Acupuncture and Long COVID Smell Loss: What One Hospital Pilot Found
Video and original reporting by Middlesex Health, a health system based in Middletown, Connecticut, and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Shared with permission and full credit.
Study Shows Acupuncture Helps Patients with Long COVID
The numbers first
In a pilot study at the Burris Center for Integrative Medicine at Middlesex Health, 20 adults with persistent long COVID symptoms (and no other medical conditions) received acupuncture twice a week for three weeks. That is six sessions total.
Researchers measured three things at three points in time:
Smell, using a scratch-and-sniff test
Taste, using taste test strips
Self-reported symptoms, including brain fog, through a questionnaire
The result: statistically significant improvement in smell, taste, and cognitive clarity.
Every patient received the same fixed set of points, including LI20, LI4, KD3, HT7, DU20, and Yintang. A standardized protocol matters. It means the approach can be repeated, taught, and tested again.
The study was published in 2024 by Amy Calandruccio, D. Pantalena, E. Molle, J. Drew, and L. Jansky under the title Acupuncture Effects on COVID-19 Long-Hauler Syndrome.
Why this matters to us
Smell and taste loss is one of the most common and least treated after-effects of COVID-19. Millions of people still live with it. It changes how food tastes, whether you can detect smoke or spoiled food, and how connected you feel to the people and places around you.
There is no single approved treatment. Olfactory training helps some people. Many are told to wait. So when a hospital team runs a structured study, uses objective smell and taste tests, and reports measurable change, we pay attention.
What the video shows
In the video, Amy Calandruccio, a board-certified, licensed acupuncturist at Middlesex Health, explains how the work started. Early in the pandemic, the center began getting calls from people who had lost taste and smell, or who were dealing with brain fog and pain. They wanted to know if acupuncture could help. She tried it, and patients responded.
She describes the proposed mechanism in plain terms: acupuncture appears to act on the nervous system and immune system, with effects on nerve pathways and neurotransmitters such as dopamine.
Barbara Barbuito of East Haven also shares her story. She lost her sense of taste and smell after COVID. After a course of treatment, she got in the car one day and realized she could smell again. Her taste returned soon after.
What to keep in mind
This was a small pilot with no control group. The study authors say larger, controlled trials are needed to confirm the results and to learn how long the benefits last. That is the right next step.
Pilot data like this does two useful things. It gives patients a low-risk option to discuss with their care team, since sterile, single-use needles keep the risk of acupuncture very low. And it gives researchers a clear protocol to build on.
Watch and learn more
Watch the full video and read the original story from Middlesex Health: Study Shows Acupuncture Helps Patients with Long COVID
Also on YouTube: Middlesex Health video
If you are living with smell or taste loss, talk with your doctor about your options.
Credits
Video and original story: Middlesex Health, a health system based in Middletown, Connecticut, and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network
Video production: Sarah Cody-Rector, Director of Public Relations, Middlesex Health
Featured clinician and lead study author: Amy Calandruccio, Licensed Acupuncturist, Burris Center for Integrative Medicine, Middlesex Health
Featured patient: Barbara Barbuito, East Haven, CT
Study: Calandruccio A, Pantalena D, Molle E, Drew J, Jansky L. Acupuncture Effects on COVID-19 Long-Hauler Syndrome. Journal of Alternative, Complementary & Integrative Medicine. 2024;10:444. Read the study
The World Taste & Smell Association (WTSA) shares this content for educational purposes. All video, quotes, and study findings belong to Middlesex Health and the study authors. This post is not medical advice.
