Rest and recovery therapy for COVID-19

This is the 4233rd article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

The term "Jiangxi" appears in Treatise on Febrile Diseases, which means "to nourish and regulate the breath". It is one of the manifestations of TCM's "people-oriented" approach and an important part of ensuring the efficacy of TCM. It occupies a place in TCM culture. There are many methods of Jiangxi in TCM. This article mainly introduces the methods of Jiangxi after infection with the new coronavirus, including sweat-assisted method, diet adjustment, work and rest, daily life, etc.

Most COVID-19 infections are mild. Mild cases can be divided into three stages from onset to recovery: the first stage is characterized by high fever, chills (fear of cold), headache, body pain, back pain, fatigue, body aches, etc.; the second stage is characterized by sore throat and hoarseness, which some netizens jokingly call "razor throat" and "Baojuan throat"; the third stage is when COVID-19 turns negative, and symptoms such as cough, throat discomfort, and sticky phlegm in the throat will remain. For mild patients, taking medication at home and cooperating with the Chinese medicine method of rest will effectively alleviate symptoms, reduce pain during the course of the disease, and shorten the duration of discomfort symptoms.

1. Sweat-Assisting Method

Western medicine recommends antipyretic and analgesic drugs in the first stage of COVID-19 infection. After taking the medicine, the patient will sweat and the fever will subside, and the condition will be alleviated. Many people take the medicine without any auxiliary measures and wait quietly for the medicine to work. People who are more sensitive to the medicine will indeed sweat and the fever will subside quickly, but some people still have no effect and take the medicine repeatedly, and even have adverse reactions due to drug overdose.

The sweat-assisted method is extremely important at this stage. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the high fever, chills (fear of cold), headache, body pain, back pain, fatigue, and body aches that appear in the first stage after infection with the new coronavirus are all symptoms that are concentrated on the surface of the body, so they are called surface symptoms. According to the theory that "if there is evil, the body will be soaked to sweat" and "if it is in the skin, sweat will be released", traditional Chinese medicine mainly uses the "sweating method" for treatment at this stage. Using the correct sweat-assisted method after taking the medicine can increase the efficacy of the medicine and reduce the dosage of the medicine.

Sweat-Assisting Methods

After taking the medicine, you can drink hot porridge. If you have diabetes and cannot drink porridge, drink hot water and lie in bed with a thin blanket to help sweating (for children and the elderly, be careful not to hinder heat dissipation).

Sweat level

Sweating should occur all over the body. There are two points to note: one is the range of sweating. It is best to sweat all over the body. If only the head, hands and feet sweat, the degree of sweating is not enough. The second is the degree of sweating. Sweating should occur slightly, but the degree of sweating should be "hairy sweat" that lasts for a period of time. This sweat should not flow out like water. If the whole person looks like he has been fished out of the water after sweating, it means that the sweating is too much, which will hurt the positive energy, and the evil energy will not be completely eliminated. In this way, the disease will recur or worsen, and the course of the disease will be prolonged.

When to stop medication

If you take Chinese medicine, do not take it orally twice a day as usual. Instead, take the same amount of medicine frequently in small amounts within one or two hours, combined with the sweat-inducing method, until you sweat slightly all over your body and your body temperature drops compared to before, then you can stop taking it. Oral Western medicine should be taken at intervals according to the instructions, and should not be taken frequently or excessively. When the body temperature drops after sweating, do not take it again. If the body temperature drops after sweating all over the body, although it has not returned to normal, do not take it temporarily, wait for rest and diet to slowly return to normal body temperature, and do not sweat excessively.

If all the symptoms of the first stage have disappeared (that is, the external symptoms have completely disappeared), and the symptoms of the second and third stages appear, there is no need for auxiliary sweating method.

