Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola Fact Checked November 14, 2022
PDF: https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2022/November/PDF/long-covid-pdf.pdf
STORY
AT-A-GLANCE
· Long COVID refers to
symptoms that persist for four or more weeks after an initial COVID-19
infection. Many are also reporting long COVID symptoms after getting the COVID
shot
· Symptoms of long COVID
include but are not limited to brain fog, memory problems, headaches, blurred
vision, loss of smell, nerve pain, heart rate fluctuations, dramatic blood
pressure swings and muscle weakness. The feeling of “internal electric
shocks” are also reported
· The primary difference
between post-jab long COVID and long COVID symptoms after infection is that in
people who get it from the infection, early treatment was withheld and the
resulting infection severe. Post-jab long COVID, on the other hand, can occur
either after very mild breakthrough infection or no breakthrough infection at
all
· Several different theories
about the mechanisms behind long COVID are reviewed, as are treatment options
· Swiss research has found
the rate of subclinical myocarditis is hundreds of times more common than
clinical myocarditis after mRNA injection, and ALL mRNA shot recipients had
elevated troponin levels, indicating they had some level of heart injury, even
if they were asymptomatic
Long COVID, also known as long-haul COVID, chronic
COVID or long-haul syndrome, refers to symptoms that persist for four or more
weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection.1 However, while this condition has primarily
been viewed as a side effect of the actual infection, many are reporting long
COVID symptoms after getting the COVID shot as well,2 regardless of brand.
As reported by Science magazine,3 “In rare cases, coronavirus vaccines may
cause long COVID-like symptoms,” which can include (but is not limited to)
brain fog, memory problems, headaches, blurred vision, loss of smell, nerve
pain, heart rate fluctuations, dramatic blood pressure swings and muscle
weakness. The feeling of “internal electric shocks” are also reported.
The primary difference4 between post-jab long COVID and long COVID
symptoms after infection is that in people who get it from the infection, early
treatment was withheld and the resulting infection severe. Post-jab long COVID,
on the other hand, can occur either after very mild breakthrough infection or
no breakthrough infection at all.
Reluctance to Publicly Address Post-Jab Long COVID
In January 2021, National Institutes of Health
researchers initiated testing and attempted treatment of patients suspected of
having long COVID following their shot, but for unknown reasons the
investigation petered out by the end of the year, leaving patients high and
dry, without answers.5
According to Science, NIH researchers did continue
their work “behind the scenes,” and other researchers, worldwide, have also
started studying the phenomenon. Still, there appears to be extreme reluctance
to addressing post-jab long COVID symptoms publicly. Why?
Dr. Avindra Nath, clinical director at the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the one leading the
NIH’s investigation into long COVID, gives us a clue.
“Probing
possible side effects presents a dilemma to researchers: They risk fomenting
rejection of vaccines that are generally safe, effective, and crucial to saving
lives,” Science writes.6 “‘You have to be very
careful’ before tying COVID-19 vaccines to complications, Nath cautions. ‘You
can make the wrong conclusion … The implications are huge.’”
In other words, it’s all about protecting the
vaccine industry, which has now merged with and become the experimental gene
therapy industry.
Meanwhile, the human test subjects are left to suffer
— many of whom don’t even realize that they ARE test subjects. They bought the
“safe and effective” and “rigorously tested” lies. In Nath’s defense, he tried
to publish a case series on about 30 of these patients but medical journals
refused to publish it.7
What’s Causing Long COVID?
As for the mechanisms behind long COVID, opinions
vary. Research8,9 presented10 by Dr. Bruce Patterson at the International
COVID Summit in Rome, in September 2021, suggests monocytes, shown to cause
lung damage in patients with acute COVID, are also involved in long COVID.
In summary, the inflammatory cytokines that are
supposed to trigger T cell activation fail to do so in some people, resulting
in an inadequate antiviral response. Instead of T cells — which are needed to
quell the infection — B cells and a particular subset of monocytes are
elevated. As described by HealthRising.org:11
“When they used
antibodies to look for evidence of coronavirus proteins in the monocytes ...
they found them — in spades. Seventy-three percent of the ‘non-classical’
monocytes in long-COVID patients carried the coronavirus proteins ...
These types of monocytes
have often been thought to be anti-inflammatory, but recent studies show that
they can, in some situations, produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. They’re
mostly involved in ‘trash cleanup,’ and the antiviral response ...
The authors
believe these monocytes were drawn to coronavirus-infected cells in the blood
vessels, where they ingested them, and then put a coronavirus protein on their
surface to alert the immune system.
The problem in
long COVID occurs when they are drawn to the blood vessels and injure them, or
cause the blood vessels to inappropriately dilate.
