COVID has been haunting the world for a while. The typical post-COVID symptoms include fatigue, sleep disorder, anxiety, depression, emotional disturbances, arrhythmias, breathing difficulties, cough, chest stuffiness and pain, pulmonary fibrosis, acute kidney damages, reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate, stomachache, diarrhea, reproductive dysfunctions, changes in menstrual patterns, brain fog, forgetfulness, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, pain in the ears, sore throat, loss of sense of smell and taste, skin rashes, hair loss, joint pain, PTSD, etc.
From a Chinese medical perspective, loss of sense of smell and taste is associated with blockages in the Large Intestine channel, which travels from the hand up to the face, passing over the sinuses.
Due to electromagnetic pull of certain pathogens, Qi (life force in the form of subdermal bioelectromagnetic currents) of the Large Intestine channels tends to be blocked at the elbow.
Here is a technique shared by Janice Hadlock, LAc:
Stroke the arm across acupoints 曲池 LI11 and 肘髎 LI12. The direction of the stroke is from the hand towards the shoulder.
Stroke uni-directionally. Do not go back and forth. Do left side then right.
The purpose is to encourage or jumpstart the flow of Qi that runs just under the skin in the subdermal fascia.
Be gentle. Strong pressure is not helpful, since this is not an attempt to physically move Qi or blood.
The stroking can be done directly on the skin or through clothing.
Slow, steady, gentle movement over the skin with the palm of your hand may be enough to encourage this current to start moving past the point where it became clogged.
Gently massage the shoulder at 肩髃 LI15. This will further encourage the Qi to flow from the elbow up the arm, and go to the head. Stroke this area ten to twenty times, in a towards-the-head-only direction. Do both left and right sides.
This exercise can be a supplementary relief to the post COVID symptoms. If nothing happens after doing the exercise, you can find other holistic therapies such as acupuncture, rice grain moxibustion, and herbal formulas.