SAR’s 2021 conference is organized around the theme of Roles and Relevance of Traditional East Asian Medicine as it relates to our current world environment. To our knowledge, this conference will be the first acupuncture and TEAM research forum focused on the current global viral pandemic. These unprecedented and complex times necessitate a diverse audience that can inspire innovative thinking and new approaches to this challenge.
While not yet broadly accepted by mainstream healthcare in the U.S., acupuncture and adjunct TEAM modalities have been used to treat viral pandemics in the past, and are gaining in popularity. Recent data suggests that acupuncture may be effective for COVID-19 and associated symptoms. Patients experience persistent fatigue and dyspnea which provides opportunity for acupuncture and TEAM to be integrated into recovery processes to reduce symptoms and improve function and quality of life. Indeed the rise in mental health issues co-occurring with social isolation during COVID-19, can also be treated with TEAM. Finally, Chinese Herbal Medicine is an additional provocative modality within TEAM gaining recognition as a potential therapy for COVID-19.
In response, SAR aims to broaden its conference’s usual focus on acupuncture to include Chinese Herbal Medicine, Qigong, and related mind-body research. During the conference, we will present the current studies, discuss both limitations and opportunities, to improve the rigor of these investigations to strengthen the evidence base.