Several important points expressed repeatedly in one manner or another during the coronavirus pandemic spur today's news: 1) There will always be a "next" virus (either a mutated version of SARS-coV-2 or a new virus) that will require our collective attention; and 2) Regardless of how you feel about vaccination in general or COVID vaccination in particular, optimizing the power of the immune system is the priority.

That's where acupuncture comes in. Let's talk about the potential for acupuncture practitioners to play a critical role in the above relative to two key areas highlighted during this COVID crisis: treating long-haulers (people who experience chronic symptoms following infection) and maximizing vaccine effectiveness relative to the immune response.

Ohio Health Network Using Acupuncture for Long COVID

Cleveland, Ohio-based University Hospitals features an integrative health network that is utilizing acupuncture, among other therapies, to help patients presenting with symptoms of long COVID: brain fog, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and/or shortness of breath even months after infection.

In an article from a local news outlet reporting on UH Connor Whole Health's use of acupuncture to treat long-haul symptoms of COVID, acupuncturist Christine Kaiser, clinical manager for acupuncture and quality at UH Connor, stated:

"A lot of my COVID long haul patients are coming in, saying they feel shortness of breath, but also fatigue, body aches, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, these are things that we often treat with acupuncture. And luckily, as we've been applying acupuncture to the long haul cases we've been seeing a good response from patients."

UH Connor Whole Health has five locations in the Cleveland area, offering acupuncture and a wide range of other integrative services including chiropractic, massage, meditation, mindfulness, music therapy, guided imagery, yoga and stress management. (To learn more, visit www.uhhospitals.org/services/integrative-health-network.)

If you're wondering whether acupuncture is being provided by medical doctors or other health care professionals, rather than licensed members of the AOM profession, the UH website clearly states:

"Our acupuncturists are all licensed and highly trained, and work collaboratively with a patient's primary care physician or specialists to ensure they are getting appropriate care for their condition, both through Traditional Chinese Medicine and [W]estern medicine practices. This holistic approach to health and wellness is one of the hallmarks of our integrative medicine program."

Could Cupping Improve Vaccine Effectiveness?

While the ultimate effectiveness of COVID vaccines, both RNA- and DNA-based, against the original strain and its various mutations, including the omicron variant, has yet to be determined, researchers have discovered that the ancient art of cupping practiced by many TCM practitioners may play a role in antibody production following vaccination.

Researchers performing animal (rat) trials discovered that when a DNA-based COVID vaccine was administered in conjunction with 30 seconds of a suction technique at the injection site "similar to Chinese báguàn and Middle Eastern hijama cupping therapies," the immune response was 100 times that of the vaccine alone. In other words, 100 times more antibodies were produced than if the vaccine were administered without the cupping technique.

While the study was funded by a vaccine manufacturer and conducted by a joint research team featuring researchers from not only Rutgers University, but also the South Korean pharmaceutical company, that shouldn't minimize the potential significance of their findings, which appear in Science Advances. Two immediate takeaways come to mind:

1. Recognition that cupping plays an important role in immune response (in general and potentially during vaccine administration)
2. Potential for a technique performed by many acupuncture practitioners to improve future vaccine effectiveness, and in so doing, reduce hospitalizations and deaths

Interested in reading the entire study as it appears in Science Advances [Lallow EO, et al.; Nov. 5, 2021;7(45)]? It's available free of charge here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj0611.

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Acupuncture Today editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email mailto: .

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