Complementary and alternative medicine therapies and COVID-19: a systematic review.

Can Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Help With COVID-19?

If you or someone you know has dealt with the physical and emotional toll of COVID-19, you may be wondering whether natural therapies like acupuncture could offer some relief. A new systematic review published in Reviews on Environmental Health took a close look at exactly that question.

What Was Studied? Researchers searched four major medical databases and reviewed over 1,100 studies published up to July 2020. After careful screening, they identified 14 high-quality studies involving 972 COVID-19 patients who received complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. These included acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), relaxation techniques, and Qigong — a gentle movement and breathing practice.

What Did They Find? The results were encouraging. Patients who received CAM therapies showed meaningful improvements in both psychological and physical symptoms. On the mental health side, participants reported reduced depression, anxiety, and stress, along with better sleep quality and overall quality of life. Physically, patients experienced improvements in inflammatory markers, respiratory function, physical activity levels, and chest pain — all significant concerns for COVID-19 sufferers.

What Does This Mean for You? These findings suggest that acupuncture and related therapies may offer real, supportive benefits for people recovering from or living with the effects of COVID-19. Rather than replacing conventional medical care, these approaches appear to work alongside it, addressing the whole person — body and mind.

The researchers do note that the number of available studies is still limited, and more research is needed to fully understand the best approaches and dosages. Still, the early evidence is promising and adds to a growing body of research supporting acupuncture's role in managing complex illnesses.

If you are interested in exploring these therapies, seek care from a licensed and qualified acupuncture or TCM practitioner who can tailor treatment to your individual needs.

This systematic review evaluated the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions in COVID-19 patients across four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE), covering literature from inception through July 16, 2020. Of 1,137 identified studies, 14 met inclusion criteria, encompassing 972 COVID-19 patients receiving interventions including acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Qigong, and relaxation techniques.

Findings demonstrated statistically significant improvements across both psychological domains — depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, negative affect, and quality of life — and physical parameters, including inflammatory markers, respiratory function, physical activity capacity, and chest pain resolution. No specific effect sizes were reported in the abstract.

Clinical Takeaway: CAM modalities, particularly acupuncture and TCM, demonstrate multi-dimensional therapeutic benefit as adjunctive care in COVID-19 management. The evidence base remains nascent with limited trial volume; however, the consistency of outcomes across studies supports integrating these modalities into supportive care protocols. Further RCTs with standardized outcome measures are warranted.