2019 Corona Virus Disease, abbreviated as "COVID-19", has been exerting a great impact on our lives, health, living, and economy since December, 2019.
On January 30, 2020, the WHO officially declared the epidemic COVID-19 as a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC).
On March 12, Shanghai TCM hospitals assisting Wuhan in the first half of 2020.
The onset of COVID-19 is rapid and the infection is widespread. At first, the symptoms are hidden, and there are even patients with asymptomatic infections. These factors have become obstacles to the timely detection of patients with COVID- 19.
Because there are no favorable targeted treatment measures in the early stage, the initial effect of treatment on COVID-19 is not obvious. Under such circumstances and based on the great success that traditional Chinese medicine has achieved on the prevention and treatment SARS, China has integrated traditional Chinese medicine methods at the very beginning of COVID-19, which has effectively controlled the spread of the epidemic and minimized the mortality rate.
After nearly a year, it is worth exploring why traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can respond so quickly under the epidemic situation and propose effective prevention and treatment regimens.A picture showing the spirit of joining hands to fight against COVID-19 Perfect Theory on Prevention and Control of Plague.
COVID-19 belongs to the scope of "plague" and "blight" in TCM. The knowledge of TCM on the prevention and control of plague can be traced back to 2000 years ago. There is a record of the plague in Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine (Huangdi Neijing): "The five plagues are easy to be infected with each other.
Regardless of the age of patients, the symptoms are similar." This sentence vividly describes the contagiousness, epidemicity and similar
clinical symptoms of the plague. Zhang Zhongjing, the medical sage; of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China, wrote Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, which recorded the epidemic situation of the plague in the Han Dynasty.
"My family is always a big one, with over 200 clansman. Since the year of Jian'an, two-thirds of them have died during less than ten years, among which seven-tenth died from febrile diseases".
Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases has established the model of clinical diagnosis of TCM, and the influence of the syndrome differentiation of febrile diseases has continued to this day.
For example, the effective prescription in this epidemic, Lung cleansing and Detoxification Decoction, is from addition and subtraction of multiple prescriptions from Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases selected by Chinese anti-epidemic experts.
Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases written by Zhang Zhongjing from Eastern Han Dynasty Traditional Chinese medicine has been following the pace of history, and its theoretical foundation has been continuously enriched and improved in accordance with the changes of diseases in different times. The plague occurred frequently during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China.
When doctors at that time found that the theory and experience of predecessors were not enough to deal with the epidemic, the famous doctors Wu Youke, Ye Tianshi, Wu Jutong and others put forward the theory of 'febrile disease", which not only enriched the basic theories of TCM, but also contributed to the prevention and treatment of the plague by TCM.
For example, during the Spanish influenza pandemic in 1918, only a small-scale epidemic was caused in southern China at that time, and it was then quickly controlled with TCM involved in prevention and treatment.
It is through the accumulation of more than two thousand years of practice and theory that TCM has formed a method of understanding the disease and formed a complete theoretical system for responding to the plague, which enables TCM to make outstanding contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Treatment Principle of Strengthening and Cultivating Healthy Qi: In the COVID-19 epidemic, the incidence in middle-aged and elderly people is relatively high. Also, once the elderly become ill, it is very easy to turn into severe cases, with high mortality rate. This is because the elderly's disease resistance and immunity are relatively weak.
The importance of "healthy Qi kept inside" is always emphasized in Traditional Chinese medicine. There was an answer early in the Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine (Huangdi Neijing) to the prevention and treatment of the plague.
One is healthy Qi kept inside, and the other is 'evil Qi' avoided. Healthy Qi kept inside emphasizes that the body's healthy Qi will be sufficient if the body is strong. 'Evil Qi' avoided refers to measures such as wearing a mask, keeping distance, and isolating.
These two points are both important factors in the prevention and control of the plague, and they are also the principles of TCM that teach people how to deal with the plague correctly. Many methods of strengthening and cultivating the healthy Qi is also put forward in Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine (Huangdi Neijing).
First, in the case of deficiency in zang-fu, stomach Qi shall be nourished. TCM believes that the spleen and stomach are the foundation of acquired life and the nutritional source of human. During the treatment of disease, when various symptoms of deficiency appear, it is necessary to take care of stomach Qi and drugs that damage stomach Qi shall not be abused.
