What to do about post-viral symptoms

Studies suggest that around 20-25%, or 1 in 4-5 people with COVID-19, experience long-term symptoms after it has cleared their body. In the UK, that figure rises to 70-80% for those hospitalised.

There are 55 listed symptoms noted for 'Long COVID', most commonly fatigue, headaches, brain fog, hair loss, a productive cough and shortness of breath. But each person's symptoms can vary.

Some research likens it to chronic fatigue (ME/CFS) or Lyme disease, with potential impacts being:

1. Virus-specific disordered physical changes

2. Immune system problems and inflammatory damage

3. Usual post-critical illness problems

4. Also, cognitive and psychiatric issues, as well as bacterial, fungal or other infections

Functional or integrative practitioners talk about dysfunction in the immune and nervous systems.

What are some things YOU can do to improve your health:

• Rest, sleep and manage stress. Accept that it might take some time to heal

• Eat a nutrient dense diet i.e. plenty of multi-coloured vegetables and fruits; healthy fats like olive, flax, coconut and hemp seed oils, and butter; natural proteins

• Avoid inflammatory foods that stress your nervous system and body i.e. sugar, refined carbs, caffeine, alcohol, junk foods, processed seed oils, dairy

• Take vits A, C, D, E, magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fats, probiotics for immunity, gut and cell health

• Melatonin is a protective antioxidant that can lower inflammatory signalling, and stop its depletion by COVID. There are protocols for that

• Iron may help for hair loss (low levels and high ferritin could be sparked by high IL-6, an inflammatory compound that increases in COVID-19) ,and fatigue and air hunger, so get your levels checked and eat iron-rich foods like pate and read meat

• Consider taking NAD+ and ATP for NAD+ depletion and cell energy support

• COVID-19 profoundly alters the gut microbiome, which can also impact brain health. Taking targeted gut support can help restore balance and immune health, possibly using stool testing as the basis for a specific rather than general or scatter-gun protocol

• Supporting mitochondrial health (your cells' batteries) with healthy movement (don't overdo it) and infrared sauna

• For some (not if you have low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia) , fasting and/or intermittent fasting could help restore immune function through autophagy (natural cell detoxification and regeneration)

For a more targeted approach, blood and stool testing can help identify problems and form the basis of a healing map. But rest and diet play key roles.