Post COVID Syndrome

Post-COVID syndromes affect one in five adults diagnosed with COVID-19, and for some, the symptoms persist for a year or longer. Alena Zweben, ND, and the team at Market Place Naturopathic in Seattle, Washington, have helped many people overcome post-COVID syndrome, regaining their health and recovering their energy to return to the activities they enjoy. If you struggle with ongoing symptoms after COVID, don’t wait to seek help. Submit a contact form to request a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation with one of the doctors.

What are post-COVID syndromes?

Post-COVID syndrome, also called long COVID, refers to a group of symptoms and health problems that continue long after the virus clears out of your body. Some people have long COVID for 3-6 months; others struggle with symptoms lasting a year or longer.

It doesn’t matter if you had no symptoms or severe symptoms, stayed at home, or were hospitalized — anyone who had COVID can end up with post-COVID syndromes. .

What post-COVID symptoms might I have?

You may regain health after your COVID infection is over, and then relapse and develop long COVID. But some people never fully return to optimal health before long-lasting symptoms take hold.

The most common post-COVID syndromes include:

• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Difficulty breathing
• Cough
• Joint pain
• Chest pain
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Skin rash
• Loss of taste and smell
• Irregular heart rate
• Rapid heart rate
• Lightheadedness
• Muscle aches and pain
• Abdominal pain
• Mood changes
• Tingling or pins-and-needles sensations

Many people have such severe symptoms that they can’t return to work or only work part-time due to their post-COVID condition.

What post-COVID syndromes might I develop?

COVID infections affect nearly every system in your body, including your heart, blood vessels, lungs, kidneys, nerves, stomach, intestines, brain, skin, and hormone-producing organs. 

This opens the door to many possible health conditions affecting one or more systems. A few of the most common include:

• Autoimmune conditions
• Pulmonary embolism (PE)
• Cardiovascular disease (myocarditis and cardiomyopathy)
• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS)
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• Post-exertional malaise (symptoms get worse after minor physical activity)
• Mental health disorders, especially anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Long COVID is challenging to diagnose and treat because it shares symptoms similar to other multisystem conditions, such as fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, mast cell activation syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

How are post-COVID syndromes treated?

At Market Place Naturopathic, Dr. Zweben is highly qualified to treat post-COVID syndromes because she specializes in multisystem conditions. She also provides natural therapies that support your whole body, promote healing, and target the specific systems affected by long COVID.

Your treatment is always customized to meet your unique health care needs. However, these are a few treatments you might receive:

• Nutritional balancing
• Therapeutic diets such as a low-histamine or low-oxalate diet
• Dietary supplements
• Intravenous (IV) therapy
• Probiotics and other gut support
• Somatic therapies
• Herbal medicines
• Prescription medications 

If you struggle with post-COVID syndromes, submit a contact form to request a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation with one of the doctors.