Long Covid, MD

LongCovidMD.substack.com LongCovidMD.com In this episode of The Medicine Cabinet series, I explain how Metformin, a drug we often associate with diabetes, helps acute covid and may help Long Covid. Metformin is an old, relatively inexpensive medication that has many established off-label uses. I explain its mechanisms of action, who it might be right for, and I discuss the recently published COVID...

LongCovidMD@gmail.com LongCovidMD.com This podcast, like Long Covid, has a global reach. Whether we see one another or not, we are part of a new community. And this community, while struggling, is pretty amazing. Today I highlight the diverse location of listeners, to remind you that you are not alone in your struggle.  Did I give your town a shout-out? Did I miss it?  Support the show Subscribe f...

LongCovidMD.com LongCovidMD@gmail.com What happens when you go from running ultramarathons to having difficulty walking? Endurance runner Courtney Baker knows the answer too well. Courtney is an endurance athlete who has been navigating long COVID for three and a half years. In our conversation, she shares her experience before and after the pandemic, her ultimate diagnosis with long COVID, and th...

LongCovidMD.com How has your personal identity been challenged by your Long Covid symptoms? I've spent a lot of time exploring this question and today I'm sharing what answers have come up for me. Our identity is connected to the titles we hold, and those titles are attached to values and judgements. I believe we don't have to lose ourselves when we have chronic illness, even if our...

Or Email at LongCovidMD@gmail.com In this conversation, Dr Zeest Khan discusses the characteristics of pseudoscience accounts on social media that claim to provide reliable information about Long Covid. She provides a checklist to help identify these unreliable sources, including triggering fear and anxiety, using all or none statements, selling products related to their claims, speaking outside t...

I want to be back to my baseline immediately, and I'm getting impatient. But the impatience itself is draining me. How do you show yourself grace? How do you love yourself through your limitations?  Send me your advice. Tell me what keeps you going. Email me at LongCovidMD@gmail.com Support the show Subscribe for free written summaries of each episode, resources, and more.  LongCovidMD.substa...

Check out the new website LongCovidMD.com Email me at LongCovidMD@gmail.com On this installment of The Medicine Cabinet series, I tackle the use of Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) to treat Long Covid symptoms. Naltrexone is a fascinating drug that works one way at high doses and another way at low doses. In low doses, it can be a potent anti-inflammatory, and it may help reverse autoimmune conditions. ...

How do we find community when we're energy-limited?  Long Covid Moonshot member Ezra Spier helps me answer this question. Ezra is an Oakland, California-based patient researcher, person with Long Covid, and creator of the website Long Covid Studies . He is a member of Long Covid Moonshot and the Patient-Led Research Collaborative. Outside of Long Covid advocacy, Ezra is an independent operati...

Many people have Long Covid. Hear their voices. Podcast listener and nurse practitioner KatherineMarie shares her story. Would you like to share your story? Email me at LongCovidMD@gmail.com Listen to KatherineMarie's podcast "Long Covid Real Talk" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-talk-about-long-covid/id1740051506 Support the show Subscribe for free written summaries of e...

In all the years I practiced medicine, I didn't know much about fatigue-related conditions. While I was in the dark, researchers like Todd Davenport, Department Chair of Physical Therapy at the University of the Pacific, shed light on how fatigue affects patients with disease and even those who are healthy. In our interview, Todd shares how he and other physical therapists approach fatigue, h...

The incomparable science journalist David Tuller ( https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/42302 ) shares how he dissects and reports on medical research. He made a name for himself contesting the methods used in the PACE trial, a study that claimed to support the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exercise as a treatment for ME/CFS, but has now been debunked. He sees similarities betwee...

Welcome to The Medicine Cabinet, a series of episodes where I pull out a pill bottle and explain why it might be used in Long Covid. Today we're covering the Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, the two antivirals currently FDA approved to treat acute covid infections, and sometimes Long Covid. They are very different drugs, with very different side effect profiles...and they're not for everyone....

