October 27, 2023

Struggling With Lingering Symptoms After COVID? You Might Have Long COVID

Struggling With Lingering Symptoms After COVID? You Might Have Long COVID

It’s safe to say just about everyone has experienced the not-so-fun feelings of being sick. But what happens when those dreadful symptoms stick around – persisting for weeks and even months on end. Or worse, those lingering symptoms take a turn for the worse – spiraling into serious, life-altering conditions?

This is the frightening and heart-wrenching reality for a growing number of people suffering from what’s been dubbed long COVID.

In this blog post, we’re going to explore what exactly long COVID is, what causes its persistent symptoms, and review some emerging treatment strategies that can go a long way in combating this vexing viral infection. Let’s dive in.

What Exactly Is Long COVID-19?

Long COVID is a term used when contracting the COVID-19 virus becomes far more than just a passing illness. Those struggling with long COVID have also been dubbed COVID long-haulers – indicating that they are grappling with COVID-related symptoms for the “long-haul”. For these long-haulers, the impacts of the coronavirus can linger long after the virus has supposedly been eliminated.

In fact, studies indicate that anywhere from 10% to a whopping 30% of COVID patients will continue to experience a barrage of symptoms 3 or more months after their initial onset of COVID symptoms.1,2 Let’s take a look at some of the perplexing and persistent symptoms that you may experience in long COVID.

What Are Some Potential Lingering Symptoms After COVID-19?

Long COVID can present with a vague constellation of symptoms – often appearing similar to the many of the initial symptoms seen in COVID-19 such as:3,4

  • Coughing
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Chest pain and/or heart palpitations
  • Persistent and severe fatigue
  • Body aches and joint pain
  • Loss of the sense of taste and smell
  • Sleep problems
  • Headaches
  • Depression and/or anxiety
  • Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Digestive upset like diarrhea and/or abdominal pain
  • Rashes

While these nagging symptoms are distressing and debilitating enough, in some cases, the effects of long COVID can have even more sinister effects. Some COVID-19 long-haulers can go on to develop much more serious life-altering, and even life-threatening conditions such as:5,6

  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Neurological damage leading to conditions like Guillain-Barre syndrome, Parkinson’s, or seizures
  • Heart damage that can lead to heart conditions like heart failure and heart attacks
  • Scarring to the lungs resulting in long-term respiratory issues
  • Increased blood clotting which can lead to strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and organ damage
  • Weakened blood vessels which can impair your body's ability to detox and cause subsequent damage to your liver and kidneys
  • Metabolic shifts that can increase the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases

So what gives? How exactly can a viral infection be so minor in some, but lead to such serious and seemingly unrelated conditions in others?

So, What Causes Long COVID?

While researchers are still working to fully grasp the underlying mechanism by which this tiny virus can cause such destruction, we do have an idea of how and why long COVID occurs in some people. When the COVID-19 virus – or any illness-provoking virus for that matter – is contracted, it throws your immune system out of whack.

Now normally, your immune system ramps up, neutralizes the threat, and then down-regulates inflammation to return back to a state of balance. But in some unfortunate cases, things don’t go quite so smoothly, and instead, the process goes something like this:7,8,9

  • The virus remains dormant: In a process known as viral latency, the microscopic invader can essentially hide out in your body – laying dormant and evading detection by your immune system.
  • Continued release of immune mediators: While the virus may be lying dormant, your immune system can still sense that something is off. In an attempt to sniff out and neutralize whatever it senses lurking, your immune system continues releasing signaling mediators that ramp up inflammation. This continuous, low-level inflammation exhausts your immune system and can diminish its ability to properly regulate its response.
  • Decreased immune cell function: As your immune system becomes depleted and continues to spiral further out of balance, your immune cells can become confused. As these immune cells search for the unidentified threat, they can lose their ability to function properly while simultaneously releasing even more inflammation-stoking mediators. This creates a vicious cycle of ongoing inflammation and immune system dysregulation.
  • Mitochondrial manipulation and burnout: As the virus hides out within your cells, it’s able to strategically manipulate cellular functions. By funneling your own cells' energy production and immune signaling, the virus can alter your cells to better suit itself – enhancing its survivability and ability to replicate. This drains your cell's energy, burns out your mitochondria (the energy-generating powerhouse of your cells), and adds to the vicious cycle of immune system malfunction.

