Prepare to manage LONG COVID

COVID is a thoroughly nasty bug, causing inflammation everywhere from the brain to the gut. If you’re unlucky enough to end up with LONG COVID, there’s a whole raft of symptoms you could be experiencing – WITHOUT knowing that your problems are a result of COVID.

Some of these are:

• Diarrhoea and gastro
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Hostility
• Aches and pains
• Headaches
• Brain fog
• Reduced immune system function

And if you have these symptoms, THEY could create a domino effect – because the symptoms themselves cause MORE inflammation!

SARS-COV2 can also trigger an underlying autoimmune problem you might have had lurking – or induce a flare in an existing autoimmune condition such as Crohn’s disease or Diabetes.

COVID happens in your gut, not just your bloodstream

Even after the acute virus clears your system, it leave a dysbiosis (imbalance) of the microbes that keep your body healthy. This can leave you feeling unwell for a long time.

These problems can come from 3 main causes:

1. Dysbiosis: the disruption of the function of the microbes in your body, especially those in the gut that should be absorbing nutrients.
2. Actual gut damage – damage to the lining of your gut.
3. Vomiting and diarrhoea lead to a loss of appetite – which leads to loss of nutrients.

Loss of nutrients is REALLY important – its an underlying cause for a range of “emotional” responses from depression to aggression.

So knowing how you can boost your immune system – so it can respond well to COVID – is pretty useful.

So what can help you minimise and avoid long term consequences of COVID?

Happy microbiota – particularly in your gut – is fundamental for both avoidance and recovery from COVID. So now is the time to eat well, with a variety of foods (30 different foods every week). It’s also important to avoid environmental chemicals from preservatives, cosmetics and laundry products.

Any pharmaceutical medication – not just antibiotics – will also damage your gut biota. So restore your microbes to restore your health. So if you’ve had to take some medication, then you need to think about restoring your gut – so consult your friendly neighbourhood naturopath.

Health lifestyle = healthy body – so sleep, stress management and exercise are super-important. Find ways to argue with your body’s “I’m too tired” and “Not right now” preferences. Practice the 5 Keys to Health:

1. reduce addictions
2. eat quality food
3. sleep well (and get help if you don’t)
4. exercise and
5. happiness practices.

These actions have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk by 83% and cancers by 70% – so are a great investment in your future.

Stock up on herbal supports – have a “first aid kit” of remedies on hand. Because if COVID hits, you’re going to be a) isolated and b) miserable. (Also because the natural remedy supply chain is every bit as disrupted as your supermarket.) My recommendations for a treatment/recovery kit are here.