Efficacy of Acupuncture, Bloodletting and Qingwen Xiere decoction for COVID-19 relief

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Created On: 24/12/2024

To study the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture along with bloodletting and oral Qingwen Xiere (contains 14 herbs) decoction in people with mild to moderate COVID-19.

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Key take away

Integrating acupuncture, bloodletting, and Qingwen Xiere decoction offers a safe, effective approach to alleviating symptoms and reducing inflammation in those with mild to moderate COVID while enhancing mental well-being.

Background

To study the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture along with bloodletting and oral Qingwen Xiere (contains 14 herbs) decoction in people with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Method

Hundred patients with COVID-19 of mild to moderate severity were randomly assigned to two groups:

Intervention group: 50 patients received acupuncture combined with bloodletting in addition to Qingwen Xiere decoction, along with the acupuncture administered 30 minutes every day for six days and bloodletting administered every other day three times. Details of the locations have been described in Table 1:

Control group: 50 patients received oral decoction of Qingwen Xiere for 6 days.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores and pulmonary computed tomography (CT) scans were documented, before and after the use of therapies. ELISA was used to examine the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). For estimating depression and anxiety levels, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were used.

Result

The intervention group considerably improved TCM syndrome scores and individual symptom scores (P<0.01). Fever, sore throat, dry cough and overall scores of TCM syndrome significantly improved in the control group (P<0.01). However, there was no notable improvement in muscle pain or fatigue.

Both groups experienced decreases in pulmonary CT scores, HAMA and HAMD scores, and serum levels of CRP and IL-6 (P<0.01). Notably, serum TNF-α levels drastically decreased only in the intervention group (P<0.01). The intervention group surpassed the control group across all outcome measures. No adverse reactions were observed.

Conclusion

People with mild to moderate COVID-19 can use acupuncture therapy plus bloodletting and Qingwen Xiere as it improves symptoms, lessens lung inflammation, reduces inflammatory cytokines, and eases depression and anxiety.