Many people with COVID-19 get better within weeks, some people continue to experience symptoms that can last months after first being infected or may have new or recurring symptoms at a later time. This can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if the initial illness was mild. People with this condition are sometimes called “long-haulers.” This condition is known as Post COVID Condition (PCC) or “long COVID.”

Updated February 14, 2024

Symptoms like vibrations, shaking, depression, and anxiety have been difficult for some with long COVID to get treated. Many covidCAREgroup members have been told it’s anxiety, admitted to psych wards, and dismissed by doctors.

The COVID-19 virus causes neuro inflammation and the symptoms mimic depression and anxiety, but they are directly rooted in post COVID syndrome. People with no history of these conditions suddenly have suicidal thoughts. People with a history of these conditions are at higher risk. The good news is that for many people, post COVID depression and anxiety are temporary and resolve when the histamine cascade and inflammation of the brain that are caused by the cytokine storm pass. Remember, the brain is an organ, and just like the lungs, heart, and intestines, and multiorgan inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C, MIS-A) can affect it.

Why doesn’t my doctor believe me?

There are many doctors that are trying to help and trying to understand. Doctors are trained in medication and surgery - it is why we hire them and ask them for help. When people present with symptoms, they try to choose the best medications to treat those symptoms, because there is no known cure for long COVID. So when symptoms include depression and anxiety, they choose the medications that treat these conditions.

There are also doctors that think their patients are acting hysterically or like hypochondriacs. This is a problem with western medicine, not you.

There are several medical diagnoses that have been used over the years that blame the patient. Even the word “hysteria” was once a medical diagnosis for women who became emotional, especially while menstruating or pregnant. The word hysteria originates from the Greek word for uterus, hystera. The oldest record of hysteria dates back to 1900 B.C. when Egyptians recorded behavioral abnormalities in adult women on medical papyrus.

Another such diagnosis was Humpty-Dumpty Syndrome (HDS) that has historically been used to describe patients who don’t mentally recovery from illness or trauma.

Redefining the neurological & psychological components of illness

It’s time to redefine the definition of “people who don’t physically recover from illness or trauma.”

Every thought is a biochemical physical action involving neurons and electrical impulses, therefore our thoughts and feelings are physical.

Every thought, and every feeling is physical.

HDS has been used to describe to the phenomenon that caused defects in cerebral blood flow causing cognitive and sensory changes that couldn’t yet be explained by science, in polytraumatized patients who require multiple, not fully corrective, operations.

In other words…. People who were experiencing medical conditions (like long COVID) that doctors couldn’t explain were labeled as crazy, hysterical, and a whole list of other dismissive and insulting labels.

Sound familiar?

Fortunately, we know more today than we did 50, 100, or 200 years ago. It IS all in our heads (where the brains are being affected), but it is NOT our imagination.

COVID damages the brain by causing hypoxia and inflammation, which has been shown to cause demyelination of the nerves and dysfunction of organs and the body’s immune and regulatory systems.

Re-infection causes progressive damage, for example, if you recover 90% from your first infection and get reinfected before you reach 100%, your new starting point is 90%.

Regardless of what the news cycle says, and regardless of whether people are tired of hearing about COVID, the pandemic is not over. And the fallout will continue for decades.

Consider the 1928 Spanish flu that “ended” in 1920. Post viral syndrome from that pandemic persisted for 40 years, with a spike in Parkinson’s Disease in the 1950s in people who had the flu. With todays life extending technology and medications, we can anticipate a 60-70 year cycle of long COVID.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Prevention is the best approach. Social distancing, avoiding crowds in small poorly ventilated areas, hand washing, hand sanitizer, masking, eating well, exercise and stress management.

If you do get reinfected, early intervention is a must. Talk to your doctor about antivirals like Paxlovid and Ivermectin.

Don’t push your doctor to label your new conditions as long COVID. We see a LOT of people focused on getting that label documented, but many doctors don’t understand it yet. It’s really not worth arguing over or getting upset about - you need to save your energy to recover.

