Actively Recruiting
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for Long COVID
Led by Southern California University of Health Sciences · Updated on 2025-12-16
10
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
68 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
List of the Hypothesis: Primary hypothesis: A flexible acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine protocol will be feasible, acceptable, and useful for the treatment of long COVID. Secondary hypothesis: Long COVID patients receiving acupuncture treatment or acupuncture treatment and Chinese herbal supplements over an 8-week period will see improvements in their symptoms, function, and quality of life measurements. Specific Aims of This Research (Purpose of the study): To study the feasibility, acceptability and utility of an acupuncture and Chinese herbal supplement treatment protocol for patients with long COVID and preliminarily assess the effects of treatment. Currently Available Research on This Subject: Studies indicate that acupuncture can effectively treat symptoms that are similar to those often seen in long COVID patients. Additionally, recent studies and clinical evidence suggest that there is substantial potential for acupuncture in the treatment of long COVID. Acupuncture may be beneficial because it can address many symptoms simultaneously with a single intervention, whereas symptom clusters can be difficult to manage with pharmaceuticals due to the need for multiple pharmaceutical agents. Summary of the research protocol/methodology: Five patients will receive acupuncture treatment, and five patients will receive acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Each participant will receive 16 acupuncture treatments over the course of eight weeks (i.e., twice per week). Each treatment session will last for 30 minutes. Follow-up will occur at 12 weeks (i.e., four weeks after the final treatment session). Significance of this research to the health and welfare of general public: There is currently not a single, specific treatment for long COVID. If acupuncture treatment alone and/or acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine combined are feasible, acceptable, and efficacious in the improvement of long COVID symptoms, it will offer patients additional treatment options, which may help some patients to avoid pharmaceutical treatment side effects or polypharmacy challenges.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for Long COVID
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- 18 years of age or older
- Confirmed and documented COVID-19 illness by healthcare provider or test
- Experiencing at least one common long COVID symptom for at least 4 weeks after confirmed COVID-19 illness, including fatigue, dyspnea, cough, brain fog, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, arthralgia, myalgia, constipation, diarrhea, or stomach pain
- Symptoms were not present prior to confirmed COVID-19 illness
- Willingness to comply with the treatment schedule
- Ability to read and understand English
- Ability to provide informed consent
You will not qualify if you...
- Under 18 years of age
- Pulmonary fibrosis or on continuous oxygen treatment
- Diagnosed with Alzheimer's or showing onset of dementia
- Uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, or autoimmune conditions
- Other comorbid conditions that might mimic long COVID symptoms
- Undergoing cancer treatments
- Use of acupuncture or Chinese medicine in the past three months
- Involved in health-related litigation or legal claims
- Missing baseline visit and unlikely to comply with study protocol
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
SCUHS
Whittier, California, United States, 90604
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
S
S. Prasad Vinjamury, MD (Ayurveda) DACM, MPH
CONTACT
L
Leah Grout, PhD, MPH
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
1
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