The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have catastrophic impacts on communities all over the world, and sadly one of the consequences of acquiring the virus is emerging as ‘Long COVID’. It is estimated that as of May 2021 there were more than 1 million Long COVID sufferers in the UK and that women are more affected than men. And now 9 months later, there are many more cases and we get many sufferers coming through our doors at The Ark.
There are two stages to Long COVID;
1. Ongoing COVID-19 symptoms that last 4-12 weeks
2. Post COVID-19 syndrome where symptoms last for more than 12 weeks and cannot be explained by any other diagnosis.
The main continuing symptoms can be; breathlessness, extreme fatigue, brain fog, ongoing cough and joint pain. However many more symptoms have been reported such as; insomnia, dizziness, pins and needles, chest pain, palpitations, depression and anxiety, tinnitus and earaches, nausea, diarrhoea, stomach ache, loss of appetite, high temperature, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste and rashes.
COVID-19 is an unpredictable virus with a multitude of outcomes, therefore any approach to symptoms needs to be bespoke.
When considering recovery, assessment of underlying health is essential, identifying where the core immune dysfunction(s) lie; body inflammation, brain inflammation, gut dysbiosis (the imbalance of gut microbiota), stress chemistry and autoimmunity.
There are many proposed nutrients in support of Long COVID, nevertheless the following exhibit both anti-inflammatory and immune modulating properties: Vitamins A, C and D, Zinc, quercetin and NAC.
Book your individualised health MOT with the Nutrition Detectives to find out what’s going on and start feeling better.
Thank you so much Lise and Amy! What a relief it is to have you both in my corner! The Nutrition Detectives have been invaluable in helping me manage menopause and now Covid. It’s such a pleasure to come to see you both for my regular MOTs.