Long Covid

LONG COVID

Long covid describes the long term complications after coronavirus disease.

Coronaviruses are a type of virus. There are many different kinds and some cause disease. SARS-CoV-2 is one coronavirus and has caused a pandemic of respiratory illness called COVID-19.

Functional Medicine can help both prevention and those people who are symptomatic as well as support those who are experiencing long COVID symptoms. Approaches encompass nutritional, lifestyle and nutraceuticals to support all bodily systems to prevent, reverse and decrease the burden of the virus.

Signs and symptoms of covid

High temperature
New, continuous cough – 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.
Loss or change to sense of smell or taste.

Signs and symptoms of long covid

Signs and symptoms that develop following COVID-19 that continue for more than 12 weeks. Cluster of symptoms that are often overlapping, include (but are not limited to); cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, musculoskeletal, metabolic, renal, dermatological, nervous system, psychiatric, generalised pain, fatigue and persisting fever.

Fatigue
Headaches
IBS Symptoms
Insomnia
Anxiety and Depression

Brain Fog
Palpitations
Chest Pains
Low Blood Pressure
Shortness of breath

Rhinitis
Poor Exercise Tolerance
Joint or muscle pain

Conventional Approach

NHS advice for a high temperature is to rest, hydrate, take paracetamol or ibuprofen, relax and to lean forward if feeling breathless.
Contact 111 if you are feeling more breathless, difficulty breathing on moving around, weakness, shivering, lost appetite, still feeling unwell after 4 weeks.
Current advice is to vaccinate to prevent such severe symptoms if COVID is contracted. Further information can be found on;
How do vaccines work? https://elearning.ifm.org/how-do-covid-19-vaccines-work/#/

What can Functional Medicine do to support?

Use food and supplements to promote the immune system and repair mechanisms of the body.
Use supplements and food to modulate the influence that the virus has in the cells of the body.
Support energy production through food and supplements (which is a symptom of long COVID)
Use lifestyle medicine to improve the resiliency of the immune system.