Ep. 22: Unraveling Long COVID: A Chinese Medicine Approach with Luriko Ozeki

“China has had many epidemics over its thousands of years of existence, so Chinese Medicine developed an exquisitely complex and sophisticated understanding of disease, especially epidemics and infectious disease.” -Luriko Ozeki, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist Luriko Ozeki has specialized in pediatrics for many years. But at the start of the covid-19 pandemic, she took on a new role: offering telemedicine services for adults who were suffering from the effects of long covid, and desperate for help. She’s gone on to work with many long covid patients, both adults and children, using Chinese Medicine to help guide their bodies back to a healthy and balanced state.

Long covid is estimated to occur in at least 10% of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, and it’s estimated that around 200 million people worldwide have some form of long covid. And those numbers are likely higher due to undocumented cases. One study published in the Lancet found that two-thirds of long covid patients required a reduced work schedule or weren’t working at all. Even if you haven’t been personally impacted by long covid, chances are you know someone who has.

Fortunately, Chinese Medicine offers real help to long covid patients. In this episode, Luriko and I discuss:

1. What long covid is, how it manifests in the body, and the physiological systems it affects

2. How Chinese Medicine theories of disease progression, including two of our classic texts the Shang Han Lun and Wen Bing, inform an acupuncturist’s understanding of long covid and our treatment approach

3. The concept of a latent pathogenic factor, and its relationship to inflammation and the body’s immune response

4. Practical tools for helping the body expel pathogenic factors and fortify its infrastructure, so it can be in an even healthier state to fight off future infections

You’ll learn about heat pathogens, cold pathogens, latent pathogens, phlegm, dampness, levels of disease and all of the other fascinating topics that Chinese Medicine practitioners love to talk about!

As Luriko reminds us, Chinese Medicine has developed over thousands of years against a backdrop of epidemics and infectious disease. So acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and other modalities of Chinese Medicine are uniquely suited to help remind the body of its innate intelligence, and remember how to be healthy again.

Licensed Acupuncturist Luriko Ozeki has been in practice in 2008, offering both in-person services at her Los Angeles clinic, and telemedicine services for patients worldwide. She specializes in non-needling pediatrics, women's health, and long covid. She has developed a vaccine preparedness program to help people prepare their bodies to receive and benefit from vaccines while also mitigating side effects.

Fullscript - Iyashi Wellness Dispensary: Create an account if you don't have one in Fullscript already and get access to all of Luriko Ozeki's protocols.

Iyashi Wellness Vaccine Preparedness Workshop: Take Luriko’s vaccine preparedness course.

You can learn more from Luriko and get in touch via her website iyashiwellness.com, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram

References:

Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations

Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact

Viral persistence, reactivation, and mechanisms of long COVID

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