Dr Michael Gonevski has been administering Long Covid sufferers with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) since the condition emerged.   The treatment, generally used for diving related oxygen issues and difficult to heal wounds, is a daily course in which patients breathe 100% oxygen at pressure.  The theory is that the oxygen is diffused into the blood plasma, providing more than ten times the normal supply of oxygen, which is then able to reach cells that have been shut off, repairing damaged tissues, supporting the body's ability to heal and alleviating symptoms.  Gonevski extols that the treatment can save a limb from amputation.  With a clinical controlled trial in the pipeline, we look forward to seeing whether it could save Long Covid sufferers from being cut off from their former lives.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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What if every COVID-19 infection was causing a degradation of our T cells, impairing our ability to fight infection?  Anthony Leonardi studied T cells for his PhD and from the beginning of the pandemic that is what he has observed -  T cell harm triggering autoimmune disfunction.  That is in every COVID-19 infected sample he's studied, not just for those of us already showing the signs of Long Covid, every one.  This degradation on a cellular level is even more pronounced in Long Covid patients.   

Leonardi talks us through the role that T-cells play in fighting infection, the changes that he is seeing, what that means for our immune systems and what might happen if we continue to be infected, highlighting the importance of mitigation if we are to avoid mass disability.  So if each infection chips away at our T-cells' ability to operate, with the potential to compromise the immune system of each person that contracts it, governments' decisions to allow the virus to run through populations might not look so promising.  We could be looking at a world of Long Covid.

N.B. this episode contains a lot of scientific terminology.  To help decipher we have created a glossary that is available within this episode's description on our website here.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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This week we speak to Professor Robert Thomas who has used his work as a Consultant Oncologist and Professor of Nutritional Science to develop potential nutritional intervention for Long Covid.  He talks us through the gut microbiome and the power that it has to harm as well as heal. 

His Phyto-V study looked at whether the addition of a combination of Probiotics and Polyphenals could impact Long Covid recovery. The results are definitely positive, and what Professor Thomas has to say makes a lot of sense when dealing with Long Covid, as well as other chronic inflammatory conditions. 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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This week we talk to the vivacious Dr. Sabina Brennan health psychologist, neuroscientist and author of the book Beating Brain Fog, about the neurological symptoms that leave some of us feeling foggy, but lead to some people being unable to function.

When it comes to Long Covid, Brain Fog is an umbrella term that refers to a myriad of symptoms, stemming from various factions of the brain, that are challenging the day-to-day functioning of thousands of people with Long Covid. It is the second most common symptom amongst Long-haulers. It doesn’t sound too frightening - ‘brain fog’ - but the reality is that the
latest insights suggest that there is neurological damage and the symptoms can actually stop you living your life. 

We talk through all the various manifestations of Brain Fog, what the factors are that are causing the fog and the various things we can do about it. 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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Consultant physician and endocrinologist Dr. Paul Jenkins runs the London Endocrine Centre, and drawing on this expertise and treating patients with post-viral fatigue syndrome he has now established a multi-disciplinary Long Covid Clinic.  In this week's episode Dr Jenkins walks us through the endocrine system and we discuss the way in which hormones are being affected by and are affecting our Long Covid.

The hormones in your body’s endocrine system control nearly all the processes of the body. from metabolism to growth, emotions, mood, sexual function and even sleep.  Dr Jenkins shares with us some of the ways that he has been able to treat Long Covid patients by addressing endocrine abnormalities that seem to have been triggered by the illness, as well as discussing his holistic approach to the management of the disease - getting back to the basics of sleep restoration, energy management, and the benefits of sunshine in rebuilding patient's health.

We will be seeing if we can get some sunshine on prescription! 

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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Dr Bruce Patterson believes that he understands the mechanism causing Long Covid, and has treated over 14,000 Long Haulers in the United States - to varying degrees of success.  His recently published paper details how SARS-COV S1 protein - fragmented viral sequence - is seen in the cells of Long Covid patients, driving a prolonged inflammatory response. 

In this week's episode Dr Patterson discusses his findings and the treatment protocol that his company, IncellDX, has developed - a combination of HIV drug Maraviroc and statins to dampen the immune system.  An interesting and attractive theory and treatment plan, and a very engaging interview but, as we discuss, it's not without controversy.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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To gently welcome in the New Year we asked Respiratory Physio Robin McNelis to give us a guided breathing exercise to optimise our O2 and CO2 and provide a few moments of calm after what has been a tough couple of weeks here at The Long Covid Sessions.  We were delighted to check back in with Long Hauler Robin and find that he has been managing to rebuild his health with careful monitoring of his heart rate.  We hope that his insights can help our listeners on the road to a healthy 2022.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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Francis Vaz is an ENT surgeon who has seen a large increase in referrals due to Long Covid.  In this week's episode he talks us through the symptomatology, drivers and treatments, or at least management, of some of Long Haulers' most common and prominent issues.  From tinnitus to the loss of sense of smell (anosmia) Vaz provides us with advice, resources and explanations for some of what we are hearing, smelling and struggling to swallow.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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Dr Tomer Bronshtein, head of research at Bonus BioGroup, has been developing cellular therapies to treat acute respiratory distress in Covid-19 patients.  In their trials of ‘MesenCure’, which uses mesenchymal cells, the treatment has been shown to dampen the hyper-inflammatory response in the acute phase of the disease as well as promote the healing of injured lung tissue, dramatically improving survival rates and reducing the length of hospital stays.  Whilst MesenCure is being developed as a treatment in the acute phase, the data suggests that its efficacy can also reduce the chances of developing Long Covid.  We talk to Dr Bronshtein about their results, potential future applications, and the need for caution as we all battle to find a potential cure.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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Following on from our interview with Professor Resia Pretorius and her hypothesis of microclots driving the symptoms of Long Covid, we speak to Dr Asad Khan, a Long Hauler who has travelled to Mülheim, Germany, to undergo H.E.L.P. Apheresis in a bid to remove those clots.  Khan talks us through the process in detail, describing how he was able to visibly see these clots in the blood that was drawn out of him as he underwent this method of filtration and blood cleansing.  But it has been the addition of anticoagulants that really seem to have made a marked difference to Khan.  Fascinating anecdotal findings which warrant further research and discussion.

Living with Long Covid? How was your week?

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