Contents
Those who have had coronavirus often notice: during and after the illness, memory problems arise, and thinking seems to be “inhibited”. This is a consequence of the action of the virus on the central nervous system. How to deal with it?
Loss of smell and brain dysfunction
COVID-19 is a unique infection. It is caused by a virus, in the affected lungs it gives an absolutely rheumatological picture and, in addition, is a neuroinfection. With such a unique «set» humanity has encountered for the first time.
One of the common symptoms of COVID-19 is loss of smell. This is the result of the impact of the virus on the first cranial nerve — the olfactory one. And to specialists, this suggests that other parts of the brain are also exposed to its action.
“Memory fails” and “I don’t think well”
More and more articles are coming out that those who have recovered from COVID-19 experience cognitive impairment — memory impairment and decreased mental activity. People say about themselves that they “slow down” and forget simple things from everyday life.
For example, a 45-year-old patient said that she stood at home with a cup in her hand and did not understand when she took it and where to put it.
Another woman, aged 69, shared: “I was discharged from the covid hospital and brought to my home. I was standing at my own entrance and could not figure out how to get inside! A 42-year-old woman described her condition after discharge: “For two weeks after the hospital, I had a very strange inhibited state. I had to constantly control myself — as if I had drunk alcohol and I must appear sober.
These disorders are especially common in the elderly, but even younger able-bodied people sometimes even have to quit their jobs because they consider themselves not as intellectually active as they were before the illness.
How to recover
Recovery is realistically estimated to take six to nine months. What helps in rehabilitation?
1. Charging and walking
Another observation that was recorded by my colleagues around the world: after the coronavirus, there is a noticeable decrease in tissue mobility. This story was superimposed on the period of global quarantine, when people began to go out less and be physically active. A decrease in the mobility of the tissues themselves adversely affects the state of the whole organism and in itself leads to a reduction in life expectancy.
What to do? If it is already possible to go out and we feel confident, first go for a short walk in the yard
Then around the yard, then around the house, twice around the house — and so on. If we don’t feel confident, then at least at home, lying in bed, we stretch our joints: we bend our knees, rotate the feet, wrists, elbows, shoulder, hips out and in.
At the same time, we focus on stretching. Stretched to the right, to the left, forward, back. They turned their heads — only not quickly, but slowly, gradually increasing the amplitude. Without violence against yourself, but regularly repeating the entire cycle.
2. Nutrition and vitamins
It is important to eat very well — not much, but varied. It is best to take tests for missing vitamins and trace elements in the body and take the appropriate monopreparations. In any case, it is worth drinking vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, selenium, magnesium.
There are dietary supplements that help restore cognitive abilities — with L-serine (an amino acid), turmeric, blueberries and other natural ingredients. Before taking vitamins and supplements, you should consult with your doctor, especially if you have a chronic disease.
3. Osteopathy
What is a neuroinfection? This is an infection that affects the nervous tissue, that is, the brain. And everything that affects the brain affects it, and this has long-term consequences.
Osteopathy can accelerate the movement of cerebrospinal fluid
This is the environment in which our central nervous system lives: the brain and spinal cord. She washes them, protects them from blows. But most importantly, it brings nutrients to them and carries away waste products and toxins.
Therefore, the more often it changes, the sooner the «cloudy mind» in patients will go away. Techniques that improve the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid can be taught. Turning to an osteopath, you will get this useful skill.
We emphasize that osteopathy does not have proven effectiveness, although it is practiced everywhere. Nevertheless, many admit that after osteopathic manipulations they feel better.
4. Antihypoxants
Now it’s the turn of those substances that many doctors used to look down on — these are antihypoxants. They improve the supply of oxygen to the brain, and it is necessary to restore its functioning «as it was.» But even here there is no need to self-medicate — only a specialist, a doctor, can prescribe a course of treatment.
5. Spa treatment
The resorts offer rehabilitation programs that include a carefully selected diet, outdoor activities, massages and other treatments — all under the supervision of a physician.
If it is possible to provide yourself or your loved ones with such a recovery course, you should definitely think about it.
My colleagues and I are trying to send all ill elders (parents, relatives, patients) to a sanatorium for a full three weeks. The difference before and after is obvious: they come back really different people.
6. Self-care
It is very important to pay attention to yourself and not demand too much from yourself. If the sick leave for the coronavirus is over, then running out to work and working there for wear and tear, as before the illness, is not worth it. Yes, and it won’t work.
We understand that if a cast is removed after a fracture, a person will not be able to run a marathon right away. He will develop the leg carefully, carefully. Go to the pool to give a gentle load to parts of the body that have weakened during non-use: muscles, ligaments and bones.
We need to do the same with ourselves after the “corona” — drink plenty of water, walk, breathe fresh air, provide ourselves with as mild conditions as possible.
The story of how to properly recover from the coronavirus is now the concern of the whole world. At first, everyone fought a new infection, then they developed protection against it, and now they turned their attention to rehabilitation.
The number of people recovering from COVID-19 is on the rise. Therefore, the recovery period must be taken seriously.