Supplementing For Long Covid

After two years of oscillating restrictions and freedoms, the British Government is taking steps to return life to something close to normalcy. But whatever policies might be removed or instigated, the world as we knew it will never come back, and we need to be prepared to adjust to a new version of reality in all its virtues and vices.

For some people, the last two years have been traumatic and difficult in acute ways. For others, the last two years will continue to have social or medical ramifications. If you or someone you know is experiencing ‘Long Covid’ - extended symptoms or ramifications from testing positive for COVID-19 – it can feel hard to know how to move forward and get back to the vim and vigour you were used to feeling.

One of the ways you can rebuild your resilience is through effective supplementation. Unfortunately, many supplements on the shelves now are little more than placebos, with variable levels of their promoted ingredients that come in forms the body can’t use. That doesn’t mean that certain nutrients can’t begin to give you a renewed strength, however. It’s just about finding the forms that can. We spoke to the science team at LYMA, one of a new cohort of science-based supplements, to figure out which ingredients are worth investing in if you want to tackle Long Covid.

SUPPLEMENTING FOR LONG COVID

It’s not entirely clear how many Covid cases go on to develop ’Long Covid’, but estimates put it between 10 and 30%. Nor is it clear how many of the cases and their symptoms are psychological, or have psychological components. Long Covid has little to do with the severity of the initial infection, and circa 90% of Long Covid cases previously had mild or asymptomatic infection. Many of them are young and had no pre-existing conditions.

The most common Long Covid symptoms are fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of smell and/or taste and ‘brain fog’. These overlap with the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) and as with ME there is no clear underlying mechanism. Scientists have speculated about vascular, metabolic, inflammatory / immunological and psychological factors, but at the time of writing there is no consensus.

Although the absence of any obvious underlying disease mechanism makes it impossible to identify or recommend any specific treatment, we do know that some Long Covid cases have responded extremely well to certain proven ingredients that can be found in supplements like LYMA. Below are some of our preferences.

1. Wellmune ^® Blend

This 1-3, 1-6 beta glucan is a well-known immune-modulator, and enhances innate immune cellular function. This raises immunity to infection and reduces allergy symptoms. It effects an immunological normalization; these compounds were previously naturally occurring in the food chain, and were removed after 1950. As immunological dysregulation is considered to play a part in a sub-set of Long Covid cases, Wellmune^® is probably acting here.

2. HydroCurc

A polyphenol with very high bioavailability, this is a potent anti-inflammatory agent with multiple health benefits which are present in many members of this class, but to a higher degree due to its ability to achieve high levels in the body. HydroCurc ^®, like many polyphenols, also stabilizes and improves capillary blood flow. In Long Covid cases with a significant inflammatory and/or vascular component, HydroCurc ^® will be helpful.

3. affron 

This standardized saffron extract has well-documented anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties, which may be particularly helpful in Long Covid cases where those symptoms predominate. However, it is also documented to improve resilience, via a novel mechanism in the hippocampal VTA. This involves up-regulating the production of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, and this in turn enhances neurogenesis. Mood, energy and cognition all interact here.

4. KSM-66

This is a xeno-hormetic (a member of a category of herbal extracts formerly known as adaptogens), which is an anti-stressor. It complements the actions of affron ^®, and those of Wellmune ^®  Blend also; stress is a well-known immune-suppressant.

In Long Covid cases where the symptoms are gastrointestinal, we would recommend ZinoBiotic.

About The Author LYMA has changed the way the world looks at wellness. It has launched two wellness products which have redefined wellness categories. The LYMA Laser is the world’s most powerful at home near infrared laser skincare device. The LYMA Supplement is the first to only use peer-reviewed, patented ingredients, each dosed at proven levels.  Formulated by the leading authority in preventative, degenerative disease, Dr. Paul Clayton PhD, LYMA is more than a vitamin pill, it’s the ultimate antidote to the stress of modern life. Website: lyma.life Instagram: @lymalife