2. Diet adjustment to prevent "food relapse"

Diet is very important. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine mentions that "If the fever is not cured, eating meat will cause relapse, and eating too much will cause diarrhea. This is forbidden." Because of not paying attention to diet, the disease recurs, which is "food relapse". Diet should focus on the following two aspects:

Dietary taboos

During the course of the disease, there is no need to eat any specific food. The main principle is to eat light food. Eat less or no raw and cold fruits, avoid eating sticky, difficult to digest, smelly, and greasy foods; if you have a sore throat, cough with yellow phlegm, you should avoid eating spicy and irritating foods. Some people think that rich nutrition can help them recover as soon as possible, so they choose to eat fatty and thick soups, which often end up being counterproductive. The course of an ordinary person's infection with the new coronavirus gradually recovers in about 10 days, and a basic diet can generally guarantee nutrition; but if there are high-risk factors, the course of the disease may be prolonged and aggravated, and energy will be consumed quickly, so it is necessary to appropriately increase some easily digestible and absorbable high-quality protein, such as chicken, fish, eggs, milk, etc.

Amount of food

Do not be too hungry or too full. Some patients choose not to eat or eat less because of poor appetite or dietary restrictions, which leads to insufficient stomach qi and inability to fight pathogens. This may prolong the course of the disease or even make the disease progress. This is not advisable. However, some patients believe that nutrition must be enhanced in order to recover quickly, so they choose to eat more and more, which results in damage to the stomach qi and recurrence or aggravation of the disease. As stated in "Treatise on Febrile Diseases": "The patient's pulse has been relieved, but he is slightly irritable at dusk. Because the disease has just recovered, the body is strong and can digest food, but the spleen and stomach qi is still weak and cannot digest food, so he is slightly irritable."

Dietary adjustments should be carried out throughout all stages after COVID-19 infection, and dietary adjustments should still be carried out for a period of time even after the COVID-19 test turns negative.

3. Avoid excessive labor and prevent "fatigue relapse"

In the third stage after COVID-19 infection, that is, after COVID-19 turns negative, if you work too much, it may lead to recurrence of symptoms or aggravation of the condition, and the appearance of a new symptom, which is called "fatigue relapse". As stated in "Discussion on Plague", "The epidemic has retreated, the pulse and symptoms are normal, but the vitality has not recovered, or due to washing and bathing, or due to talking too much and moving rashly, fever occurs, and the previous symptoms reappear, but the pulse is not deep and solid, which is called fatigue relapse."

After the COVID-19 test turns negative, you should try to avoid strenuous exercise, high-intensity work, catching a cold, and sexual intercourse, and wait for your vitality to slowly recover until the disease is cured.

4. Regular work and rest schedule to ensure sexual integrity

After the COVID-19 turns negative, most people will still feel weak for a long time. At this time, we should pay attention to the regularity of work and rest, follow the characteristics of winter's "hiding", try to go to bed early and get up late, reduce thinking, and increase the quality of sleep. As the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" said, "The three months of winter are called hiding, the water is frozen and the ground is cracked, and there is no disturbance of the yang. Go to bed early and get up late, and wait for the sun to make your mind hidden and hidden, as if you have private intentions, as if you have already achieved something."

After the COVID-19 virus turns negative, some people still feel a slight chill, which is a sign that the positive energy is gradually recovering, but the defensive energy is still unstable. At this time, you should keep warm and try to avoid cold winds and rain. You should still wear a mask when going out to prevent reinfection with different strains. This is exactly what the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine says: "There is a time to avoid evil winds and thieves."

Patients with high-risk factors (over 65 years old, especially those who have not received any vaccinations, and those with a history of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic renal insufficiency, tumors, severe obesity, severe smoking, immunodeficiency, etc.) may develop severe symptoms from the first stage, and in severe cases, their lives may be endangered. Such patients need to actively seek medical treatment once their condition changes. Some elderly people may develop symptoms insidiously, and may not have a fever or only have low-grade fever symptoms, with symptoms such as decreased appetite, slow reaction, abnormal behavior, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Family members need to pay attention to observation, early detection, and early medical treatment.

In short, after being infected with the new coronavirus, it is very necessary to take good care of yourself while taking medicine for treatment. In the initial stage, if you have high fever, chills (fear of cold), headache, body pain, back pain, fatigue, and body aches, you should actively take medicine and use the sweat-inducing method correctly; you should pay attention to diet and recuperation throughout the course of the disease; after the disease turns negative, you should pay special attention to the regularity of work and rest to avoid "fatigue and relapse". Take care of your body so that you can enjoy a good life.

Author: Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Encephalopathy

Instructor: Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University

Geriatrics Department Yang Ling