Covid Long Haul
Can Functional Medicine Provide Assistance for Individuals Experiencing Prolonged Effects of COVID?
While a majority of individuals infected with COVID-19 recover within a few weeks, regrettably many continue to experience lingering symptoms, known as COVID long haulers.
Even after the initial recovery, these individuals endure persistent issues such as fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, and more.
Symptoms of Covid-19
What Factors are Implicated in Long Covid?
Common factors prevalent in the Long Covid population include:
ACE2 deficiency: Long Covid often stems from ACE2 deficiency due to the virus entering cells, causing mitochondrial distress and potential organ damage.
Reduction in Nitric Oxide Production: Increasing evidence links reduction in the ability to produce proper levels of Nitric Oxide levels to the response severity and recovery.
Persisting Systemic Inflammation/Neuroinflammation: Evidence suggests vascular issues in the brain during COVID-19 neurology and post-Acute Covid infection, with studies confirming features like hemorrhages and ischemia in post-mortem CNS tissues.
Endotheliitis: Endothelial cell inflammation causes capillary loss, larger vessel stiffness, restricting blood flow, oxygen delivery, often leading to microthrombosis.
Microthrombosis: Tiny blood clots form, clogging capillaries, worsening endotheliosis, and further limiting blood flow.
Mast Cell Activation: Scattered primitive immune cells in tissues produce chemicals, including histamine, causing symptoms such as pain, swelling, and altered blood pressure.
Viral Persistence: Sustained viral presence in the body triggers persistent inflammation, commonly seen in the gastrointestinal tract.
Epstein Barr/CMV Viral Reactivation via T-cell Impairment: Covid-19 can reactivate latent infections, especially Epstein Barr Virus, affecting T-lymphocytes.
Dysbiosis/Altered Microbiome: Disturbance in the body’s microbiome, mainly residing in the gastrointestinal tract.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Investigated due to the unpredictable effects of COVID-19, shifts the mitochondria from a energy producing state, to cell danger response. The patient then presents with Chronic fatigue like presentation.
Autoimmune: Covid-19 antibodies attack both virus and body cells, contributing to autoimmune disease, underscoring the need to reduce inflammation.
Vagal Nerve Down regulation/Inflammation: Neurological diseases may result from impaired vagus nerve function in the autonomic nervous system, governing vital body functions
The Functional Medicine Approach
The Functional Medicine approach to Long Covid involves examining individualized factors and addressing root causes rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Assessment considers a patient’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and lifestyle, leading to a personalized plan for recovery.
The foundations of healing in Functional Medicine include:
Lifestyle Modifications
Recovery requires changing habits that caused illness. Our Functional Medicine Coach will guide essential lifestyle changes for your recovery, tailored to your needs—covering nutrition, exercise, rest, sleep and strategic supplementation.
Gut Restoration
A connection exists between your gut and immune system. An imbalance in one causes dysfunction in the other. Restoring gut health is crucial for immune system balance.
Optimization of Detoxification Pathways
Chronic efforts to handle internal toxicities hinder the shift from a fight-or-flight state to healing. Identifying and addressing present toxicities (chemicals, mycotoxins, heavy metals, glyphosate), optimizing detox pathways, and making lifestyle changes to minimize ongoing exposure are crucial.
Stress Management Through Vagus Nerve Modulation
If the patient is under too much physical, emotional or chemical stress, it severely limits the individuals’ system to begin to heal.
Once these foundations are established, specific protocols are implemented to address the identified factors of Long Covid with specific and individualized protocols and supplementation.
Additional Tools for Healing
Intravenous vitamins: Mitochondria healing, combined with potent antioxidants, reduces inflammation and reboots your immune system and cells post-Covid-19. Due to common post-infection gut issues, we recommend IV delivery for optimal nutrient absorption, bypassing the GI tract to aid recovery and restore well-being.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT): Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a non-invasive treatment where patients breathe 100% medical-grade oxygen at higher atmospheric pressure, increasing body oxygen by up to 1,200%. Recent research highlights HBOT’s potential to enhance neurocognitive functions and alleviate post-COVID symptoms.
IV ozone therapy: In 2018, injecting ozone-mixed blood significantly reduced viral load over 2 years, improving long-term health. IV ozone therapy boosts the immune system, restores energy, and is being tested for COVID-19 treatment with promising results.
Major autohemotherapy (MAH): Autohemotherapy, or self-blood therapy, involves withdrawing a small amount of blood, mixing it with saline and ozone gas, and reintroducing it to the patient through an IV. Major Autohemotherapy (MAH) is a safe and effective method that enhances cell biology and promotes overall wellness, treating diseases, reducing inflammation, and boosting the immune system. MAH offers firsthand benefits such as improved infection resistance, enhanced blood and oxygen circulation, reduced environmental toxins, increased red blood cell membrane flexibility, elimination of pathogens, immune system stimulation, and inflammation mitigation.
Want to Learn More About Long Haul?
Long-haulers with lingering COVID-19 effects can benefit from connecting with our Functional Medicine practitioners. These experts identify and address root causes, providing a holistic healing approach beyond conventional medicine. For guidance on returning to a healthier state and reclaiming quality of life, schedule a discovery call for answers to your questions.
