How The Coronavirus Damages Your Central Nervous System

Hello everyone! Let’s discuss the potential effects the coronavirus may have on the brain. The brain controls intelligence, and the brain is the sea of marrow and it controls the senses taste, hearing, smell and sight. In Chinese medicine, the brain is seen as one of the six extraordinary yang organs. They are considered extraordinary yang organs because they function similar to yin organs due to the fact that they have the ability to store essence, but at the same time they are hollow like yang organs. The brain has a strong relationship to the kidneys. Some functions of the brain in Western medicine are similar to the functions of the heart in Chinese medicine. The heart in Chinese medicine controls thinking, memory and perception...as Chinese medicine also views the brain as being in control of intelligence, memory, thinking and consciousness as well.

So to understand the functions of both the brain and the heart from a Chinese medicine perspective, these functions overlap. From a clinical perspective, as an acupuncturist, we would use points on the heart meridian and the governing vessel on the head to act on the brain when we attempt to improve memory, thinking and consciousness.

Now, let's take a look at how the brain may be affected by the coronavirus from a western medical perspective. Although the coronavirus is seen as a respiratory disease, any impediment to gas exchange in the lungs can have severe, and lasting effects on tissue throughout the body. Low levels of oxygen in the bloodstream as a result of respiratory failure leads to increased levels of carbon dioxide building up in the bloodstream. This buildup can have a severe impact on the brain, examples of that being states of confusion or a disturbed state of consciousness, and lethargy, especially if oxygen in the bloodstream is low. Neurologists are aware that the coronavirus can invade the central nervous system and damage nerve cells within the brain. It is believed that there are several mechanisms at play in which this virus uses to affect the central nervous system.

One mechanism that is considered is the effects this virus can have on nervous tissue. Another mechanism is due to injury as a result of an excessive immune response from a cytokine storm. Cytokines can cross the blood brain barrier and have a necrotizing effect on the brain, an example being necrotizing encephalopathy. Key neurological symptoms in individuals affected by the coronavirus include headaches and muscle pain, and dizziness.

To learn more about acupuncture and how acupuncturists would treat the brain, check out my full video: