Long Covid- what is it?
Well we have survived March in Hawkes Bay with Covid keeping us on our toes. We are now all starting to hear of friends and work colleagues who have come down with Covid and I hope so far so good, everyone is recovering well. Some people may be experiencing what has been called “Long Covid” where even though you may have recovered from the initial acute phase, symptoms such as severe fatigue remain. There may also be other signs such as shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain, joint and muscle pain and insomnia.
In the past, many viruses and flus have left people debilitated and the syndromes have been given various labels such as Post Viral Fatigue, Myalgic encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used to help recovery of these syndromes. Chinese medicine has the view that the virus or pathogen is still stuck in the body and the body’s fighting energy (immune system) is not strong enough to push the remaining bug out. As the body’s good energy fights with the latent bug you can go through phases of feeling good, better and bad again often with vague chills and fever as well.
Easter eggs, chocolate and damp heat
There are many views about chocolate, some good and some not so good, so lets have a look at some of them. The cocoa in chocolate releases oxytocin, which is known as the love hormone so it can elevate the mood. Chocolate is also high in magnesium which everyone is supposedly deficient in these days. The important note here is that the darker the chocolate the better. The problem comes with eating too much chocolate that is high in dairy and sugar which is known as milk chocolate. From a Chinese medicine dietary perspective too much milk chocolate causes damp and heat. This accumulated damp and heat clogs the digestive system and may lead to bloating, loose stools, tiredness and makes it easier to put on weight. So try to have more dark chocolate than milk chocolate.
Weight loss
Some patients have been asking me when my next batch of Gracilis weight management herbal drops will be ready and I can now say that I have a new batch ready for April. You can read more about here on my Gracilis website.
Have a great Easter.
