Long COVID / chronic fatigue syndrome

I have many years of experience in treating patients with fatigue-related illnesses. For decades, the number of people around the world of all ages suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), has been increasing. We are still unclear about what causes this illness and why it occurs, but we do know that it can be linked, among other things, to viral infections such as mononucleosis (glandular fever), caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new syndrome has emerged: post-COVID syndrome, or long COVID, which is often very similar to CFS, can mimic many of its symptoms and is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The common factor among these syndromes is that those suffering from them experience disproportionately severe, long-lasting fatigue or tiredness following physical or mental exertion (known as post-exertional malaise). This fatigue can be both physical and mental, and in most cases it is associated with multiple other symptoms and dysfunctions. These symptoms include insomnia, headaches, muscle aches and other pain, irritable bowel syndrome, susceptibility to infection, constant flu-like feelings, functional cognitive difficulties such as disturbances in concentration and memory, visual disturbances, dizziness, balance problems and many others.

Another typical characteristic of these syndromes is that there is no lab test available to prove the existence of the illness. However, it is possible, and indeed necessary, to provide a diagnosis so that patients can receive the help they need.

Therapies

Unfortunately there is currently no specific therapy available using medicinal products to heal these debilitating conditions. However, many patients benefit from the following approaches:

  • Relearning how to pace themselves, which means understanding just how much exertion they can still manage without it causing exhaustion and a worsening of their symptoms, and never overstepping that threshold.

In my practice, the following therapies can bring about significant improvements, although they cannot heal these various conditions:

  • Nutritional therapy: Optimising the body’s supply of nutrients (vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, the body’s own hormones, etc.) can prove beneficial. To do this, we carry out nutritional analyses and suggest the appropriate therapies.
  • Vitamin C: High-dose vitamin C administered intravenously has proved highly beneficial for some patients.
  • Homoeopathy: Personalised intravenous therapy with homoeopathic ampoules has also had very positive effects for numerous patients.
  • Intestinal therapy: Intestinal therapy using probiotics should be carried out for all chronic illness as a basic therapy for the immune system, and this is also the case for ME/CFS and long COVID.

When treating my patients, I work closely with the immunodeficiency outpatient clinic of the Charité hospital in Berlin. Plenty of helpful information is available at the following links:

Recommended reading

Sibylle Reidt: ME/CFS erkennen und verstehen: Was wir wissen – und was wir nicht wissen über das Chronische Erschöpfungs-Syndrom (Recognising and understanding ME/CFS: What we know and don’t know about chronic fatigue syndrome, only available in German)