Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Melissa (Mel) Irvine, DNP – Clinical Sexologist
Specializes in Sexual Medicine and Beauty
With how long COVID-19 has been a part of our lives, you may be surprised to learn that your symptoms might not end with the initial infection. Some people are reporting lingering or new-onset symptoms that last weeks or even months after they had COVID-19, and the cause behind them remains unknown.
This phenomenon, termed long COVID, can differ from person to person and does not always occur. However, for those unfortunate enough to develop it, the relentless symptoms can severely decrease their quality of life, creating a need for long COVID treatment.
Possible Causes of Long COVID
Long COVID, also known as long-haul COVID or post-COVID conditions, can have the following symptoms:
. fatigue
. brain fog
. insomnia
. changes in taste and smell
. anxiety
. depression
. chest pain
. shortness of breath
. dizziness
While many of these symptoms may seem minor, they can be a significant burden on your quality of life when they persist day after day. This is why treatment for long COVID is a new area of research. However, before getting into the potential treatments, it is first helpful to discuss the possible causes of long COVID, which are currently theories within the scientific community.
The first hypothesis is that long COVID results from lingering viral remnants, such as viral protein or RNA. These pieces of the virus can remain in the tissues and cause chronic inflammation.
Another theory is that long COVID results from an autoimmune reaction, which can occur with acute respiratory infections.
Finally, scientists speculate that long COVID symptoms can result from dysregulation in the gut microbiome, which can occur during infection.
With there being three possible causes, it can be hard to determine who may develop long COVID and who won’t. However, predictive tests are in development.
The Power of Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid the human liver produces, and it is also found in meat and fish. It plays a vital role in regulating various physiological functions, including the immune system.
Researchers from the University of Alberta have found that long COVID patients with lower levels of taurine had more symptoms, were hospitalized more often, and were at a higher risk for mortality. However, the purpose of their study was not to analyze taurine’s role in long COVID, but to create a predictive model.
Of the 117 patients enrolled in the study, the researchers analyzed blood samples for each, looking for changes in various proteins, metabolites, and markers of inflammation. Utilizing the results obtained on 20 molecules, they then created a predictive model that had an 83% accuracy rate when predicting adverse clinical outcomes after discharge from acute infection.
While 20 molecules were used in the predictive model, the researchers did find that the difference in taurine levels among the patients was the most prominent. Beyond the poorer clinical outcomes seen in those with low taurine levels, those with high taurine levels had much fewer ongoing symptoms.
The results of this trial suggest that there may be promise in taurine supplementation when it comes to treating long COVID. However, further study is needed to gauge the impact of taurine supplementation.
What is exciting about this discovery is that the treatment for long COVID may not require fancy drugs but instead simple supplementation to return balance in the body. This also matches up with the hormonal imbalances that can occur due to COVID-19, potentially evolving into long COVID. In these cases, restoring balance through hormone replacement therapy can also help to relieve symptoms.
Other Benefits of Taurine Supplementation
Taurine supplementation may offer the potential to help with more than just long COVID.
Taurine helps with the following:
. forming bile salts, which help with digestion
. maintaining hydration and electrolyte balance in the cells
. supporting the central nervous system and eyes
. regulating immune system health and the function of antioxidants
. regulating minerals in the cells
Taurine deficiency on its own is rare because of the body’s ability to produce it. Still, when you’re ill or under stress, it is possible that your body needs more taurine, which is why supplementation may help.
Research has shown that taurine supplementation can help regulate blood pressure in those with heart conditions, enhance insulin sensitivity, and increase the amount of oxygen taken in by the body.
These findings show great promise in taurine supplementation, and as research into it continues, it may soon be a viable treatment for those with long COVID.
Hormonal Imbalance, Another Need for Supplementation
Women, in particular, are more susceptible to long COVID, and researchers speculate that this is because of their hormones or, more specifically, the way that the COVID-19 virus can potentially infiltrate the ovaries and lower estrogen production.
