Post COVID-19 syndrome and homoeopathy

Post COVID-19 syndrome and homoeopathy

Abstract:

COVID-19 has impacted the world immensely. Although most of its victims recover in few weeks without any sequel or after suffering, there are some people around the world who are facing long term aftereffects of COVID-19. These effects may last from few weeks to many months. This article reviews all aspects of these aftereffects of COVID-19 and highlights the role of homoeopathy in managing these effects.

Keywords: COVID-19 syndrome, cohort study, palpitations, autoimmune diseases, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder (PISD), thromboembolism.

Abbreviations: post-traumatic stress disorder (PISD), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Introduction:

A group of people who are been infected with COVID-19 virus are experiencing diverse symptoms for many weeks to months after recovering from the COVID-19 illness. These symptoms are being referred as post-COVID-19 syndrome or long-COVID. This syndrome consists of symptoms similar to COVID-19 illness or residual symptoms of treatment and hospitalisation. Not only those with severe COVID-19 illness are experiencing these symptoms but many people with mild symptoms or asymptomatic patients are also experiencing these symptoms. The symptoms in post-COVID-19 syndrome ranges from mild symptoms like malaise, fever, headache to multisystem inflammatory syndrome or autoimmune diseases.

According to a cohort study, at 6 months after acute infections, COVID-19 survivors were mainly troubled with fatigue or muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, and anxiety or depression. Patient who was more severely ill during their hospital stay had more severe impaired pulmonary diffusion capacities and abnormal chest imaging manifestation and are the main target population for intervention of long-term recovery. ⁽¹⁾

DESCRIPTION

Clinical presentations of post-COVID-19 syndrome ⁽²⁾

Subacute COVID-19/ Long COVID

People who are experiencing different combinations of following symptoms from week 4 to week 12 after first being infected by COVID-19, are said to have long COVID or sub-acute COVID-19.

Following are the symptoms in long COVID-19:

• Severe weakness
• lack of appetite
• dullness of mind
• difficulty in concentration
• anxiety and sadness
• lack of sleep
• headache
• fever
• loss of smell and taste
• vertigo or dizziness especially on standing
• palpitation
• cough
• dyspnoea or shortness of breath
• chest pain
• joint pain
• muscle pain
• thromboembolism

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): COVID-19 disease has impacted badly the mental health of many people around the globe, particularly to people who had very severe form of it and required hospitalisation or who lost their loved ones due to this. This manifests in the form of anxiety attacks, various fears, sleeplessness, apathy, palpitation, etc.  

Symptoms due to multiorgan involvement: symptoms like swelling on various parts of body and reduced function of organ involved are also being experienced by few patients after COVID-19 illness. This is due to inflammatory involvement of multiple organs like lung, kidney, brain, heart by COVID-19 virus. It is still unknown that how long this condition persists or if it could lead to any chronic illness or not.

Management of post-COVID-19 syndrome: Along with treatment, a few lifestyle modifications can help in managing this condition more effectively. These include:

Daily exercise or yoga: Some kind of physical exercise helps in getting rid of many physical and mental symptoms. It increases oxygen levels in body and improves stamina. Daily practise of yoga improves sleep and makes the person calmer.

Meditations: Daily practise of meditation helps in relieving anxiety and other stress related symptoms.

Healthy diet: Diet plays very important role in recovering any kind of illness. A balanced home cooked food help in recovering from post- COVID symptoms quickly. Protein rich foods, green leafy vegetables, vitamin-C rich fruits and vegetables, seasonal fruits, unsaturated fats or oils should be included in diet.

Stay hydrated and limit sugar and salt: Taking plenty of fluids help in getting rid of post-COVID weakness. Excess sugar and salt intake should be restricted as it affects immune system badly.

Homoeopathic treatment of post-COVID syndrome

Homoeopathy can play an important role in the treatment of various conditions relating to aftereffects of COVID-19 infection. In homoeopathy, many medicines are available which covers post-COVID symptomatology and can be proved greatly beneficial.

Indications of some of homoeopathic medicines for post-COVID syndrome ^(3,4)

1. Kalium phosphoricum: One of the greatest nerve remedies. Prostration. Weak and tired. Mental and physical depression are wonderfully improved by this remedy. Headache. Sleeplessness. Night terrors.
2. Phosphoricum acidum: Suited to persons who have become debilitated by violent acute disease. Listless, apathetic especially if there is debility and emaciation. Headache. Diarrhoea. Cough. Chest weakness. Low types of fever.
3. Carbo vegetabilis: For the bad effects of exhausting diseases; cachectic person whose vitality has become weakened or exhausted. Weakness of memory and slowness of thoughts. Diarrhoea after eating and drinking. Desire to be fanned constantly. Pale face covered with cold sweat.
4. Kalium carbonicum: Great weakness, chilliness, and stitching pain in various part of body. Full of fear and imagination. Anxiety felt in stomach. Headache. Swelling over the upper eyelids, like little bags. Sweat, backache, and weakness are characteristic of this remedy.
5. Chininum arsenicosum: A general tonic for weariness and prostration. Weak limbs. Cold hands and feet, knees, and limbs. Great anxiety. Vertigo worse looking up. Dull heavy headache. Palpitation. Shortness of breath. Must have open air. Sleeplessness.
6. Gelsemium sempervirens: General depression. Weakness and trembling of tongue, hands, legs, of the entire body. Headache preceded by blindness. Vertigo spreading from the occiput. Great heaviness of eyelids. Lack of muscular coordination. Chill without thirst.
7. Coca: Want of breath. Haemoptysis, with oppression of chest and dyspnea. Violent palpitations. Physical and mental exhaustion.
8. Arsenicum album: Anxious, fearful, and restless. Great prostration and fainting. Great thirst for cold water. Burning pain > by heat, hot drinks, hot applications. Fear of death. Attacks of anxiety at night driving out of bed < after midnight. Diarrhea. Breathing, asthmatic, unable to lie down for fear of suffocation.
9. Psornium:  Great weakness and debility remaining after acute diseases. Appetite will not return. Sleeplessness. Profuse perspiration after acute diseases with relief of all suffering. Dyspnoea < open air. Cough with green sputum. Diarrhoea offensive. Headache preceded by dimness of vision.
10.  Avena sativa: Best tonic for debility after exhausting diseases. Inability to keep the mind on any one subject. Sleeplessness. Nervous exhaustion. ⁽⁴⁾

Conclusion

Homoeopathy has wide range of medicine that can be highly effective in management of symptoms of post-COVID. Homoeopathy can be proved a simple and easy way to manage these conditions.

References

1. Chaolin Huang, MD; Lixue Huang, MD; 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: A Cohort study, published on January 08,2021 [Internet] cited on 23 June 2021,

Available from:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS040-6736(20)326568/fulltext

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Long term effects of COVID-19, [Internet} updated apr.8,2021, [Cited June 23, 2021] Available from:

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/longterm-effect.html

• Henry C. Allen, M.D. “Allen’s Keynotes Rearranged and Classified with leading remedies of the Materia Medica and Bowel Nosodes” 10^th edition. New Delhi; B. Jain publishers (P) LTD; 2005.
• William Boericke, M.D. “Boericke’s New Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory, 3^rd Revised, and Augmented edition based on 9^th edition. New Delhi; B. Jain publishers (P) LTD; 2016.

Abbreviations used: < – Aggravation.

                                      > – Amelioration.

                                 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

About the author:

Dr Shweta Tiwari

PGT (final year)

Department of Case Taking and Repertory

State National Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Lucknow