Acupuncturist
Executive Council Member: Specialty Committee of Pestilence of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Society;
Former Vice President of California Acupuncturist United Association
Presenter/Author:
Xinsheng ZHOU (1)
Other Author:
Hongmei J.LI (2), Yong Ping CHEN (3), Fei SUN (4), Yong-Jian LIN (5), Michelle M. LAU (1), Mario FOURNIER (6)
Author Affiliation:
1. American Institute of Acupuncture, Sacramento, CA, USA
2. Department of Internal Medicine, Acupuncture, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
3. Alhambra Medical University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4. Dongguk University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
5. Department of Anesthesiology, Interventional Pain Management, The Pain Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
6. Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Keywords:
Pricking Blood Therapy; COVID-19; Angelica Procedure; Suffocation; SpO2
Abstract:
This clinical observation evaluates the possible therapeutic effects of pricking blood on patients with symptoms of delayed anaphylaxis induced by SARS-CoV-2. This procedure, known as the Angelica procedure, especially focuses on the possibility of replacing the need for ventilation for patients with shortness of breath.
Los Angeles 116 confirmed (10 days before or 4 days after) COVID-19 patients were included in this study from early April 2020 to late May 2021. This procedure included pricking the skin on the forehead (Yintang Ex-HN3) and/or the tip of the nose (Suliao GV25) with a lancet device made for blood sugar testing while drawing 300 to 400 µl (1-3 drops) of blood in the process. In phase Ⅰ, a small sample of 39 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was chosen to receive the Angelica procedure. Phase Ⅱ included a sample of 77 patients for the same procedure.
The results indicated that the SpO2 of the patients increased from an average of 94.0% ± 1.0% to 96.6% ± 0.8%, a clinically and statistically significant difference(p<0.001). The feelings of suffocation with pressure on the chest, headaches, body aches, and fatigue were relieved estimated around 4 minutes 48 seconds after the Angelica procedure (4 minutes 6 seconds, 5 minutes 56 seconds). Similar results were also achieved in phase Ⅱ of the study; however, no therapeutic effects were seen in 2 patients who were in extremely critical condition. One of these died 6 days after the procedure. Symptom relapse occurred among 5 patients who re-experienced all the discomforts 2 to 3 days later after their chief complaints were initially relieved right after the procedure. Among these 5 patients, 4 suffered from severe underlying conditions, one being a 55-years old male with an active narcotic addiction. The ARDS of these 5 patients went away in less than 1 hour after receiving oxygen therapy in the hospital.
Results herein suggest that the Angelica procedure can improve SpO2 and relieve some symptoms in patients admitted to the clinic with mild to severe COVID-19 symptoms, however, it may not be an alternative therapeutic option for patients in critical condition.
Reference:
N/A
Funding Source:
N/A
Conflict of Interests:
The authors report no conflicts of interest related to this study.
Dr. Xinsheng Zhou graduated from Huazhong Agricultural University in China with a major of agricultural microbiology in 1983 and was assigned to the Forest Pest Control Station of the Ministry of Forestry. He engaged in research on biological control of forest pest and plant diseases. He participated and led over ministerial-level research projects such as "pine wood nematode control, product standardization of Entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana, pine caterpillar control, underground pest scarabs, genetical engineering program with Bacillus thuringiensis". From 1989 to 1991, he was sent to the University of California at Berkeley to study and work as a visiting scholar by China. In 2001, he graduated from the University of California, Davis, majoring in the plant protection and pest management with a master's degree. After graduation, he worked in pathology labs at the university to engage in research on the biological control of honeybee parasite mites for 3 years. After 2004, he switched academic interest to Traditional Chinese Medicine and obtained a doctorate degree in the major. In 2015, Dr. Zhou was widely reported by mainstream news media such as ABC, CBS and China Central Television (CCTV-4) due to an administrative dispute with California Acupuncture Board over application of bee sting therapy in the clinic. Since then, he became a well-known figure internationally in apitherapy. In 2019, he announced a first aid method (Angelica’s procedure) that he discovered for allergic asphyxia with Traditional Chinese Medicine at the 36th international apiculture conference: Apimondia-2019. Dr. Zhou has his acupuncture practice in Alhambra California and uses herbal medicine and acupuncture to serve low-income patients of Spanish speaking in the local community. He was the vice president of California United Acupuncturist Association. In 2020 since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, Dr. Zhou and 8 local acupuncture doctors voluntarily formed an anti-epidemic team at free of charge to rescue as many people with herbal medicine and Angelica's procedure.