what was I really saying?”.

If you are experiencing frequent situations like this, this text can help.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we talk about 3 basic types of memory:

1- Memory of the past, such as remembering childhood: it is the Kidney’s responsibility

2- Learning memory: it’s  Spleen’s responsibility

3- Memory of things that have already been memorized in life, such as riding a bicycle or learning a language: it is the responsibility of the Heart.

In this text, I will talk about the imbalance of the Spleen and the Heart.

When the Spleen is unbalanced, the individual will have difficulty memorizing new facts as well as learning new things and even paying attention in a class.

Therefore, to improve the memory and intellectual capacity of a person who is experiencing any of these difficulties, we must tone the Spleen.

The SP-3 point, located on the foot, shows excellent results in improving memory. Another point that can be used with this function is the ST8, located on the head.

In auriculotherapy, we can use the Brain Stem point to improve the memory.

To help the in Spleen balance and improve memory, we can use foods that strengthen the Spleen, such as kale, yams, but in this case, in particular, eating nuts is an excellent option.

When the Heart is unbalanced, memory is lacking during a conversation, we no longer know what we were talking about, or we still can’t find the right word for the occasion. We forget the way to go work, we don’t remember another language we’ve learned.

In order to strengthen the Heart and to have coherence in thoughts, or order in what needs to be said, and to have less memory lapses, points HT-7 and PC-7 are of great importance. In ear acupuncture, the Heart point is also very good.

It is important to know that in this second case, the anxious state is responsible for most of the symptoms.

So, points like PC-6 in systemic acupuncture and the points of Anxiety in the ear are very good too. Avoiding excessive condiments in the diet will also make the patient feel calmer and improve memory.

And you reader? Do you have a good memory?

Acupuncture will definitely help you 😉

A big hug to everyone.

Profa. Fernanda Mara