The Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective on Preparing for Your Covid Vaccine
ACUPUNCTURE AND TCM CAN HELP TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND STRENGTHEN THE BODY AT ANY STAGE OF VACCINATION OR INFECTION
At Herb + Ōhm, the safety of our patients and our team has always been incredibly important to us. The pandemic has only heightened our already stringent policies on health, cleanliness, and overall safety. To that end, most of our administrative and clinical team members are already fully vaccinated while others are halfway there. But many of our patients who are still awaiting or considering the vaccine have been asking us about the vaccine and how to best prepare for it, so we wanted to share our experiences.
COVID and the Immune System: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective
In general, the human body develops and strengthens its own defenses to help protect us against viruses. That is the simplest explanation of how our immune system works. Health symptoms and issues typically arise when the body cannot immediately detect a foreign pathogen or create protective immunity against it quickly enough to fend off illness. Specifically in the case of COVID-19, the replication of the virus and the resulting health issues happens too fast for our bodies to handle.
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, a COVID-19 infection is due to an invasion of pathological heat entering the body. Depending on how severe the infection and how strong or weak the immune system of the person is, infection can lead to the body’s response across 4 increasingly severe phases:
Initial: infection penetrates the surface of the body, presenting as fever, headaches, and sweating
Secondary: virus penetrates a level inward, causing symptoms in the lungs and intestines; no detectable organ damage is evident (i.e. clear lung imaging)
Tertiary: virus penetrates organs, often causing lung issues such as pneumonia and more serious respiratory issues which may require hospitalization or respiratory support
Final: heat pathogen invades the blood and circulatory system, leading to some of the vascular or cardiac issues documented with COVID infection
What about the new COVID-19 vaccines? Can Chinese medicine help you prepare for them and reduce any side effects? The short answer is: yes!
The COVID vaccine contains instructions to direct the body to create certain proteins that are able to more easily identify the COVID pathogen and combat it by creating an environment in the body that can successfully fight the virus or prevent it from becoming severe. Ideally, we want the body to be able to carry out this process as efficiently and thoroughly as possible to create immunization to the virus.
Once the cell machinery in our bodies is prompted to make the “spike” proteins similar to those found in the virus, the immune response is the same among all of the vaccines. Some people do feel symptoms after these vaccinations, but these symptoms are short-lived and reflect your body developing immunity—they are not an indication of you getting sick with COVID. So, the experience of symptoms in this case isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s actually an indication that your body’s immune system is working as designed.
When it comes to immunity, acupuncture can help regulate and strengthen the immune system, thereby reducing symptoms, speeding up the healing process, and normalizing the body's immune response to different stimuli. Over time, the cumulative effects of acupuncture lead to improved immunity, which helps the body to function most efficiently, allowing it to optimally respond to any vaccination process, including COVID.
In addition to regular acupuncture treatments, here are 5 ways to best prepare for your COVID vaccine:
REST. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of nightly sleep to enable the body to recover and prepare for the days ahead. Restful sleep is one of the biggest ways to help boost immunity. For more on acupuncture and sleep during COVID, check out our blog.
HYDRATE. A well-hydrated body functions at the highest levels. Lack of fluids leads to a compromised immune system. Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily to hydrate effectively.
RELAX. Meditate, breathe deeply, and generally do your best to avoid feelings of acute stress or anxiety leading up to your vaccine.
EXERCISE. A light workout in the days leading up to your vaccine can help the body to decrease stress hormones and improve immunity. Working out too hard? Check out our blog on exercise and TCM.
EAT WELL. A balanced, healthy diet fuels the body with proper nutrients to optimize immunity and well-being.
“Optimal immune system functionality is essential for long-term health and wellness, and everyone’s system is different” said Dr. Amy Wolf, L.Ac., DACM and founder of Herb + Ōhm. “Overall, the Traditional Chinese Medicine healing methods we use at Herb + Ōhm strengthen the body and increase its internal resources so it can heal itself—no matter where someone is in a given vaccination or healing process.”