Search

Once China abandoned its “zero-tolerance” policy of dealing with COVID-19, the disease spread like wildfire across China in December 2022 and January 2023, affecting a majority of China’s population. Acupuncture intervention in COVID-19 and post COVID-19 symptoms varied over time and across the country, from minimal use in 2020 to frontline engagement by 2023. As early as February 2020, the China Acupuncture and Moxibustion Association issued the document “Guidelines on Acupuncture and Moxibustion Intervention for COVID-19.” Since then, there has been sporadic publication of case histories, observational studies, and clinical trials in medical journals. By now, a pipeline of proposed systematic reviews is lined up that will document the history of acupuncture intervention for COVID-19 infection and post COVID symptom treatment. Rigorous clinical studies of acupuncture intervention for COVID-19 and long COVID are still very scanty, although pioneering efforts have been emerging. This paper attempts to document the trajectory of acupuncture intervention for COVID-19 through January, 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, both the Communist Party and the government have placed great emphasis on the advancement of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been actively involved in combating major epidemics such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and COVID-19. This article conducts a historical review of these three significant cases to elucidate how the acupuncture community has effectively utilized its unique advantages and characteristics through theoretical discussions, clinical practices, experimental research, as well as receiving administrative leadership and political support from the Communist Party of China and government. We provide an objective evaluation of their effectiveness while summarizing historical experiences to serve as a reference for future utilization of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in epidemic relief efforts. Additionally, propose four suggestions: strengthening Party leadership and enhancing political support; timely summarization of experiences to establish programs and systems; deepening scientific research by integrating experimental findings with clinical practice; focusing on public awareness campaigns and education to solidify grassroots foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]