Center for Chinese Medicine Newsletter
April 6th Coronavirus Update
Hi everyone,
Above is a typical ‘care package’ addendum to herbs I’d put in my outside lockbox for pickup over the last week. My dear friend Tan Hong in China has sent several hundreds of good quality, inexpensive surgical masks for my family and others. Many have been given to doctors group and nurses, along with providing for volunteers working with the homeless and food projects of Ashland. I will have a few left for friends and clients. I am heartened to see that the CDC agrees with the obvious, that recommending everyone wear a face mask of some sort in public places, as they did in Asia, is going to help stop the spread of this pandemic.
Also pictured is ‘Yiyiren’, or Japanese barley, a very important foodstuff and herb. This is used to alleviate the development of ‘dampness’, the underlying Chinese medical diagnosis for the advanced progression of covid-19. This herb was also recommended by the top Hong Kong doctors to reduce the SARS epidemic in the past. And there is a small whisk, because it’s nice to have one for mixing herb granules with hot water. 🙂
This time of year I’m usually giving out Chinese herbs to people for their Springtime allergies, and acute and chronic issues. For prevention of COVID-19, I’ve been working with and customizing Chinese herbal powders. One formula I’ve been using lately is based on a recent “Wuhan Union Hospital” prescription. I usually prescribe this formula along with another that is more unique to my clients’ underlying needs. The Wuhan formula combines herbs that are generally protective and resistant against colds and flus (for example, astragulus, as in ‘Jade Screen formula’), with herbs that fight the virus that could be lingering in the environment right now(honeysuckle/forsythia, as in ‘Yin Qiao’), and herbs that work with underlying dampness (Japanese barley, as mentioned above). The remedy, as always, depends on proper pattern diagnosis. In a way, COVID-19 isn’t anything new under the sun for TCM.
If you hadn’t read the recent newsletter (which is also about the ‘Year of the Rat’) I closed the clinic from doing acupuncture on March 21st until things in society get a little clearer. At this point, having full protective gear (PPE) is not feasible, and community safety is paramount. Prevention is key to keeping our wellbeing maintained on all levels. And presently, cases are relatively low in Southern Oregon, thanks to being very careful and self-isolating.
And so, I’ve been seeing client with tele-medicine video appointments using Skype, Messenger, Zoom etc. The format is not only good for catching up, but also for choosing the appropriate Chinese herb formulas, talking about diet, exercise, self-acupressure, stress and sleep issues, and so on. Clients are finding that it’s a nice break from the monotony of being home-bound to connect this way. It is easy to pick up the herbs in the lock-box outside the clinic door. and if necessary we may be able to deliver the herbs locally.
Some certain insurance companies (Anthem/Regence, Moda) may cover tele-visits for existing clients with preferred covered acupuncturists, as I am.
Click here to schedule a tele-health appointment, or for more information
I hope you are all staying safe, healthy, and calm in these difficult times.
Ken Bendat, L.Ac.