Acupuncture, The Coronavirus, and Hepatitis

First, let's take a look at what viral hepatitis is; it is a viral infectious inflammation of the liver cells. There are 5 subcategories to this virus. These subtypes are; Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A is pretty much transmitted by ingesting contaminated food and water. Hepatitis B is transmitted by blood, sexual contact, and contaminated needles. Hepatitis C is the most common of them all and is transmitted by blood. Hepatitis D occurs only in association with hepatitis B infection...it can never occur independently. Hepatitis E is similar to hepatitis A, but with more severe manifestations...its recovery time usually takes between 1 to 4 weeks.

Now let's take a look at Acute hepatitis. Acute hepatitis usually has nonspecific symptoms such as malaise, fatigue, nausea, anorexia, arthralgia, and low-grade fever. as the condition continues to progress you may begin to notice dark-colored urine and jaundice. There's been a case in the United States where a patient with COVID-19 presented with acute hepatitis as their primary symptom before actually developing respiratory symptoms which in the case of COVID-19 would include fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, and cough. Acute non-icteric hepatitis may be the initial presentation of the virus prior to developing respiratory symptoms. Overall, COVID-19 does affect liver inflammation and liver enzymes with the ability to cause liver dysfunction so if you're living with cirrhosis of the liver, you are at a higher risk for the progression and decompensation of your liver disease. So if you have any form of liver disease sit with your primary care physician and discuss how you can monitor your liver enzymes more often during this pandemic. And also if you're a smoker...now is the best time to quit.

In traditional Chinese medicine, viral hepatitis is seen as a result of the interaction of both exterior and interior pathogenic influences. The interior pathogenic factors would consist of dampness secondary to a spleen pathology and Qi stagnation secondary to liver pathology. Exterior pathogens in this case would consist of damp-heat or epidemic heat toxicity. consuming too many greasy foods or alcohol which would injure the spleen thereby causing dampness which stagnates and turns into heat. When this internal damp-heat is compounded by external damp-heat, both external and internal pathogenesis then combine. Regardless of what stage the disease is in, it is essential that an acupuncturist focuses on nourishing the liver.

Until next time, Acupuncture Is My Life, what's yours?