In our Long COVID CARE consultations there is alot to cover. Yet the importance of teaching patients about the way their lifestyle choices including sleep, mental health, isolation and diet effect their illness severity is something we must fit into every patients care. There is a huge amount research supporting the need to consider lifestyle medicine in the recovery from post COVID symptoms. (1,2,3)
With this is mind using digital tools that allow patients to continue their learning and improve their therapeutic outcomes outside the virtual clinic increases the rate at which they may improve symptoms like mood, sleep quality, energy, inflammation and gut health. Digital tools can also help build better support networks and reduce isolation too, all big concerns in the drivers of Long COVID. (4,5,6)
My current favourite digital tools are:
Social support building app Gather My Crew @gathermycrew
Mental health support website www.thiswayup.com.au
Dysautonomia breathwork website www.stasis.life
Mindfulness meditation app Insight Timer that offers lots of Long COVID specific meditations @insighttimer
Know someone who might benefit from using these digital tools? Be sure to share this article and Long COVID CARE with them.
This article is intended to be informational only. It is not intended to be used as medical advice and does not take the place of advice from a qualified health care practitioner in a clinical setting. Please check with your healthcare practitioner before embarking upon any of the treatments discussed.
References:
(1) Alschuler, L., Chiasson, A.M., Horwitz, R., Sternberg, E., Crocker, R., Weil, A. and Maizes, V. (2020). Integrative medicine considerations for convalescence from mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease. EXPLORE. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2020.12.005.
(2) Evans JM, Luby R, Lukaczer D, Rountree R, Stone PM, Guilliams TG, Yanuck S, Messier H, Ramsdell K, Hanaway PJ. (2020) The Functional Medicine Approach to COVID-19: Virus-Specific Nutraceutical and Botanical Agents. IntegrMed, 19(Suppl 1):34-42. PMID: 33041706; PMCID: PMC7482149.
(3) Fernández-de-las-Peñas, C., Florencio, L.L., Gómez-Mayordomo, V., Cuadrado, M.L., Palacios-Ceña, D. and Raveendran, A.V. (2021). Proposed integrative model for post-COVID symptoms. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 15(4), p.102159. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.032.
(4) Aghaei A, Zhang R, Taylor S, Tam CC, Yang CH, Li X, Qiao S. Impact of COVID-19 symptoms on social aspects of life among female long haulers: A qualitative study. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2022 Feb 10:rs.3.rs-1285284. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1285284/v1. PMID: 35169790; PMCID: PMC8845510.
(5) Pai N, Vella SL. The physical and mental health consequences of social isolation and loneliness in the context of COVID-19. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 1;35(5):305-310. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000806. Epub 2022 Jul 5. PMID: 35787541.
(6) Efstathiou V, Stefanou MI, Demetriou M, Siafakas N, Makris M, Tsivgoulis G, Zoumpourlis V, Kympouropoulos SP, Tsoporis JN, Spandidos DA, Smyrnis N, Rizos E. Long COVID and neuropsychiatric manifestations (Review). Exp Ther Med. 2022 May;23(5):363. doi: 10.3892/etm.2022.11290. Epub 2022 Apr 1. PMID: 35493431; PMCID: PMC9019760.
