By now, I am sure you have heard the term “Covid Long Hauler”. This is the name being used to describe a multitude of lingering symptoms that can occur in some individuals who have had Covid. In addition, I am seeing more and more people who have lingering post-covid vaccine symptoms that I would throw in the “long hauler” category, too. Persistent smell and taste issues as well as brain fog and fatigue are at the top of the list.
It was initially expected that people who had severe cases would have the most long-lasting effects but studies are showing this is not the case. 75% of the people in a study reported by Mayo with Covid long haul symptoms were not hospitalized and 68% of them were females.
READ ON to learn more about this unusual cluster of symptoms and ways to address them..…
- Some of the top long-hauler symptoms include:
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Brain fog (forgetful, confused, difficulty concentrating)
Prolonged loss of taste and smell (or phantom smells like burning rubber)
Coughing
Sleep disturbances
Joint pain/body aches
Heart issues – palpitations, etc
Many people will have symptoms that linger that weren’t significant when they had Covid in the first place. Autoimmune response can occur and creates multi-organ inflammation which takes their symptoms to a whole new level.
Who is at risk for being a “long-hauler”? Studies aren’t really pointing to any one specific thing. Even the severity of COVID to begin with is not a predictor of who will have lingering symptoms. Younger people with a possible predilection for women seem to be at higher risk of continued symptoms but data is still emerging as we really don’t have a reporting system for this.
Why does this occur? The powers that be aren’t really sure. I’m going to give you my theory which opens up some treatment options. COVID seems to create a few specific responses: inflammation, histamine release and alteration of our natural circadian rhythm. When you look at the list of symptoms you can explain all of these with these underlying issues.
- Brain fog – inflammation of the brain
Shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue – inflammation/histamine of the lungs
Sleep issues – alteration of the circadian rhythm, possibly inflammation of the brain and histamine issues
Joint pain/body aches/fatigue – histamine/inflammation issues
And so on…..
I have been trying a multitude of different protocols to help people navigate these symptoms. I am constantly updating my protocol and adding/deleting products as more information becomes available. Here is a snippet of some things I am currently using:
Inflammation:
Any natural anti-inflammatories should help but these are some of the key ones I have found helpful:
1. SPM Active by Metagenics: this is a derivative of fish oil that I usually use for soft-tissue injury but has been good for post-COVID as well as post-COVID vaccine issues. Dose it twice a day
2. Omega 3’s (fish oil): Monopure EC 1300 by Xymogen is a a great choice or Orthomega by Orthomolecular. Dose it three times a day for best results
3. Curcumin: I like UltraCur or Curcuplex dosed three times a day
4. Diovasc by Xymogen: if there are vascular issues then this is a really good addition at twice a day.
Histamine issues
1. Quercetin is very good for histamine issues. Dose it three times a day
2. Anti-histamines: Zyrtec, Claritin, etc may be helpful. Prescription hydralazine may be needed in severe cases.
3. Cromolyn can help stabilize the mast cells that release the histamine but take longer to work. This is a prescription and in severe cases may really help.
4. Pepcid AC helps block histamine receptors
Here are some pearls for some specific lingering symptoms:
Smell issues
1. SPM Active has been helpful
2. Prescription nasal spray using Theophylline has been useful in some people
Sleep issues
1. Melatonin is good for resetting the circadian rhythm but you will need high doses in the 15-20mg per night realm. Be aware that you can have vivid dreams so decrease the dose or stop if that occurs. As soon as your symptoms improve then stop the melatonin
Fatigue
1. Licorice root – watch out for blood pressure issues
2. Omega 3’s
3. Branch chain amino acids
4. CoQ10
5. Adrenal support
Brain fog
1. Omega 3’s
2. Curcumin
3. Glutathione
4. High dose vitamin D
5. Low dose progesterone
Obviously, there are many products available in these categories and different ones will work better for different people. If you need some help, please call us.
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To your health,
Laura