Second, once the disease is cured, the drug shall be discontinued, which does no harm to the healthy Qi. For the plague, the worsening of disease is rapid and serious, thus some drugs with strong effect are used. If these drugs are taken for a long time or overdose, the healthy Qi can be damaged.
Therefore, during the treatment process, once the disease is cured, the drug shall be discontinued to avoid damaging the healthy Qi. Third, attention shall be paid to food therapy so as to supplement essential Qi. Medical treatment and diet therapy must be carried out simultaneously, especiallyduring the recovery period of patients.
Corresponding menu of healthy diets for patients shall be developed to promote their recovery and improve disease resistance. Attention shall be paid to food therapy.
Fourth, attention shall be paid to both physical and mental health. The spread of the epidemic has caused panic, anxiety, and worry among people.
The adjustment of mental state is necessary for the recovery of body health. A healthy mind and good condition can also promote the recovery of COVID-19. Combination of Multiple Treatment Methods of TCM In COVID-19 epidemic, it is a a highlight and the key to victory that Chinaadopts the way of integrative traditional Chinese and western medicine.
In the face of COVID-19, the first step is to make a clear diagnosis, which can be achieved by modern medical testing equipment, such as nucleic acid testing, antibody testing, CT for the lung, etc. But in terms of treatment, there is no specific medicine for western medicine, while intervention and treatment can be performed by traditional Chinese medicine as soon as possible.
For example, taking traditional Chinese medicine decoctions can bring down fever and improve immunity, which has played a key role in improving curative effects and saving lives. In addition to the common decoctions, there are TCM health- preserving exercises, moxibustion therapy, and aromatherapy.
These methods have played an important role in this epidemic. TCM health-preserving exercises are a kind of health-care activities that can strengthen the body, adjust the mind, reduce diseases, and enhance the physique based on the theory of TCM.
During the most severe period of the epidemic in China, many traditional Chinese medicine doctors led patients to perform eight-sectioned exercise (Ba Duan Jin) in Fangcang shelter hospitals, which not only improved physical fitness and promoted recovery, but also relieved the tension of patients.
Eight-sectioned exercise (Ba Duan Jin), according to historical records, has a history of nearly a thousand years, and is a kind of fitness exercise that has been widely loved by the Chinese since ancient times. Click here to watch YouTube video.
Many patients have practiced eight- sectioned exercise (Ba Duan Jin) in the wards and corridors, which not only strengthens the body, assists the healthy Qi, but also relieves the anxiety caused by the disease. Some patients have also maintained the habit of practicing eight-sectioned exercise (Ba Duan Jin) after being discharged from the hospital through the education and training of doctors.
As for moxibustion therapy of TCM, wormwood is used to make moxa sticks and moxibustion is applied to acupuncture points or special parts of the body. The most significant effect is to dispel cold and dampness, dredge the meridians, and strengthen the healthy Qi. The moxa smoke produced when moxibustion burns can also purify the environment, sterilize and disinfect.
During the epidemic, many Chinese hospitals in China has burned wormwood to purify the environment and reduce the chance of infection. The effects of dispelling cold and dampness, dredging meridians, and strengthening healthy Qi can improve the immunity of patients andhelp with treatment.
Due to the simple manipulating method of moxibustion and the high quality and low price of moxa sticks, many people in China used moxibustion at home to prevent COVID-19 during the epidemic.
Moxa stick for moxibustion therapy .As for aromatherapy, due to aromatic Chinese medicines have the function of dredging the meridians, opening up the orifices and penetrating the bones, through oral and nose inhalation and skin absorption, Qi movement can be regulated through the meridians, so that the Qi and blood are abundant and smooth, and the zang-fu organs are normal, resulting in assisting healthy Qi and strengthening the immunity of body.
Examples include wearing traditional Chinese medicine fragrant bags or sachets, burning Chinese herbal medicine atractylodes, etc. Fragrant bags or sachets made with traditional Chinese medicine .
It is because TCM has a wealth of anti-epidemic experience and a relatively complete theory system of plague, as well as a variety of prevention and treatment methods from clinical to home prevention, that it can respond quickly to the epidemic and receive good results in the fight against the epidemic.
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