Still having symptoms and not feeling 100% after getting C19? This is for you!!!

Are you not feeling like you did prior to 2020? Did your body, energy, brain function, exercise tolerance, stress resistance, body weight, lung capacity, etc. not go back to your normal after getting C19? Long haul C19, C19 recovery or simply not feeling back to 100% after getting C19 once, a few times, having the shot, both getting it and having the shot, after the booster, etc. is a very big deal. It means your body has not recovered properly. The systems listed and talked about below seem to be the main systems and problems with recovering for this that are impacting people. Do NOT skip out on this article.

Researchers are beginning to learn C19 has changed many different systems in the body. For lack of a better term, people are STRESSED OUT! This can mean mentally, physically, biochemically, hormonally, etc.

Major Systems Impacted by C19

1. Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis - Leaky Gut

2. Thyroid and Parathyroid Dysfunction

3. Iron and Calcium Tissue Deposit Issues

4. Extreme Adrenal Burnout - My observation at Bluestone

Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis

Gut issues can present in numerous ways and many times doesn’t involve bad digestion. Skin issues like breakouts, rough skin or hives can be a gut health issue vs a skin only issue. Brain fog, mental clarity, focus, fatigue, alertness and almost all brain issues can be a result of gut health issues. Autoimmune conditions involve the gut. Of course, if you have begun experiencing bloating, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pains, acid reflux, etc. you have a gut health issue and we need to address it.

There are some great researchers out there studying C19 and how is has impacted the body and they started noticing C19 was impacting the gut in unique ways. This started becoming evident when they tested groups of people via stool testing and via the PCR and blood testing and found no trace of C19 in the saliva or nostrils/blood but did find remnants in the stool. This means it has changed the microbiome and is now harming the gut and the individual. Researchers have found the changes aren’t directly from the virus, but that the virus is changing the microbiome and it is these bacterial changes that lead to chronic C19 symptoms and health issues.

The good news is gut health is easily treated, albeit takes a lot of effort sometimes. If you are experiencing gut health issues, please contact me or my office.

Please note that with gut health, it typically takes a comprehensive approach. This means we need to address digestion, small intestine, large intestine and immune factors all at the same time to get the best results. Supporting individual systems of the gut usually leads down a frustrating path of helping one symptom and making another worse. After these long couple years, this probably isn’t the best route.

Thyroid and Parathyroid Dysfunction

Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Vitamin A and others are all contributing to thyroid issues. Loss of smell can be linked to zinc and ultimately the whole thyroid hormone system. This means if you lost your sense of smell with C19, you had (and have) thyroid involvement.

One alarming part of C19 is the fact it leads to a smaller thyroid. The volume of the thyroid seems to related to the number of different symptoms one might have. C19 thyroid related issues also seem to follow the same trends as autoimmune thyroid conditions and be much more prevalent in women. This is probably due to the higher estrogen in women. Women in the 30s and 40s are overwhelmingly impacted by this condition.

Iron, specifically ferritin, is directly correlated with T3 levels. This means your iron levels direct how your body uses thyroid hormone. I have been talking about this for years and it is one of the major reasons for fatigue in women. Below I discuss more about C19 and iron, as it links both with the parathyroid and also has its own section.

Parathyroid dysfunction, in almost all cases, presents with thyroid dysfunction and perfectly correlates with issues with ferritin. The body has feedback loops which link with thyroid, iron (ferritin) and calcium. As they thyroid gland dysfunctions, it leads to iron deposits in endocrine tissues. The parathyroid has a similar loop which leads to calcium deposits in tissues. As you can see below, the parathyroid is located very near the thyroid.

One of the main functions of the parathyroid is to convert Vitamin D to its active form. This is one of the reasons why vitamin D3 levels are so important.

Iodine supplementation has been found to be one of the most important ways to support the thyroid. Researchers estimate that 25% of the globe is iodine deficient. At my practice we have had less than 2 people in the past 2 years have perfect iodine and around 40% diagnosable deficient. Of course when using iodine as a thyroid support nutrient, you must also ensure the body as adequate amounts of many other cofactors.

See here for an in depth look at thyroid lab testing.

Iron and Calcium Tissue Deposit Issues

C19 seems to alter ferritin and iron levels, reactivity to iron, reactive species and catalytic iron, coagulation and clotting factors and other processes related to how iron is used, processed and metabolized in the body. It seems to be specific to certain people, due to genetics, gut health and other factors. Some studies have found, both anemic and high iron people both can have issues with iron metabolism and C19.

One of the underlying common threads in the iron issue related to C19 is oxidative stress and lack of antioxidants in the blood to buffer the effects. One study found of the people tested 90% had undetectable vitamin C in their blood, with vitamin c being a powerful antioxidant. This means people are oxidizing or rusting on the inside with no buffers to help them out. High oxidative stress can also relate to high inflammation.

A very close cousin of oxidation is having high acid or the inability to detox out acid produced from living. Every breath you take creates acid and we need acid buffers and antioxidants to help detox out this enormous amount of acid we produce each day. Calcium is the second line of acid defense. Bicarbonate is the first and is also very easily and commonly depleted.

The combo of lack of antioxidants, being highly oxidative and having high acid is the perfect storm for blood clots and blood related issues. The thickening of the blood seen in some cases of C19 seems to be an autoimmune reaction with with the phospholipids.

Copper, Zinc and Selenium are three nutrients that essentially balance the metabolism and usage of iron. Copper seeming to be the most important. Vitamin A and magnesium also play a role. With all these vitamins being essential to healthy iron levels, it is no surprise my past iron plans for people have included all of them, rather than simply an iron supplement.

Calcium deposits in different tissues seems to stem from certain calcium cofactor nutrient deficiencies like D3, K2, boron and magnesium. Some researchers are linking many of these issues to copper deficiency and lack of proper methylation.

Methylation pathways seem to be a major player when dealing with mineral balance, such as iron and calcium among others. Genetics do play a role with this as many of you reading this have already had your MTFHR test done and do require additional B Vitamins added to the diet in the form of supplementation.

As you can see, many different nutrients, systems and pathways are all impacted by this. Simply stated, it jacked up the systems of the body, burning some of the out and now people need a lot of support to recover.

Extreme Adrenal Burnout

I have already written about this portion of C19 issues and simply societal issues after dealing with non-stop stress since 2020. It is even more paramount to address this now, as national and global upheaval doesn’t look like it is ending anytime soon.

See the article, Stress got you BURNED OUT?.

Testing Available:

Many of the issues listed above do require testing to confirm and find the severity levels of the conditions. One of the many sad parts of healthcare today is the lack of logical testing from healthcare systems. Many people go to their GP or regular doctor, only to be told they are healthy, without any real testing done. For example, how do you know someone’s adrenal health without testing cortisol? The answer is you don’t, and therefore can’t know if a person is healthy without this testing. Below is a list of recommended tests for anyone having any of the symptoms discussed in this article.

Full thyroid testing (here), RBC Zinc, Serum Zn, Serum Copper, Homocysteine, Oxidized LDL, Cyrex Labs testing for gut function and autoimmune issues, D3, Ferritin and Iron Panels, etc.

Please don’t hesitate to give my office a call (203-220-6488) or shoot us an email (info@bluestonehealthgroup.com) if you have any questions.