Q&A with Gerald: Long COVID Support
Question:I’ve had COVID and can’t seem to get my “mo-jo” back. What can I do?
Gerald Quigley, Medical Herbalist, Pharmacist & Health Commentator, answers:
“Long COVID” known medically as PASC or Post Sequelae of COVID-19 is now fairly common. In fact, up to 30% of COVID patients can develop long COVID.
Common signs and symptoms include:
- fatigue
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- cough
- joint pain
- chest pain
- memory, concentration or sleep problems
- muscle pain or headache
- fast or pounding heartbeat
- loss of smell or taste
- depression or anxiety
- fever
- dizziness when you stand
- worsened symptoms after physical or mental activities.
In theory, these symptoms will subside over time. I have some suggestions though to reinforce your immune system and to lift your vitality.
Nutritional medicine for long COVID:
As a foundation, use vitamin C, D3 and zinc – all proven anti-viral. I prefer capsules above tablets.
Take 1000mg of vitamin C twice a day, 30 to 50mg of zinc each day and for vitamin D3, 1000IU capsules TWO at the same time each day.
Please remember to always take zinc with a meal to prevent nausea or vomiting, and Vitamin D3 is best taken before midday to prevent changes to melatonin levels.
Ubiquinol produces energy at cellular level and is supportive of cardiovascular health. I see best results with 300mg each morning. We generally recommend Ubiquinol over CoQ10, as more energy is required to convert from CoQ10 to its more active form, Ubiquinol. And when we’re dealing with fatigue or convalescence, we want to make it easier for the body to receive these helpful nutrients.
Back to Basics
The fundamentals are often overlooked. Comfortable exercise with a 30-minute walk each day, sensible food options with a focus on freshly prepared meals, adequate sleep and if possible, avoidance of stress will hasten your recovery.
The way we breathe and how much oxygen we receive also impacts our healing journey. If you’re able to breathe through your nose, we recommend mouth taping overnight to prevent snoring and mouth breathing, ensuring that as much oxygen is reaching the lungs as possible. Oxygen intake is hindered when breathing via the mouth or if snoring is present, and can contribute to headaches, fatigue, dizziness, brain fog and waking up with that ‘groggy’ feeling.
For support in your journey with long COVID, please call (03) 9576 3077 to book an appointment with our holistic practitioner team today!
And here are some supplements you can call upon to support your immunity in recovering from long COVID
Based on Gerald’s recommendations above, we recommend the following products:
- Vitamin C (call us to see our current in-store options). Look for a product that also including bioflavonoids support, such as Melrose Vitamin C powder, Herbs of Gold Vitamin C Plus or Ultra Potent C by Bioceuticals. If you require a non-synthetic Vitamin C (i.e. from 100% pure food source), we recommend Green Nutritionals Vitamin C, available as powder or capsules
- Check your chosen Vitamin C supplement for zinc levels. Some products may just have a small, supplementary amount such as 5 – 15mg of zinc. If you require more, you may like to add on zinc on it’s own, such as from Bioceuticals Zinc Drops
- Our go-to Vitamin D capsules are Orthoplex Green Vitamin D3 capsules; if you require a spray, we stock Medlab’s D3 spray
These nutritional supplements are available in-store, and you can ask our friendly naturopaths which product is best suited for your needs. Remember that this is not tailored advice, just a general guideline for immune support.
If you’re currently struggling with your immunity or want to actively strengthen your immune system, why not book in with one of our holistic health practitioners? You can call us to book an appointment on (03) 9576 3077