Long Covid Day - 25th March, 2022
On 25th March, I attended Long Covid Day, a workshop hosted by Biolab Medical Unit to help practitioners in assisting increasing numbers of patients with extended illness following Covid-19 infections. The panel of speakers included academic researchers, medical doctors and naturopathic/nutritional medicine practitioners who shared their expertise in treatment strategies. Below, I have summarised some key points from the workshop which you may find useful to help yourself, your family and friends.
A big problem
According to academic researcher Dr. Rachel Nicholl, an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK (2.4% of the population) are suffering from Long Covid. This refers to still suffering from symptoms a year after the original infection. This is on top of the tens of thousands of people already suffering from post viral syndrome prior to Covid. Chief among symptoms is chronic fatigue but a whole host of other symptoms can manifest like brain fog, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, skin issues, gut problems and more.
Dr. Nicholl quoted an article in the Guardian in which Professor Danny Altmann, immunologist at Imperial College London, said that the Government is failing to take the impact of infections sufficiently seriously and highlighted the profound impact of post viral infection on health, the economy and long-term sickness benefits. Asked whether Long Covid could lead to a generation affected by disability, Altmann’s reply was, “Totally.” He added that it was a surprise how many new cases have emerged even among those who have been vaccinated.
Dr. Nicholl commented on the inadequacy of NHS tests in helping patients figure out what was happening in Long Covid. But, there was a glimmer of hope. At least GPs have been urged to believe patients and diagnose Long Covid in cases where there is no other obvious cause for the cluster of Long Covid relapsing/remitting symptoms. This is in stark contrast to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) where patients have been told “It’s all in your head, dear.” Predictably, there are still some medics out there who think that Long Covid is a “psychosomatic” illness, such as psychiatrist Jeremy Devine. And in a recent Lancet article, women with Long Covid symptoms are just menopausal. Great! As Dr. Nicholl put it - there is an expression known as 'medical gaslighting’ and she hoped we would never encounter it!
Novel or not so novel?
Is Sars Sov 2 a novel virus? The clue is in the name and it is not so novel a virus. We have seen Sars Cov 1 and Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome - another coronavirus) before. All such viruses can trigger post viral fatigue. Sars Cov 1 produced as wide an array of symptoms as Sars Cov 2 - respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, depression, anxiety, PTSD etc. Sars Cov 1 can also tell us a lot about the potential duration of Sars Cov 2. Studies show that the cardiovascular risk remained high for some people as long as ten years following initial infection. Similarly, studies of survivors of Spanish flu showed brain inflammation and mental health consequences for up to four years after initial infection. Emerging Covid studies show that if recovery is not fairly rapid, the chances of post viral syndrome increase the longer symptoms linger. Clearly, some effective solutions are called for.
Big wake-up call
There was a consensus among the panel that Covid-19 is a big wake-up call for people to really take responsibility for their health and lifestyle choices, particularly with the lack of NHS testing and ineffective (antidepressant) treatment options. People are suffering and need real help. There is a need for evidence-based medicine, not public health messaging based on falsehoods and confusion. We’ve known for decades that viruses can cause fatigue and a whole host of unpleasant symptoms, including mental health problems. Real effective, non-pharmaceutical tools used in real life cases were shared at the workshop by the practitioner panel.
Long Covid clinical pearls
Here are just a few of the clinical pearls being used successfully by practitioners to help restore health to Long Covid patients:
Nutrition is crucial to starve rather than feed infections and to restore energy at a cellular level. Brain fog, depression and anxiety can be symptoms of poor energy delivery to the brain. Recovery involves overcoming pernicious addictions like sugars and junk foods.
Protein is very important for body repair. The body can’t store it so we will go on eating food until the body’s protein appetite is satisfied.
Healthy fats and oils are among the safest and most desirable foods. Saturated fats are ideal fuel for the cells. Corollary: your thyroid needs to be working properly to use fats as fuel otherwise you will feel terrible.
Carbs are essential to help fuel the body but the problem is we eat way too much and the wrong sort. We are a nation of sugar addicts and sugar feeds viruses.
Get the basic energy delivery mechanisms in place in the right order - address the upper fermenting gut (otherwise you won’t absorb foods or supplements), support the energy producers of the cells (mitochondria), support adrenal and thyroid function, modulate (balance), not boost, the immune system, go after the bugs with the right herbal medications.
Supplements are necessary for all - no matter how good your diet. The problem is one of nutrient depletion in the soil.
Address all body infections. Covid-19 has shown the ability to reactivate old latent infections like Epstein Barr Virus, shingles, and Coxsackievirus. Dr. Nicholl spoke extensively about ‘viral reservoirs.’ These are places in the body where virus infected cells stay hidden and dormant. Much of Long Covid is a reactivation of viral reservoirs, not an actual reinfection. One of the biggest viral reservoirs is in the gut.
Address retroviruses. These are already part of the human genome and have lain inactive for generations. These are called Human Endogenous Retroviruses (Hervs for short). In Covid, Hervs contribute to perpetuate viral activation. They have been identified in post mortem tissues of patient who died with Covid. Sars Cov 2 can probably insert itself into the human genome and block interferon response. Vitamin D boosts interferon protection.
Balancing the different components of the immune system, as opposed to boosting, is key!
Address infections directly with natural plant based antiretrovirals and herbal medicines.
Don’t prescribe a long shopping list of supplements; be specific and use known key tools for the job.
Professor Robert Thomas, from the oncology department at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, shared the results of his recent UK Photo V study (partly funded by money from hero fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore). Those who had worse Covid had worse gut health! Interventions with methods to improve gut health with nutrition and phytonutrients brought about rapid recovery from Covid.
AONM medical director Gilian Crowther focused on three key areas for patient recovery - fixing iron dysregulation, addressing viral co-infections (particularly enteroviruses like Coxsackie virus and the herpes family of viruses) and the way in which viral illness hijacks the mitochondria (energy producing factories in our cells). Studies show that the storage of unbound iron (ferritin) can increase in cells and not be able to get out. This is highly inflammatory and will further drive infection unless you use key supplemental and dietary strategies to help reduce stored iron and move it back into the right places.
Three quick questions
Attendee: Can you overdose on Vitamin D3?
Reply (Dr Damien Downing): You have to damn well work at it! Something like 36,000iu a day for three months is the upper limit.
Attendee: What about patients who are sensitive to supplements?
Reply (Dr Sarah Myhill): The cause may well be the upper fermenting gut. Fix that first.
Attendee: Why does the ferritin level go up with Long Covid?
Reply (Dr Sarah Myhill): Covid-19 splits iron off haemoglobin which gives low oxygen in the blood.
What can you do?
If you have had Covid and are still not back to normal health, you can do something about it. At the Good Health Clinic, I have been using many of the strategies, such as the anti Retroviral approach shared by colleagues at the Long Covid workshop over the last two years. Because Covid affects many body systems and reactivates previously dormant infections, this takes a holistic nutritional medicine approach.
If you would like to find out what you can do to improve your health, please email the Good Health Clinic on goodhealthclinic@outlook.com or ring on 07836 552936.