Long COVID is from Long Inflammation

#therapy #longcovid

• Background and Analogy:

  • Dr. Nemechek compares long COVID to his experiences with HIV.
  • Inflammation, rather than the virus, destroys the immune system.
  • Uses the analogy of the military to describe immune system components.

• Inflammation in HIV:

  • HIV increases inflammation, which can cause 'leaky gut' syndrome, exacerbating immune system issues.
  • This leakiness allows foreign particles to cause chronic inflammation.
  • Even when HIV replication is controlled, the persisting inflammation can continue to damage the immune system.

• Long COVID and Inflammation:

  • Similar to HIV, long COVID is characterized by chronic inflammation.
  • Inflammation causes a range of symptoms in COVID, including organ damage and loss of smell.
  • Research suggests long COVID also involves a 'leaky gut' component, contributing to ongoing symptoms.

• Current Research and Treatment Approaches:

  • Dr. Nemechek is conducting research using a specific amino acid to repair gut damage in long COVID patients.
  • Results and treatment protocols are pending, but there is optimism for a solution based on past successes with HIV.

• Interim Treatments and Observations:

  • Rifaximin, a gut bacteria-modifying drug, has helped some patients recover from long COVID symptoms.
  • There's a distinction in response to treatment, with some patients fully recovering and others only partially, suggesting varying degrees of gut damage.

Dr. Nemechek emphasizes the importance of addressing chronic inflammation and gut health to aid recovery from long COVID and is hopeful that forthcoming research will provide a viable treatment protocol.