Unfortunately, this side effect will persist unless an effort is made to correct the amount of estrogen in the body, such as through hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Similar to taurine supplementation, HRT helps to bring estrogen back to normal levels. This not only relieves the resulting symptoms (which are often indicative of long COVID) but also allows the ovaries to heal so that they can resume normal estrogen production.
Recovering From Long COVID
With how persistent long COVID can be, it’s essential to think of your recovery as a shift in your lifestyle. There is no overnight fix, which can be frustrating to many. However, if you keep in mind that your recovery will take time, it can be easier to push through it and, eventually, feel better.
You can make the following holistic lifestyle changes to ease your long COVID recovery and help your body return to balance.
Promote Gut Health
Within your gut are trillions of bacteria, most of them having crucial roles in your digestion and immune health. However, when we get sick, the balance of bacteria in our gut can shift, lowering the amount of helpful bacteria and allowing the number of harmful bacteria to increase. The result can be digestive troubles, such as diarrhea or bloating, alongside difficulty recovering from illness.
One of the theories around long COVID is that it results from dysregulation in the gut, so those looking to recover from long COVID should focus on improving and promoting their gut health. Nothing fancy is needed to do this, either; simply focus on consuming more plant-based foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds, and prioritize getting a variety of different foods. The more variety, the more types of vitamins and nutrients you get, and thus, the healthier your body.
Alongside a balanced diet, it’s also best to focus on consuming probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt or fermented foods like kefir or sauerkraut. Probiotic supplements are also available if you do not get enough probiotics from your diet.
By prioritizing the food you put into your body, you can help return balance to your gut, healing your body from the inside out.
Relax
One of the most common symptoms of long-COVID is fatigue. Even more frustrating is that this fatigue is often accompanied by sleep problems, meaning not only are you tired, but even when you try to sleep, you can’t.
Relaxation techniques can help you to minimize your fatigue and finally get some much-needed sleep. Not only will sleep help minimize your daytime fatigue, but quality sleep also gives your body time to heal and repair itself, which can help fight any lingering infection or heal the damage sustained by your cells while sick with COVID-19.
Go Easy on Yourself
When you have long COVID, it’s most important to remember that it’s not something that will quickly get better. It’s a process, but each healthy habit you implement can help you to feel better.
With long COVID, it’s common for people to try to push through the symptoms and return to normal activity levels before their body is physically ready. No one wants to feel as though they are out of commission for too long, but pushing your body can cause more harm and increase the length of time that you are ill.
Instead, remember that you’re healing, and your body doesn’t need to be worked as strenuously. This can mean opting for low-impact workouts instead of something demanding; you can still move your body, but in a gentler way. This might also mean going to bed earlier each night to help you get more sleep.
Recovering from long COVID is a journey, so take note of what activities help you feel better and try adding more of them to your day.
Long COVID and Future Treatments
Long COVID is a health condition that follows COVID-19 infection in some individuals. It is characterized by continued or new onset symptoms that last weeks or months after infection. It does not affect everyone, and those who develop long COVID often experience different types of symptoms.
New research into predictive markers of long COVID revealed that taurine levels are dramatically different between those experiencing long COVID symptoms and those without. Specifically, those with low levels of taurine were more likely to experience severe symptoms, be hospitalized, and have a higher rate of mortality.
After seeing this potential connection between low taurine levels and long COVID, a logical conclusion would be that supplementing taurine can help treat long COVID. While this is not a verifiable treatment at this time, researchers are looking into its promise.
If you are suffering from long COVID, it’s only natural to wonder what you can do to help ease your symptoms. Various lifestyle habits can help, such as eating a balanced diet, relaxing, and getting enough sleep and physical exercise. However, other interventions can also work, especially if you are experiencing a deficiency.
If your long COVID symptoms are not getting better, reach out to your doctor to schedule an appointment and go over what options you have to treat this condition and restore balance to your body.
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References:
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