Season 2 is here! It's also episode #13 so for something spooky, let's talk about getting reinfected with the virus that changed your life forever. Today I discuss how my recent reinfection felt, how reinfection affected my Long Covid symptoms, and how I responded. I'll share how antivirals work, who they work best for, and who shouldn't take them. We'll also peruse the ex...

In the final episode of Season 1 I discuss my favorite subject, anesthesiology. I explain how anesthesia works, whether it's an injection at the dentist or general anesthesia for major surgery, and discuss how your experience with anesthesia might change now that you have Long Covid.  Expect a break in episodes while I prepare Season 2.  It's going to be bigger, bolder and even more info...

We doctors are an odd bunch, I will admit, but the medical system is even more odd. It's complicated, it's constricting, and the business of medicine infiltrates the patient-physician relationship.  Most doctors are as unhappy about this as you are. Today I explain the constraints doctors work within that directly affect your experience as a patient, and how to work within these constrai...

Some significant news hit the press this week, with significant backlash. Today I explain the news, the backlash, and how I stay up to date on Long Covid without getting swept up in the response. Emotions are important and require energy, so I share my step-by-step approach to processing heavy events without damaging my recovery.  What do you think? Email comments to LongCovidMD@gmail.com Links De...

America hasn't found a cure or even a treatment for Long Covid. Today I explain why. It's about money, but it's more complicated than just money. Links: RECOVER https://recovercovid.org/ https://www.statnews.com/2023/08/09/long-covid-nih-trials/#:~:text=Among%20the%20trials%20announced%20so,along%20with%20several%20behavioral%20options. AHRQ  https://www.ahrq.gov/coronavirus/long-co...

Congressional support for Long Covid research influences all of us, but can be hard to understand. I researched so you don't have to, and in this episode I tell you what I've learned. On January 18, 2024 the US Senate HELP Committee held a hearing "Addressing Long Covid: Advancing Research and Improving Patient Care." I'll explain the who/what/where and why and explain wha...

Welcome 2024! This is NOT another new years resolution list. Instead, I discuss the priorities I set for myself to support my recovery and make the most of my resources. Some of them require action around the new year, some of them require reflection throughout the year. On this episode, I share 5 of the things I am doing around the New Year to protect my health and continue my recovery from Long...

It's easy to feel out of touch with Long Covid science.  Recently, three of the most prestigious Long Covid researchers updated a group of prestigious physicians on this very topic. Lucky for us the meeting was recorded and shared. Lucky for you, I've summarized it and translated the medical jargon.   In this episode I summarize the words of Drs Ziad al-Aly, Michael Peluso and Akiko Iwas...

I got sick, on top of being sick. So today we take a side journey to discuss what it takes to bounce back from a crash, and how I deal with the uncertainty of life with Long Covid.  What do you think about when you're sick in bed? Today I'll tell you what I think about, and it's not always fun. I discuss motherhood, how the ghosts of my patients live with me, and how my friends are...

Today's episode kicks off a series that will help you become an discerning patient.  How much do you know about the health professionals taking care of you?  Do you really understand the training of different hospital staff?  On today's episode, I teach you how to read a hospital badge. I explain the difference between MD and DO, tell you if an APRN is the same thing as a nurse practitio...

Today's episode I share the lessons I learned during my medical career that have helped my recovery. It includes an exercise you can do to clarify your symptoms and better communicate with your own doctor. Find me on Twitter/X  @doctor_zeest Email me at LongCovidMD@gmail.com Support the show Subscribe for free written summaries of each episode, resources, and more.  LongCovidMD.substack.com/s...

Today I talk about grief, the definitions of and similarities between Long Covid and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and my Long Covid story.  References: https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/pdfs/Could-You-Have-MECFS_508.pdf https://www.covid.gov/longcovid/definitions https://jheor.org/post/1746-economic-effects-of-long-covid-even-larger-than-we-thought Support the show Subscribe for free written summaries of e...

In this brief episode, I introduce you to the life I had before LongCOVID and how my pre-COVID experiences guide my current recovery.  Support the show Subscribe for free written summaries of each episode, resources, and more.  LongCovidMD.substack.com/subscribe Support by donating at BuyMeACoffee