Long COVID is described as COVID-related symptoms that last for more than four weeks. Exact figures of who is suffering with long COVID in Australia are not available, but researchers at the University of Tasmania estimate up to 300,000 Australians will be dealing with long COVID for at least three months this year. They’ll be battling a myriad of symptoms including debilitating fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, palpitations, cough, joint and or muscle pain, headaches, chest pain, anxiety and depression.
What causes long COVID?
The known risk factors for long COVID include obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and hypertension as well as age. So, tackling underlying pre-existing conditions is certainly a good start to preventing long COVID.
What is long COVID from a holistic perspective?
Every time you’ve had a cold or flu or you’ve been infected by a virus. First you got sick, then you got better, and you probably never thought about it again. However, it’s not uncommon to have periods of protracted symptoms that follow the onset of a virus, whether it be chronic fatigue (e.g. Epstein Barr virus) or chronic pain (e.g. shingles).
Long COVID is essentially a healing process that has become stalled. COVID infection initiates an immune reaction but instead of your body moving through the stages of the disease, you get stuck. It sounds obvious but chronic symptoms are just signs your body is struggling to complete the task of healing itself.
Why does the healing process get stalled?
This is a hard question to answer simply because the reasons vary so much. However, the common issue from a holistic perspective is that healing requires vitality. So, for example, if you are already chronically stressed, have poor sleep, digestive issues, etc., and then you get COVID, you may find you lack the vitality to move through the stages of the healing process smoothly. Some of the healthiest people I know who’ve had COVID have had it very intensely but for a very short duration. Some of those who I’ve seen struggle the most have been already on the edge of burnout and didn’t have much left ‘in the tank’ before they got COVID.
What can holistic therapies do?
Holistic modalities work by restoring your body’s own healing mechanisms. It’s never the treatment that heals your body; it’s always your body that heals itself. Your body might just need help if the healing process becomes stuck.
It might be some comfort that whilst COVID-19 is new, the strategies for supporting the body through viral infection are well established. In fact, if you consider that the Shang Han Lun, a Chinese Medicine treatise on how to help the body heal from febrile disease, was written in 200AD, you could say, quite literally, holistic modalities are drawing on thousands of years of knowledge.
Editor’s note: This wellbeing column provides information that is general in nature. Please always refer to your preferred health professional for advice suited to your personal healthcare requirements.
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