These
nonclassical monocytes are the only monocytes to carry the CX3CR1 receptor,
which when it binds to fractalkine, turns on an anti-apoptotic protein that
allows the monocytes to survive longer than usual. It also causes the monocytes
to revert from their anti-inflammatory state, and start pumping out
pro-inflammatory cytokines.
These are
important steps as most monocytes die within a few days, and having very
long-lived (up to at least 16 months) coronavirus protein-carrying monocytes is
a crucial aspect of Patterson’s hypothesis ...
The monocyte
binding also triggers the production of VEGF — which Patterson reports is
elevated in almost all long haulers. VEGF then dilates the blood vessels
causing, Patterson thinks, feelings of fullness in the head, migraines, and
perhaps cognitive problems.”
The Autoantibody Theory
Another theory, put forth by Harald Prüss, a
neurologist at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Charité
University Hospital in Berlin, is that antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2
spike protein might be causing “collateral damage.” As reported by Science:12
“In 2020, while
hunting for antibody therapies for COVID-19, [Prüss] and his colleagues
discovered that of 18 antibodies they identified with potent effects against
SARS-CoV-2, four also targeted healthy tissues in mice — a sign they could
trigger autoimmune problems ...
Over the past
year, research groups have detected unusually high levels of autoantibodies,
which can attack the body’s own cells and tissues, in people after a SARS-CoV-2
infection.
In Nature in
May 2021, immunologists Aaron Ring and Akiko Iwasaki at Yale School of Medicine
and their colleagues reported13 finding
autoantibodies in acute COVID-19 patients that target the immune system and
brain; they are now investigating how long the autoantibodies persist and
whether they can damage tissues ...
In a paper
Prüss and his colleagues are about to submit, they describe finding
autoantibodies that attack mouse neurons and other brain cells in at least
one-third of those patients.”
Researchers are also investigating whether post-jab
long COVID might be due to autoantibodies against the angiotensin-converting
enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor,14 which is the target of the spike protein.
Other Working Theories
Other working theories include aberrant immune
response caused by persistent activation of a particular subset of T cells,15,16 particularly in those whose long COVID
symptoms include neurological complications.
Persistent microscopic blood clots is another
theory being worked on by Resia Pretorius, a physiologist at Stellenbosch
University in South Africa.
She and her colleagues have published17,18 preliminary evidence showing microscopic
blood clots can linger long after the SARS-CoV-2 infection clears. These clots
then interfere with oxygen delivery, which can help explain symptoms such as
brain fog.
Yet another theory is that the symptoms are caused
by residual spike protein lodged in your tissues and organs — including your
gut — which can take well over a year to clear after a serious infection.19 As reported by Medical News Today:20
“Researchers
investigated the antigens of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 —
present in blood plasma samples collected from individuals with long COVID and
typical COVID-19 infection.
They found that
one particular SARS-CoV-2 antigen — the spike protein — was present in the
blood of a majority of long COVID patients, up to a year after they were first
diagnosed with COVID-19. In patients with typical COVID-19 infection, however,
the spike protein was not detected.
This finding
provides evidence for the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 can persist in the body
through viral reservoirs, where it continues to release spike protein and
trigger inflammation.”
In an effort to identify long COVID biomarkers, the
researchers measured levels of three SARS-CoV-2 antigens: spike protein, the S1
subunit of the spike protein and the nucleocapsid (outer protein coat) of the
virus.
All three antigens were found in the blood of 65%
of the long COVID patients tested, but the spike protein was the most common,
and remained elevated the longest. So, in short, a hallmark of long COVID is
the long-term presence of spike protein, and spike protein is precisely what
the COVID jabs are instructing your cells to create.
Granted, the spike protein produced by your cells
in response to the shot is genetically altered, so it’s not perfectly identical
to the spike protein found on SARS-CoV-2 (which by the way also appears to be
manmade), but regardless of their source, the spike protein appears to be a key
pathogenic factor.21 As such, it makes sense that many COVID jab
recipients are reporting long COVID-like symptoms, as their bodies are
continually producing them.
mRNA Shots Injure Hearts of ALL Recipients
Video Link: https://youtu.be/vveMHtVk_mY
Contrary to initial claims, we know the mRNA in the
COVID shots travel throughout the body and accumulate in various organs. The
cells in those organs then end up expressing the spike protein long term.
Aside from the reproductive organs, your heart is a
primary target, and recent Swiss research22 found the rate of subclinical myocarditis is
hundreds of times more common than clinical myocarditis. Interestingly, while
other studies have found higher post-jab myocarditis rates in men, here, it was
far higher in women.
An estimated 1 in 27 women who got an mRNA COVID
shot had evidence of myocardial injury. What’s more, they concluded that ALL
recipients suffered some level of heart injury, even if they were asymptomatic.
