Long Covid and Post-Viral Symptoms

Post-covid or post-viral symptoms are something that a lot of people report and complain about. These symptoms continue for a longer period of time after the infection has gone.

Any viral infection creates a very intense oxidative stress and therefore free radical damage in the body and inflammation, not to mention the enormous workload on the immune system to fight off the virus.

The human body needs to be strong and have sufficient nutritional reserves to withstand this battle. And the reality is that we are already deficient in many nutrients (of which many are anti-oxidants meaning they protect against oxidative stress) and our immune system is weakened due to certain unhealthy lifestyle patterns like sleep debt, poor sleep hygiene, not being outside on fresh air sufficiently and regularly enough, stress (both chronic or acute/periodic), not resting enough, not taking time to recover and care for oneself (I'm looking at us, moms!), not physically working out, drinking alcohol, smoking or taking Nicorette pills and others.

So any viral infection will deplete the body of nutrient and anti-oxidant reserves, and kill off beneficial gut bacteria which results in a number of unpleasant symptoms lasting for quite some time after the illness. But if you look and analyse closer, these symptoms that often referred to "long covid" are essentially nutrient deficiency symptoms.

Common Post-Viral Symptoms:

- extreme fatigue

- poor memory

- difficulty concentrating

- headaches

- dizziness

- coughing for 2-3 weeks post infection

- depression

- anxiety

- sleep problems

- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

- hair loss (very very common!)

- loss of smell and taste

- rash

- muscle and joint pain

So to address these concerns, I recommend the nutrients below, and in the first days post-virus, it is usually advisable to supplement with a little bit higher dose than the RDA (which is only designed to prevent deficit), because you really need to replenish reserves, not just maintain normal levels of those nutrients.

Vitamins:

Vitamin A (or beta-carotene for women during pregnancy and pre-conception) - for tissue repair, and tissue protection from infections; supports mucus lining barrier, improves antibody response and acts as a powerful antioxidant. It plays a key role in skin health.

Vitamin B1 - improves fatigue, muscle weakness, poor memory and focus (notorious post-covid brain fog), depression and anxiety. Deficiency often leads to difficulty breathing.

Vitamin B3 - improves symptoms of depression, fatigue, dementia, headaches, low sex drive and irritability, and helps detoxify toxins from the body. Deficiency can manifest itself as rash, dermatitis, and loss of sense of taste and smell.

Vitamin C - a powerful antioxidant and promotes energy (ATP) production. Best obtained from foods like vegetables, berries and fruit. Do not take ascorbic acid as it does more harm than good!

Vitamin D - improves depression, sleep, and fatigue and enhances the function of immune cells, lungs and anti-viral responses. It also addresses non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) and dizziness which are often signs of vitamin D deficiency.

Minerals:

Selenium - a powerful antioxidant and along with vitamin E facilitates the formation of antibodies by 20-30 times as shown by research.

Zinc - supports antibody response, regulates the function of white blood cells, promotes the body's healing properties, hair growth and re-growth after a fallout, and the body's detoxification of chemicals and metabolic irritants. Zinc also has some anti-oxidant functions. Finally, it is involved in normal taste and smell formation and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Magnesium - helps fight fatigue, depression, sleep problems, irritability and nervousness and is beneficial for learning abilities, poor focus and memory.

Other Nutrients:

Lactobacillus Bifidobacterium - improves depression by helping make neurotransmitters GABA (improves mood and sleep, as well as relieves pain) and serotonin (the "happiness" hormone and neurotransmitter) and supports the immune system

EPA and GLA - an essential fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) help increases anti-inflammatory tissue hormones in the body.

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes:

Sleeping for 8-8,5 hours minimum is vital to recovering after a viral infection.

Muscle activity on a regular basis at least 2-3 times a week is necessary to circulate the lymph fluid, a key part of your immune system. Circulation of blood, lymph, energy, thoughts and feelings is important to vitality, the health of the body, mind, heart, and spirit, as well as the immune system!

Hope this helps!

Love,

Natalia xx