Long COVID and Vaccine Related Issues
Long COVID and Vaccine Related Issues
Have you had Covid or the vaccine and you haven’t felt right since? Well, you are not alone. Experts say that as many as 30% of people who had Covid will suffer from long-covid or long-haulers syndrome.
To understand how this happens you need to know the structures involved in the infection. It all starts with the virus entering your body and finding an ACE2 receptor. ACE2 receptors are present in our heart, kidneys, testis, lungs, nasal and oral mucosa, and nasopharynx, smooth muscle cells, and endothelium cells in the vessels of the stomach, small intestines, and colon. Long story short– the spike protein of the virus destroys these ACE2 receptors.
Why is this bad? It is bad because ACE2 receptors are there to protect the inside of the cell from the environment outside of the cell. Depending on what tissue ACE2 receptors are located in will determine their exact role. When the spike protein of the covid virus enters and destroys the ACE2 receptor, it has entry into the cell to replicate and destroy the cell. If it gets into your lungs, you get lung symptoms. If it is in your brain, you get brain symptoms, etc. A recent study has shown the effects of this phenomenon on the brains of people in the UK. You can read the study here.
Sars-Cov-2 Is Associated With Changes in Brain Structure in UK Biobank
Similar effects on the body have been seen in people who have been vaccinated but at lower numbers than those infected with the virus. Regardless of the cause, people are really struggling with long-covid symptoms, and it doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon. Here are the types of issues patients are presenting with:
- Damage to blood vessels
- Myocarditis
- Lung damage/breathing issues
- Female hormonal problems affect the normal cycle and fertility
- Brain fog and memory issues
- Loss of taste and/or smell
- Decreased kidney function
- Flare-ups of old infections like Epstein Barr and Lyme
- Fatigue
- Depression and anxiety
- Gut and GI issues
- Body aches and pains
If you have any of these symptoms, starting the healing process as soon as possible is key in your effort to recover and limit the damage. It is my belief that functional medicine’s Body Systems Approach model is the best approach to getting the help you need because functional medicine looks for the root cause of disease and dysfunction. If you would like to speak to me about your situation, then click on the button below and schedule your Free Discovery Call.