Regardless of the cause of your new conditions like cardiac issues, thyroid & liver dysfunction, anxiety & depression, they may require treatment. Don’t undermine your health and quality of life by resisting medications. And don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Keep in mind, doctors are trained in medicine and surgery. They are not trained in herbs, supplements or other alternatives. If you don’t want medicine to help you, find an expert in another field… acupuncture, naturopathy, chiropractic, etc.

Long COVID recovery tips:

Antihistamine and anti-inflammatory protocols
Follow up with treatment if you have a secondary condition like irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression.
Avoid or address physical and mental stressors. This may require major lifestyle or relationship changes.
Eat healthy foods.
Avoid chemical preservatives & fast foods.
Avoid alcohol and smoking.
Sleep hygiene.
Hydrate with plain water (avoid fancy waters or drinks with chemicals in them).
Breathwork to calm the body & nervous system.
Gentle exercise within tolerance.
Start a food-symptom-activity journal to identify symptom triggers.
Gluten/wheat, soy, dairy, alcohol, smoked or fermented foods, preservatives, sugar, caffeine are common Long COVID food triggers.

Things you can do to help yourself

Minimizing physical & psychological stressors is essential in recovery from Long COVID.

Nutrition: Try to eat protein and fresh vitamin rich foods daily and avoid chemicals, preservatives, sugars, fast foods, prepared foods and high histamine foods.
Don’t skip meals. Your body needs protein , vitamin C, and vitamin D to heal from any injury or illness. A low histamine or low carbohydrate (sugar) diet is recommended by doctors treating Long COVID (PASC), and many people report a reduction in symptoms within 1-3 days of the diet change, including decreases in sneezing, itching or hives, irritable bowel syndrome, body pain, along with a reduction in swelling and inflammation.
Hydration: A minimum of eight 8 oz glasses of plain water daily is recommended.
Avoid drinks with chemical additives. You can easily make a fresh electrolyte drink yourself by adding a dash of mineral rich Epsom salt and a piece a fruit like a raspberry for flavor instead of spending money on commercial drinks like Gatorade that contain chemicals and sit in plastic bottles for long periods of time. Remember that caffeine and alcohol have dehydrating effects.
Sleep hygiene: Getting 7-9 hours of sleep so your body can repair itself. You need at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep to get into the restorative phase of sleep.
Avoid stimulating activities after dinner like thrilling movies or books, arguments, negative news or frustrating stimuli.
If you wake up frequently or with a startle, you may be experiencing drops in your oxygen level, which signal your brain to release adrenaline to force you to take a breath. This could be a temporary inflammation issue or more enduring sleep apnea. Ask your doctor for a sleep study to evaluate your need for a CPAP or BiPAP, a machine that pushes air into your lungs when it senses an apneic episode (periods of not breathing).
Stress management: Stress affects every component of your life.
The only thing you can control about stress is your reaction to it. Try to avoid or minimize your exposure to stressful situations: Turn off the news, make family visits that end unpleasantly short, wait for the morning to have intense discussions, let go of things that annoy you but don’t really matter in the big scheme of things, avoid intense conversations or entertainment in the evening.
Exercise within tolerance: Pace yourself and do not push your body to extremes in any way.
For some this may mean seated breathing exercises, walking to the mailbox. Rest when your body says to slow down. Gradually build on your activity endurance as your body cues you to progress. This can be hard to gauge, because when you feel good you naturally do more, but if you do too much you may experience symptom flare ups 1-3 days later as the post exertion inflammation builds. Some people describe this as post exertional malaise, others experience severe recovery set backs.
Breathwork: You can literally stop the fight or flight reaction by taking slow deep breaths.
Deep slow breathing shuts down the adrenaline flow, slows your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and decreases stress related histamine release. When you do this, your blood reroutes back to your brain and nervous system to allow you to think clearly. It also allows your body to use its energy and oxygen to heal your inflamed nerves and organs.

Long COVID Solutions

**ProMedView** **Nurse Coaches - We get it.**

Our clinical experts advocate for those with Long COVID.
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Keep moving, keep breathing.

Brought to you by covidCAREgroup, connecting the dots of long COVID through education, research and resources.

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