This potent combination has a ripple effect. As the dysfunction in your immune system multiplies and more and more cells become depleted and manipulated by the virus, your body simply can’t keep up – leading to the conglomeration of symptoms seen in long COVID.

So if the root cause of long COVID is immune system malfunction and cellular burn-out, what are our options for treatment?

Treatment for Long COVID

Treating long COVID requires a big-picture approach that will often include multiple treatment strategies. If you’re struggling with the residual effects of long COVID, it’s important to partner with a reputable health care provider that understands the complexity of this complicated condition. It’s crucial to have a provider that can help you address any acute or immediate complications of long COVID.

That might include things like:

  • Additional tests to identify any underlying and unidentified damage
  • Medications to manage any newly developed conditions or prevent further damage
  • Lifestyle modifications

While conventional medical doctors can certainly help address any immediate concerns when it comes to long COVID, it can also be beneficial to partner with a functional medicine doctor to help you dig deeper and create strategies to address the root cause of your symptoms.

Let's take a look at a few other treatment strategies that can go a long way in helping you manage and even reverse some of the effects of long COVID.

IV Vitamin Infusion Therapy for Long COVID

When it comes to addressing the root cause of long COVID, boosting your detoxification pathways while simultaneously bolstering your cells' ability to function is the name of the game. And one of the most potent ways to do that is through IV vitamin infusion therapy. IV vitamin infusion therapy delivers a concentrated dose of powerful nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that can give your cells the fuel and support they need to combat long COVID.

Infusions can be customized and carefully calibrated to recharge your depleted immune system and give your body the vital nutrients it needs to function optimally. To learn more about IV vitamin infusion therapy, head over and check out our Q and A page.

Gut Restoration and Immune Rejuvenation for Long COVID

Your gut and your immune system are intricately intertwined – an imbalance in one will inevitably lead to the malfunctioning of the other. So optimizing your gut health while beefing up your immune system creates an upward spiral that helps your body shift back into a more balanced state. Simultaneously boosting gut health while supporting your immune system encompasses a number of factors such as:

  • Balancing your microbiome – or the ecosystem of microbes that reside in your gut
  • Repairing and enhancing the integrity of your gut lining
  • Decreasing overall inflammation
  • Boosting cellular autophagy – or your immune cells ability to engulf and neutralize invaders or damaged cells

These are just a few of the foundational aspects of promoting a healthy gut and immune system. This is where a functional medicine practitioner can help you create a personalized comprehensive plan. Click here to learn more about functional medicine and this approach to healing.

Ketamine and Stellate Ganglion Block for Long COVID

Long COVID can be incredibly disruptive and damaging to your mental health. Long COVID:

  • Can disrupt your brain health and lead to feelings of depression and anxiety
  • Causes a barrage of ongoing, frustrating, and difficult to treat symptoms that can make it challenging to complete normal day-to-day functions
  • Is often accompanied by numerous or ongoing hospital stays

So it’s no surprise that many COVID long-haulers also report significant challenges when it comes to their mental health. And your mental health can have a monumental impact on your ability to heal – so it’s crucial to take your mental health just as seriously as your physical health.

While conventional methods of treating anxiety or depression can be effective in some cases, sometimes it’s not quite enough. Here at Strive MD Wellness and Ketamine, we specialize in addressing complex, difficult-to-treat cases of depression and anxiety. Both ketamine infusion therapy and stellate ganglion blocks can provide life-changing relief from depression and/or anxiety.

To learn more about how these game-changing therapies are helping people across the country not just manage, but actually heal their depression and anxiety, head over and check our article all about Ketamine and our Stellate Ganglion Block FAQ.

Are You Struggling With Symptoms of Long COVID?

If you’ve had COVID and are worried that you’re grappling with the residual effects of this viral infection, you are not alone. While we still have much to learn, it’s abundantly clear that in treating long COVID, we must take a big-picture approach that addresses the “upstream” issue causing the “downstream” symptoms.

Having the guidance and support from a team of specialized medical professionals can make a world of difference when it comes to navigating the complexities of long COVID. Our top-notch physicians and medical staff here at Strive MD Wellness and Ketamine will partner with you and any other specialist you are working with to create a personalized plan to support you in healing.

So if you’re struggling with symptoms of long COVID and are ready to take the next step in healing, please reach out and make an appointment. We have offices in the greater Chicagoland, Dallas, and Miami Beach areas. Click here to find an office near you and schedule a consultation today. We can’t wait to hear from you.