Following a Round Table gathering to tackle the unprecedented impact that Covid has had on the healthcare industry and the broader community, Australia’s leaders in Integrative Medicine are in the process of developing guidelines to better diagnose and manage the symptoms of Long-Covid.
“We’re at the stage of building the guidelines for Integrative Medicine support in Long-Covid,” says Dr Mark Donohoe, President of acnem (Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine).
To combat Long-Covid, pharmacist Gerald Quigley says a coordinated healthcare effort is needed, including professionals across various modalities “to manage individual factors rather than only treating Long-Covid”.
The importance of lifestyle
Dr Donohoe says underlying health conditions and unhealthy lifestyle practices significantly contribute to the development of Long-Covid.
“The majority of the long Covid patients I am seeing have conditions that could have been managed before they suffered the Covid-19 infection”, he says.
Adding to this, Dr Ross Walker, an integrative cardiologist, says it’s important to understand that Long-Covid can’t be treated in isolation.
“The best long-term management is an integrative approach, assessing and managing all factors involved,” he says, “with an understanding of the role of mitochondrial function in supporting energy and reducing brain fog and fatigue fundamental to the success of a Long-Covid treatment plan.”
‘Post-lockdown PTSD’
High on the agenda at the recent Round Table was the impact of Covid and the measures taken to curb the spread of the virus on mental health and wellbeing.
Referring to the mental health issues resulting from the pandemic as ‘post-lockdown Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD)’, experts say it’s imperative to focus on mental health, stress and sleep support, in order to stem the resulting challenges within families, amongst teens, parents and in business.
“Patients are presenting with symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and poor concentration, often developing into clinical depression,” Mr Quigley says.
Cognitive decline has also become a hallmark of Long-Covid, with the experts citing up to 80 cases of Long-Covid in their practices over the recent two months.
The role of gut health
Research has shown a link between Long-Covid and patients who suffer from inflammatory disorders, including gut health conditions.
“While mitochondrial function is foundational to inflammation control, for those that suffer from inflammatory conditions, we need to also assess their gut health,” says Dr Walker.
“The evidence suggests a healthy gut is one of the key preventions for Long Covid. For patients to develop a stronger immune response a focus on their gut flora balance must be accessed.”
The role of VMS
The panel shone the spotlight on evidence-based supplementation citing nutritional compounds to support immune function and the reduction of oxidative stress, inflammation and methylation pathways, such as quercetin, selenium, magnesium orotate, alpha lipoic acid, omega-3, and brahmi as an adjunct to allopathic medicine.
These are in addition to vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D, and the essential antioxidant ubiquinol to support mitochondrial energy production, which has been shown to be impaired by viral infection, resulting in fatigue.
Tackling a massive burden
The panellists agree that Long-Covid is a massive burden if it is not broken down and we get people functioning again one step at a time.
“We know how to manage Long-Covid because we know the components that contribute to the illness,” says Dr Donohoe.
“We know how to manage these factors and it may take time and with a focus on nutrition, supplements and lifestyle.”