In the video above, Dr. Vinay Prasad reviews this study and what it means to
have subclinical myocarditis. As reported by The Daily Skeptic:23
“Crucially, the
study found elevated troponin levels — indicating heart injury — across all
vaccinated people ... This indicates the vaccine is routinely injuring the
heart (an organ which does not heal well) and that the known injuries are just
the more severe instances of a far larger number occurring right across the
board ... These are not rare events, as is often claimed by medical authorities
and in the media. They are alarmingly common.”
COVID Jab Deaths Are Being Buried
All in all, evidence shows the COVID jabs are an absolute
health disaster, yet our health agencies are doing nothing to
prevent it. On the contrary, they’ve doubled and tripled down on their COVID
shot recommendations while simultaneously burying incriminating evidence.
In “How FDA and
CDC Are Hiding COVID Jab Dangers” I detail how the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
are refusing to release relevant data, have lied about trial findings, and even
more egregiously, are now manipulating databases to artificially eliminate safety
signals and hide excess jab-related deaths.
How to Treat Long COVID
While treatment for post-jab injuries, which
include long COVID-like symptoms, is still in its early stages, there is hope.
A number of doctors, scientists and COVID specialty groups are investigating
remedies and working with affected patients. These include:
•The FLCCC treatment
protocol — The Frontline
COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) has developed protocols both for those
struggling with long COVID and those injured by
the COVID jabs. You can download both from
covid19criticalcare.com.
•Spike protein detox — Remedies that can help inhibit, neutralize
and eliminate spike protein have been identified by the World Health Council.
Inhibitors that prevent the spike protein from binding to your cells include
Prunella vulgaris, pine needle tea, emodin, neem, dandelion extract and the
drug ivermectin. Dr. Pierre Kory, of FLCCC, believes ivermectin may be the best
approach to bind the circulating spike protein.
Spike protein neutralizers, which prevent the spike
from damaging cells, include N-acetylcysteine (NAC), glutathione, fennel tea,
star anise tea, pine needle tea, St. John’s wort, comfrey tea and vitamin C.
Time-restricted
eating (TRE) can help eliminate the toxic proteins by
stimulating autophagy, and nattokinase, a form
of fermented soy, is helpful for reducing blood clots, Several additional detox
remedies can be found in “World Council for Health
Reveals Spike Protein Detox.”
•Nutritional support — “Treating
Long-Haul Syndrome” lists nutritional supplements recommended for
long COVID by Dr. Al Johnson, such as vitamin C (to calm inflammation), vitamin
D (for overall immune function optimization), glutathione (to quell
inflammation) and NAC (as a precursor to glutathione).
Dr. Peter McCullough reports having had some
success treating neurological symptoms with fluvoxamine, an SSRI
antidepressant, and a March 2022 review paper24 suggests combating the neurotoxic effects of
the spike protein using the flavonoids luteolin and quercetin.
An international collaboration involving
researchers in Israel and the U.S. has also developed what they claim is a
“breakthrough” proprietary nutritional formula for long COVID called “Restore.”
Study25 results suggest each of the reported symptoms
were alleviated in 72% to 84% of study participants after four weeks of
standalone use. As reported by The Jerusalem Post:26
“The supplement contains
nutrients and plant bio-extracts for critical immune restoration after
surviving a viral infection, with ingredients including zinc, vitamin D,
quercetin, bromelain, St. John’s wort, Indian frankincense and beta
caryophyllene, a cannabinoid CB2 agonist (agonists turn protein molecule
receptors on; antagonists turn them off).”
Sources and References
·
1 CDC, COVID-19, Post-COVID Conditions September 16,
2021
·
2, 4 Washington University School of Medicine May 25, 2022
·
3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, 18 Science
January 20, 2022
·
8 Frontiers in Immunology January 10, 2022 DOI:
10.3389/fimmu.2021.746021
·
9, 11 Health
Rising July 21, 2021
·
10 Originally aired on YouTube October 25, 2021, 6:15. Video has since been made
Private
·
13 Nature May 19, 2021; 595:
283-288
·
15 MedRxiv Revised October 29,
2021 DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.08.21261763
·
17 Cardiovascular
Diabetology 2021; 20 article number 172
·
19 Research Square SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Persistence
·
20 Medical
News Today July 4, 2022
·
21, 24 Molecular Neurobiology March
2022; 59(3): 1850-1861
·
22, 23 Daily
Skeptic October 27, 2022
·
25 Frontiers
in Nutrition October 25, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1034169
·
26 Jerusalem
Post November 7, 2022
Bron: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/11/14/long-covid.aspx?ui=07ba04847d3da606336f089f0969627d79f1e004acb37b25456d0c6b44805309&sd=20210406&cid_source=wnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20221114Z2&cid=DM1281190&bid=1644262183
