COVID-19 Long Haulers - Editor's Choice

Hi Deirdre,

I haven't finished reading it yet, but I can kind of see where this article is going. So far what I see is that melatonin would be a very good countering agent for the issues they are describing about how the muscles are affected by long covid.

Two main things they are discussing as a result of SARS CoV-2 are decreased mitochondrial function and decreased Oxidative Phosphorylation Capacity (OXPHOS) in the muscles leading to reduced muscle function capacity and muscle fatigue which are exacerbated by exercise. In the following study it is shown that melatonin can counter both issues :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11854034/#:~:text=We recently showed that melatonin, in vivo and in vitro.

Here is a relevant quote :

We recently showed that melatonin counteracted mitochondrial oxidative stress and increased the activity of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) enzymes both in vivo and in vitro.

Melatonin has also shown the ability to restore mitochondrial respiration enzymes, one of the issues that they brought up in this study.

I'm not sure why they are completely ignoring the fact that SARS CoV-2 increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) very significantly in Covid-19 patients and then exercise further increases those ROS levels to levels capable of damaging muscle tissue and potentially causing fibrosis, essentially what they are describing in a roundabout way. Everything they are saying so far points toward the elevated ROS and RNS levels and impaired mitochondrial function associated with Covid-19 that are exacerbated by physical or even mental exercise. In long covid patients, these two seem to remain elevated as discussed in other studies.

Melatonin acts to return mitochondrial function to homeostasis and at a bare minimum significantly improves mitochondrial function and is a very potent scavenger of ROS and RNS through both direct antioxidant and radical scavenging by melatonin and its metabolites and indirect actions via upregulating many of the bodies own potent antioxidants and radical scavengers. The following May 2023 study clearly shows that both ROS and RNS are elevated in Covid-19 patients :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10219364/

Here is a very relevant study quote :

The results indicated that the serum levels of individual ROS and RNS were significantly higher in COVID-19 patients than in healthy subjects. The correlations between the serum levels of ROS and RNS and the biochemical markers ranged from moderate to very strongly positive. Moreover, significantly elevated serum levels of ROS and RNS were observed in intensive care unit (ICU) patients compared with non-ICU patients. Thus, ROS and RNS concentrations in serum can be used as biomarkers to track the prognosis of COVID-19. This investigation demonstrated that oxidative and nitrative stress play a role in the etiology of COVID-19 and contribute to disease severity; thus, ROS and RNS are probable innovative targets in COVID-19 therapeutics.

So here we are back to more evidence in total suggesting that ROS and RNS result in increased oxidative stress and increased levels of inflammation both of which are damaging to the body in multiple ways and to multiple body organs including muscle . While the exact methods of action that SARS CoV-2 uses to cause this elevated status of ROS and RNS have not been fully elucidated yet, other studies have suggested that using these two as potential targets in Covid-19 and long covid (LC) can be beneficial for patients with C-19 or LC.

Imo, it will be a very long time before science discovers the exact methods of action involved in LC and because of that it makes more sense for those currently suffering with LC to pursue potent antioxidants and radical scavengers in the case of LC. Melatonin meets this criteria as well as other potent antioxidants such as alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and are worthy of consideration. In the specific case of muscle tissue stress, topical melatonin may have a part to play as well.

Art

I was about a month and a half after my initial infection and still having trouble breathing, constantly needing to clear my throat, brain fog, low energy, and coughing fits. I would make an occasional Hot Toddy, because it really helped with the breathing, and I always added a dash of cayenne pepper. Last week, the cayenne pepper was not coming out of the shaker, so I opened it up to get a little out, and probably a tablespoon's worth, maybe a little more, fell into my drink. I thought "what the hey" and added a bit more honey to make it more palatable. It was not the best tasting, but I drank the whole cup. The next day, and ever since, I felt better. I drank one more this week, just to be sure I killed everything off, but I am back to my usual self.

I had long covid for 14 months. Spent $25k on supplements (a lot of them listed here) to try to manage/cure it.

Korean Pine Needle tea was the thing that I believe brought me to 100%. I've been 100% for 3 months now. It has a compound suramin which may help protect TCells from being infected by the virus. When I first took it I had flu-like symptoms for 2 days as if I was fighting the virus again. To help manage my longcovid and support immune system I was also taking Lactococcus Lactis (probiotic), buffered vitamin c and Beta Glucans back then.

For early acute phase of the virus, steam-inhaling nascent iodine (add dropper of iodine to boiling cup of water then inhale steam) helped my lungs. 2 weeks in I had burning lungs and covid pneumonia. I needed to steam inhale iodine daily for weeks or I'd wake up with pneumonia the next day. Little did I know I'd still be sick for 13 months after that. (heart, neurological, gastro problems - I had it all) It's a crazy virus but I think natural cures could prevent almost anyone from dying from it. No gene therapy shot needed.