Course Overview

Integrating several classical traditions and disease progression theories, we’ll discuss a Chinese medicine understanding of the development of the many symptoms associated with long COVID. We’ll look at the progression of viruses like COVID and how they can transform into heat/inflammation and affect many organ systems creating issues with respiration, circulation, digestion, hormones and cognition. Brendan will also discuss his clinical experience treating long COVID with acupuncture, herbs and eastern nutrition including in depth case studies from his recently published article in the Journal of Integrative Medicine titled “Long COVID Response To Classical Chinese Medicine.” Disclaimer: there are no proven treatments for Covid-19.

Course Objectives

• Have a Chinese medicine-based understanding of the nature of long COVID and the larger health and medical policy and economic issues associated with the condition.
• Have an understanding of how to translate the many symptoms of long COVID described by western medicine into Chinese medicine language.
• Have an understanding of the clinical relevancy of the integration of several traditions and disease progression theories in treating long COVID.
• Have an understanding about integrating different modalities of Chinese medicine — acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition with treating long COVID.
• Have specific diagnostic and treatment strategies to address the many symptoms associated with long COVID including information from in-depth case studies.

Course Outline

0 hrs - 30 minAn overview of the rates of long COVID in the US and comparison of western and eastern medical perspectives on treating the condition, including issues with health and medical policy and economics. Discussion of the nature of viral infections from a Chinese medicine perspective and development of western medicine diagnosis of long COVID. Beginning discussion of epidemics and COVID and the Wen Bing Xue/School of Heat and epidemic tradition.

30 min - 1 hrsContinued historical discussion of epidemics and it’s relevance to COVID and long COVID. Discussion of the Shang Han Lun/School of Cold progression of disease and differential diagnosis based discussion of acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition.

1 hrs - 2 hrsContinued discussion the Shang Han Lun disease progression. Clinical discussion of Wen Bing Xue and it’s integration with the Shang Han Lun and the understanding of long COVID.

2 hrs - 3 hrsDiscussion of Chinese medicine neurological tradition/Wai Ke and it’s integration with the Shang Han Lun and Wen Bing Xue in understanding and treating long COVID.

3 hrs - 4 hrsDiscussion of the Chinese medicine disease progression theory Bian Hua/To Change and Transform and its integration with the Wai Ke, Shang Hang Lun and Wen Bing Xue in understanding and treating long COVID.

4 hrs - 4.5 hrsIdeas on applying the integration of the above integration to understanding, diagnosing and treating the many symptoms of long COVID and the use of acupuncture, herbs, diet and life style.

4.5 hrs - 6 hrsIn-depth case studies of treating long COVID patients with the use of acupuncture, herbs, diet and life style. Includes information from recently published article in the Journal of Integrative Medicine titled “Long COVID Response to Classical Chinese Medicine.”