Long Covid and Shiatsu – support in a complex disease picture
I recently read an article in The New York Times. This article describes how Long Covid affects people in various ways. The symptoms are diverse and often affect multiple systems in the body – from the lungs and intestines to the brain, heart, and circulatory system. The article provides an insightful look at: New York Times – “Covid Long-Term Health Damage”
What strikes us as Shiatsu therapists is how Long Covid often nests in weak spots. Where someone already had some vulnerability – physical or emotional – before the infection, those very areas come under extra pressure. And that makes every experience with Long Covid unique.
What can Shiatsu mean in this context?
Shiatsu is a manual therapy rooted in Eastern medicine. At its core is the concept of Ki – life energy – which expresses itself in how we feel, physically and mentally. According to this view, every human being is composed of a unique interplay of energy functions. These are shaped in part by hereditary predispositions, life experiences, and lifestyle – and are more or less susceptible to external disturbances, such as a viral infection.
A shiatsu treatment for Long Covid focuses on two aspects:
- General strengthening of the energy level. In a treatment, we work on meridians that are supportive and improve overall condition, such as the triple-energetic heater, the lung and kidney meridians. The ming men point (the fire of life) is also often stimulated.
- Attention is paid to the vulnerable area. Additionally, the treatment focuses specifically on the part of the body that was already functioning poorly before the infection. By energizing that area, space is created for recovery.
Shiatsu offers no one-size-fits-all solution in this complex disease picture, but can support recovery – tailored to the unique pattern of each client.
Norbert grote Beverborg, Instructor of Iokai Shiatsu