If you haven’t heard of ‘post-COVID syndrome’ you may be familiar with its more common name ‘long COVID’.
Long COVID is a condition that develops when COVID symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks. Coping with post-COVID syndrome can be especially challenging, as it takes both a toll on your physical and mental health.
The range of symptoms can feel overwhelming but there are several ways to support recovery for those affected.
Let’s explore some practical ways to boost your recovery from post-COVID syndrome.
Before exploring home-based tips, it’s helpful to recognise the symptoms of long COVID, to choose the right steps for recovery.
Fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness and achy joints/muscles are the most common symptoms associated with long COVID. However, other symptoms also include:
Even though some symptoms are not mentioned, these home-based practices can support your recovery:
Whilst these easy, instant tips can alleviate some discomfort and provide relief from your symptoms, keep on reading for further advice.
Your local pharmacy can also play a role in supporting long COVID recovery. If you think you may be experiencing symptoms related to long COVID speak to either your local GP or pharmacist.
When you visit Allied Pharmacy, our pharmacist will begin by asking you questions related to your symptoms and its duration.
After, if needed, they can carry out a quick and easy blood pressure check.
Although a blood pressure check cannot diagnose long COVID, it can help our team identify other potential issues, like heart or circulatory problems, that might be contributing to your symptoms.
Another way our pharmacy can help, is our pharmacist recommending appropriate over-the-counter treatments. For long COVID this can include pain relief or chest/cough medication to soothe your symptoms.
Post-COVID syndrome is a relatively new condition that is still being researched, and currently, there is no known cure.
People with long COVID can safely receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and some report improvements in symptoms afterward, although this is not guaranteed.
But for individuals who are not affected by long COVID, having a COVID-19 vaccination can reduce the risk of contracting this condition.
For those living with post-COVID syndrome, alternative healthcare and supportive services available are:
For more information on long COVID and available recovery options, contact your local Allied Pharmacy, our teams are here to help.