Can Chinese Medicine prevent and treat COVID-19?

No!  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doesn't even have a name for the disease, so how then is it possible for it to be treated?  How is it possible that so many people in China have recovered from COVID-19 using Chinese medicine?  That is a better question.  

What are the ideas behind how TCM has been able to do this? TCM treatment focuses on balance and coordination of the five main internal organs (liver, heart, spleen, kidney, lung), physical and mental health, and promotes harmony between humans and our environment.  TCM aims to restore the balance within the human body by making us more resilient against the natural elements of wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness and fire.

When our body is healthy and the immune system is strong, then we are less likely to get sick.  Our body's ability to regulate itself and adapt to our environment are the key to preventing disease.  Our immune system is our most basic defense.  In TCM, the flu and the common cold, or fever and even COVID-19 are all treated essentially the same way.  No matter which pathogen tries to enter our body or how it manifests, the TCM treatment is to ensure that our body is healthy and able to resist becoming ill. 

Imagine a scenario where there is an accumulation of garbage in a house.  Because it has not been maintained, it will attract flies, mosquitoes, and bed bugs.  A typical Western approach would be to analyze what kind of insects have invaded the house and use different insecticides to kill off those bugs.  In contrast, the Eastern approach would be to simply clean up the garbage, and then the bugs will naturally leave once there is nothing left to invite them.

Viruses mutate quickly, often exceeding the rate of development of drugs and vaccines. As the climate warms and glaciers thaw, viruses that have been contained for thousands of years will become active in our environment.  Will we exhaust ourselves studying each new and different virus?  Clearly this approach is not practical.  Instead of chasing pathogens, with the help of TCM, we can instead shift our focus to strengthening our bodies so that we can remain strong no matter which pathogen tries to affect us.