ABSTRACT
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by sending a survey developed using SurveyMonkey. Local IRB approved the study. Responding to the survey was implied as providing consent. The survey was sent to all ayurveda professionals practicing in the United States. The list of professionals were obtained from the National Ayurveda Medical Association and through personal contacts of the principal investigator. The survey was open for 45 days and reminders were sent twice to the potential participants. Results: Eighty eight ayurvedic professionals completed the survey. Majority were females from California and belonged to Ayurveda Practitioner category and practiced mostly parttime. Ayurveda counselors and Ayurveda doctors (India based education) were the other categories of professionals, who also responded to the survey. The respondents reported that they adopted telehealth to continue their practice during the closures, but still majority reported that there was an economic impact of COVID-19 on their practices. Health promotion was the predominant type of service provided by these professionals. The methods included diet and lifestyle advices that incorporated dosha based diet and yoga and meditation practices. Additionally, they also provided some classical ayurveda formulas and simple herbal teas such as coriander tea and hot water to prevent easy susceptibility to viral infections. An important advice included a specific dosha based individual daily routine to improve general and mental health. Background: To understand the ayurveda practice patterns in the United States during COVID-19 Conclusion: Ayurveda, the oldest Indian System of Medicine may be a useful natural health care systemthat can be used for health promotion during a pandemic. The self-care practices do provide patient empowerment.
ABSTRACT
Background: Integrative therapies such as TCM are often expected to establish their usefulness through evidence based methods that are acceptable to all stakeholders. Objective: To describe the challenges of recruiting and retaining participants in a clinical trial during COVID-19 Study Design: Commentary and observations during a prospective case series investigating the usefulness of a Chinese herbal medicine for osteoporosis. Challenges: Our clinical trial intended to recruit a small number of patients (n = 10). But the follow up was for one year and also required DEXA scans periodically to assess the improvement in bone density. The pandemic's impact was felt on the recruitment, data collection and compliance of study protocol. It also created challenges in retaining all patients in the trial, who were recruited already.When the pandemic hit us, we were in the middle of the trial. Several patients needed the herbal supplement refill, some required scans, and others required clinical screening and evaluation. With the closures, we had to move the data collection points. The diagnostic imaging center did not prioritize the scans for clinical research patients over other essential patients creating missing data. Patients in the trial, who had questions regarding the supplements or time points felt disconnected as well. Mailing of supplements were not easy because of the pandemic and the fear of virus on the mailed packets. Solutions: A dedicated research assistant, who maintained a personal relationship with the research patients kept the communication channel open and could explain the next steps and how the trial is being conducted in the new challenging situation. Patient cooperation was requested in distributing the supplements in the parking lots, DEXA scans were skipped for one time point. Study forms were emailed. Conclusion: Despite these challenges, only one patient dropped out of the study and could successfully recruited all patients.
ABSTRACT
Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally and dramatically changed lives. Due to the absence of specific antiviral therapies and initial lack of vaccines, the main treatment strategy for COVID-19 has been supportive care. This provides room for integrative therapies such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide prevention and symptom relief. Objective: To understand the impact of COVID-19 on acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice at a University Health Center during COVID-19 through comparison of patient visit data and the herbal prescription patterns between 2019 and 2020. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of electronic health records data from January 2019 to December 2019 and compared them to the data between January 2020 to December 2020. We also specifically evaluated the Chinese herbal medicine prescription patterns to identify if there was an increase in herbal formula prescriptions for immune health. Results: Our results indicate that there was a reduction in the total number of patient visits in 2019 as compared to 2020 (6951 vs. 4346), the number of unique patients also decreased (946 vs. 725) during this period. There was no change in the female-male ratio of patients seeking acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Many patients visiting the university health center still received only acupuncture treatment. However, the percentage of unique patients receiving herbs increased by 7%. Also, formulas usually indicated for immune health were prescribed more frequently during COVID-19. There was no change in the prescription patterns of herbs for mental health and other conditions. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a definite economic impact on the university based TCM practice similar to other clinical practices. There was no significant increase in the use of herbs for COVID-19 symptom relief or for mental stress caused by the pandemic. There is a trend in increased use of herbs for immune health.