Self Help for Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome
Gerry Gajadharsingh writes:
Week 2 of the partial lockdown in the UK, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, I hope that not too many of you are going stir crazy?
Many people who I have talked to in the past few weeks have had symptoms of a viral infection, flu like symptoms, sore throat, generalised aching, new persistent cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue and loss of smell/taste. Whilst seasonal flu is now over and it is likely that many of these people will have had COVID 19, until the antibody test arrives and we can get tested, we simply don’t know how many people have had COVID 19, as the majority of the population are not been given the antigen test (to see if they have an active COVID 19 viral infection). The data still suggest that 80% of the population may experience minimal symptoms or mild to moderate symptoms.
There are of course people out there who have had severe symptoms, needed hospitalisation, some ITC and ventilation. Some sadly have died and during the next few weeks, many more may well succumb.
Without a formal recognised treatment or vaccination, we all need to do our best and at least make attempts to make our own immune systems more robust.
Many of my patients will know the approaches I take to optimising health including their own immune systems.
Optimising breathing behaviour is, in my opinion, one of those key strategies, not just because breathing difficulties can be one of the symptoms of COVID-19.
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/breathing-re-education/
Another important factor is our autonomic nervous system which controls about 90% of physiology automatically. One way we measure this is Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in particular Breathing Heart Wave (BHW) which essentially is the difference between your pulse when you breathe in and your pulse when you breathe out, it is expressed as a number the higher the number the more balanced your autonomic nervous system is and research suggests that this is important for your immune system, managing anxiety and a whole host of other health reasons.
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/capnometry-and-heart-rate-variance/
You can also go to my videos on The Health Equation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/thehealthequation
or my latest breathing video on The Health Equation Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOTYpPwnkY0
Managing your inflammatory load is also important, the best way of doing this is following the principles of the Metabolic Balance nutritional program which essentially focuses on eating three meals a day and not snacking in between meals and consuming low glycaemic load carbohydrates and good quality protein and fat.
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/nutritional-programmes/
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/metabolic-balance-nutrition/
If you have time on your hands and need something to do during the partial lockdown you are of course welcome to download my iBook from Apple iTunes, which is full of health information, including dietary advice following the principles of Metabolic Balance, breathing and patient stories.
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/ibook/
If you don’t have an Apple device, you can also get the PDF of the iBook from
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-health-equation-a-way-of-life
Nutritional supplements targeting the immune system may also be really helpful, to minimise the symptoms if and when you get the virus.
Supplements often need to be targeted to individuals, but the following may be helpful:
Multivitamin and mineral complex
Probiotic
Herbal anti-virals, such as Astragalus and Elderberry
Beta Glucans
Zinc
Buffered Vitamin C
Vitamin D3
Humic Acid, a natural anti-viral
Understandably many supplements are in short supply. We stock a small supply of Solgar supplements for our patients, please liaise with Susie on info@thehealthequation.co.uk
Many people may well suffer the aftermath of having the virus and this may include ongoing symptoms for several weeks or months, including something called Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome. Again, all the advice above may well be helpful in allowing you to recover faster but I list some more specific advice below:
Fatigue (a significant lack of energy) can be quite debilitating and includes feeling tired or exhausted and under the weather. Many people suffer from fatigue from time to time from a variety of causes. It is quite common, after we’ve been sick with a viral infection such as seasonal flu and there are obviously many patients familiar with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). While some consider CFS and post-viral fatigue to be the same thing, post-viral fatigue has an identifiable underlying cause (a viral infection).
It’s too early to know the likely incidence of post viral fatigue with COVID 19 but I suspect it will be significant.
What are the symptoms of post-viral fatigue?
The main symptom of post-viral fatigue is a significant lack of energy. You might also feel exhausted, even if you’ve been getting plenty of sleep and resting.
Other symptoms that can accompany post-viral fatigue include:
concentration or memory problems
sore throat
headache
swollen lymph nodes
unexplained muscle or joint pain
mental health symptoms, including anxiety or depression
Experts aren’t sure why some viruses lead to post-viral fatigue, but it may be related to:
an unusual response to viruses that can remain latent within your body
increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which promote inflammation
nervous tissue inflammation
How is post-viral fatigue diagnosed?
Post-viral fatigue is often hard to diagnose because fatigue is a symptom of many other conditions. It may take some time to rule out other potential causes of your fatigue.
Usually a blood screen and urine tests looking the common causes of fatigue, can rule out other common causes of fatigue, such as anaemia, diabetes and hypothyroidism.
Other tests that can help to diagnose post-viral fatigue include:
ECG and Cardiovascular tests to rule out underlying
Lung function, O2 sats and other lung tests to rule out respiratory conditions.
Sleep studies to rule out insomnia or sleep apnoea, which affects the quality of your sleep
How is post-viral fatigue treated?
Experts don’t fully understand why post-viral fatigue happens, so there aren’t any clear treatments. Instead, treatment usually focuses on managing your symptoms and may include some of the above suggestions, it depends on the individual.
Post-viral fatigue can be extremely frustrating, especially if you’ve already been dealing with a viral infection.
How long does post-viral fatigue last?
Recovery from post-viral fatigue varies from person to person, and there’s no clear timeline. Some recover to the point where they can return to all of their daily activities after a month or two, while others continue to have symptoms for years.
If you think you might have post-viral fatigue, it is better to see your healthcare clinician sooner rather than later.
To date, there haven’t been many major studies on the effects of diet on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, Jose Montoya, MD, a professor of medicine and a specialist at Stanford’s Chronic Fatigue clinic, asserted that diet does appear to affect chronic fatigue.
“CFS can potentially be impacted by the diet, but we know very little about what could specifically work for everyone,” said Montoya. “We know that for some, certain food items make their symptoms worse or better and that people should be paying attention to those.”
While more research still needs to be done, there are plenty of things you can do to help boost energy and ensure you’re eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Reduce Inflammatory Foods
See advice above regarding the principles of Metabolic Balance.
Keep well hydrated with water,
For most people that is 35ml per kg of body weight. While drinking more water isn’t a cure for chronic fatigue, it’s still important. Dehydration is known to make fatigue worse. Staying hydrated is important for improving or maintaining health.
Keep a food and symptom journal
A food journal is a great way to discover foods that improve or worsen your symptoms. It’s also helpful to have a record of how you felt day to day to share with your clinician. Track how you feel and what you ate each day to find any patterns. Many people with chronic fatigue experience symptoms that are associated with irritable bowel syndrome.
Don’t cut out too many large food groups from your diet.
It’s tempting to cut out everything you can in the face of a nebulous, unrelenting disease like chronic fatigue, but there’s no evidence that a highly restrictive diet improves symptoms. Talk to your clinician before eliminating any foods from your diet to prevent overtaxing your body and cutting out important nutrients. Only attempt an elimination diet if your clinician thinks it’s right for you.
Pay attention to sugar
Sugar can also increase your energy temporarily, but the crash afterward can compound your tiredness. Remember its not just obvious sugar but choose low glycemic load carbs to minimise your sugar load.
Eat more vegetables
Avoid heavily processed foods
Heavily processed foods typically have fewer nutrients than their whole food counterparts. It’s important to load up on plants — like legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — to support your body’s needs.