There is more information emerging about the incidents of 'Long Covid'. For some people, their Covid symptoms don't clear up in a week or two. Instead, they are faced with months of lingering symptoms with no real 'cure'. These people often refer to themselves as Covid ‘long-haulers’. Does this sound like your experience? Or perhaps you know someone going through this?
Unfortunately, the severity of the initial infection period is not an indicator for whether someone will or won't get Long Covid. Some sufferers may have had a mild initial infection, or even have been asymptomatic! But the one thing most people have in common is their experience of Long Covid symptoms. It often involves persistent fatigue, shortness of breath and brain-fog.
Who is affected by Long Covid?
Anecdotal reports and a growing body of research here in Australia and overseas, reveals that it seems to be most prevalent in teenagers and men and women up to their late thirties. There is still not a great deal known why this cohort remains impacted by these ongoing underlying health issues.
What role does the immune system play?
If one looks at other fatigue type illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue, MS Fatigue and Cancer Fatigue, these too can manifest post recovery annoying symptoms for long periods. Setting aside vaccination status, an individual’s immune status is more relevant here - in particular, how compromised or how fatigued/run down it is over time.
When under stress, the body's immune system is ‘switched on’. The longer the system is under stress, the greater the physical impact. This stress can be moderated by rest, light exercise, a quality diet, environment change, or bodywork therapy. If the stress is too great, an intervention may be required to reduce the drivers of stress at the cause.
The main immune system organ is the Spleen. This important infection organ stores active lymphocytes and utilises both blood and the lymphatic networks to move lymphocytes around the body. This is achieved by the heart but also by ‘anaerobic’ movement - this is why light exercise is one of the active supports we can engage for getting well. Glands such as the Thymus and Thyroid also play their role in maintaining and educating immune system lymphocytes in being available to the body as active ongoing resources.
How can reflexology help Long Covid and the Immune System?
Reflexology activates and supports all these body systems through the unique points found on the feet, hands and ears.
An holistic reflexology approach would target the body’s innate strength by boosting the immune system and balancing both the endocrine and nervous systems. These systems act as moderators on the ‘stress effect’, and manage automatic responses in the body.
Regular reflexology sessions over a few weeks or months primes the immune system to build resilience and boosts affective responses to stress that will inevitably challenge these systems.
Reflexology activates and restores the necessary vital glands, organs and networks, invaluable to maintaining a premium level of wellbeing ready to tackle the next illness that comes along!
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