Long COVID Remedies NYC - Dr. Alicia Armitstead

I have noticed that the sooner you get help after having COVID, the faster you heal. This means that if I see you two weeks after having COVID, you feel better faster than if I see you eight weeks after having COVID.



Dr. Alicia Armitstead

Natural Remedies for Long COVID and Post-Covid at the Healing Arts NYC Health and Wellness Center in Manhattan NY 10017 and Connecticut

What is the Difference Between Long COVID and Post-Covid?

Long COVID and Post-COVID are both terms used to describe the ongoing symptoms that some people experience after recovering from COVID-19, but there are some differences between them.

• Long COVID, also known as Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), refers to a condition in which individuals continue to experience COVID-19 symptoms for several weeks or months after the initial infection, even if they had mild or asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. Some common symptoms of long COVID include fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, chest pain, brain fog, depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

• Post-COVID, on the other hand, refers to the stage of recovery that occurs after the acute phase of illness has resolved. During this stage, people may continue to experience some symptoms, but these are generally related to the body's healing process, such as chronic fatigue or muscle weakness. Additional symptoms of post-COVID syndrome include shortness of breath, muscle pain, headache, heart palpitations, diarrhea, and difficulty concentrating.

While there is some overlap between the two conditions, Long COVID is generally used to describe more persistent and long-lasting symptoms, while Post-COVID is a broader term that encompasses the recovery period after the acute phase has passed.

Long Covid Patient Case Study

Jean came to the office after having COVID twice. The first time she had COVID, it seemed to be no big deal, but after the second time, she was left with fatigue, brain fog, and headaches that didn't seem to go away no matter how much she rested. It affected her work, and it took everything she had to just get through the day. She was miserable, and I started treating her eight weeks after having COVID. 

To help her, we muscle-tested what supplements could help her brain fog and any foods or toxins that could be causing inflammation in the brain. Lifestyle changes and changes to her eating were given based on the muscle testing results. We then muscle-tested what supplements could help her detox, boost her immune system, and stabilize the nervous system after getting hit so hard with SARS-CoV-2. I have noticed that the sooner you get help after having COVID, the faster you heal. This means that if I see you two weeks after having COVID, you feel better faster than if I see you eight weeks after having COVID.

Supporting the immune system after getting COVID is a step people are familiar with. Boosting the immune system is what you have heard of when people talk about supplementing with zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin C. We muscle test to design a personalized immune system protocol. It may include those three supplements, or maybe not. It could be vitamin D with vitamin K or herbs like Andrographis or Astragalus. Everyone is different and may need further immune system support at different times. 

We help our patients become more familiar with how to stabilize the nervous system. This is the more involved part and depends on how much inflammation is on the nervous system, to begin with. The longer you have post-COVID, the more inflammation is on your nervous system and the longer it will take to feel better. To help reduce inflammation, we muscle test for anti-inflammatory supplements. Once the inflammation decreases, we muscle test for what supplements can support the nervous system. Until the inflammation is down, the body doesn't know what to do with the nervous system support. The body heals in stages. 

The inflammation is in the nervous system from oxidative stress. When the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks the body, it leaves behind too many unstable molecules called free radicals. If the body doesn't have enough antioxidants to get rid of them, inflammation occurs from cellular damage. The brain is prone to oxidative damage because of its high activity and vulnerability to needing so much blood and oxygen to function. Inflammation is another word for oxidative damage and is the reason for brain fog. 

One way to reduce this oxidative stress is by breathing in ozone via nasal insufflation. The body uses oxygen, O2. Ozone, being O3, has an extra oxygen molecule that binds to free radicals and reduces inflammation. Besides helping with brain fog, nasal insufflation can help reduce sinus pressure and headaches. It can also help relieve the lungs if you suffer from any cough, asthma, bronchitis, or pneumonia.

Conclusion

After detailed muscle testing, we developed a modest guided nutritional supplementation plan and made some minor lifestyle changes. Our holistic healing plan was based on the strategy of improving the health of the patient's immune system instead of treating for symptoms. 

With a strong immune system, Jean was able to feel less of the Long COVID systems within a week, and she felt a total recovery in just under a month. Jean continues to see us for regular holistic checkups as a preventive practice, but she has never felt healthier and doesn't get as sick (from anything) as she used to.

Additional References

• Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of COVID-19 Pneumonia - National Library of Medicine
• Ozone Nasal Insufflation - Healing Arts NYC