Long Haul COVID Treatment
Post-Covid Care can be crucial to deal with lingering symptoms
Long Haul COVID Treatment
The COVID-19 pandemic started on January 30, 2020 in the United States. Since that time, we have seen the virus continue to mutate. Fortunately, the latest cases have not been as severe. Regardless of which mutation you or a loved one may have had, Long Haul COVID has presented additional medical challenges for many.
The WHO (World Health Organization) has developed a definition for Long Haul COVID. The WHO describes it as COVID symptoms that persist or return after a person becomes ill from the infection.
Long Haul COVID has also been called “Long COVID,” “Long Haulers,” or “Post COVID syndrome. Basically, Long COVID is a term used to describe the presence of various symptoms that can occur weeks or months after acquiring the infection. It can relapse or be continuous in nature. In some cases, it will eventually resolve on its own. But in others, it is debilitating and can severely affect one’s quality of life.
Symptoms of Long Haul COVID
There is a myriad of symptoms associated with Long Haul COVID, but according to the NIH (National Institute of Health), these are the most common:
- Profound fatigue.
- Inability to focus.
- Short-term memory issues.
- Lingering cough.
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath).
- Worsened quality of life.
The NIH also reports that Long Haul COVID can be divided into two different stages: Symptoms that extend longer than three weeks, but less than twelve weeks, or “Chronic COVID” where symptoms last longer than twelve weeks.
There is currently not a single test to diagnose Post-COVID conditions. And a lot of people have a lot of symptoms that could stem from other health conditions. This can be frustrating for patients especially if they have seen multiple providers with no definitive diagnosis.
Talk to our New Patient Coordinator
She is happy to explain how it all works and answer any questions you may have, with no obligation.
Or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and we will contact you.
Dr. Jeralyn Brossfield at BrainCare Rancho Mirage Can Help
If you have been to multiple providers and are not improving, we want to offer you hope!
In 2002, Dr. Brossfield moved to the Coachella Valley and became known as a doctor who listens and partners with her patients to create total wellness. She doesn’t just look at symptoms.
Dr. Brossfield also looks at the potential root causes of those symptoms. This combination of integrative and western medicine makes her an expert in her field. She is well-respected by both her peers in the medical community and by her patients.
In 2013, Dr. Brossfield was invited to direct Eisenhower Medical Center’s Wellness Institute and an Executive Health Program based on a Functional Medicine approach.
Combining relationship-based care with an integrative perspective, she promotes wellness through the support of each person’s wholeness of mind, body, and spirit. In early 2018, she launched XO Health, a private Functional Medicine practice in Rancho Mirage.
In 2019, Dr. Brossfield opened the BrainCare Performance Center. This has allowed her to offer MeRT® (Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy) as an adjunctive treatment to improve brain function.
Dr. Brossfield’s areas of expertise include:
- Healing the gut, which correlates to about 70% of the immune system.
- Optimizing brain function as a certified provider of the Bredesen Protocol for the prevention of dementia.
- Balancing hormones.
- Diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease.
Additional Symptoms of Long Haul COVID
There are other physical and psychological symptoms that some may experience after having COVID. These can be long-lasting and may include:
- Tightness/pain in the chest.
- Heart palpitations.
- Muscle pain.
- Joint pain.
- Headache.
- Impaired balance.
- Hair loss.
- Skin rashes.
- Digestive issues such as diarrhea.
- Inability to do routine daily activities.
- Depression.
- Anxiety.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
A severe case of COVID-19 can produce scarring and other permanent problems in the lungs and the heart, but even milder infections can cause ongoing shortness of breath, heart palpitations, etc. In some cases, the damage is not permanent, and can be treated by means which can help you recover fully.
Symptoms of Long Haul COVID can be Multi-Causal
According to the NIH, the prevalence of residual symptoms is about 35% on an outpatient basis, but around 87% of hospitalized patients. Because Long-Haul COVID is a relatively new condition, studies are ongoing.
Regardless, there are multiple variables that contribute to Long-Haul COVID, and as the research is showing, even those with mild cases can have lingering after-effects.
Viruses such as Epstein-Barr, the Flu, and others can also produce after-effects that can affect a person after they have moved past the acute phase. Additionally, some people may experience resulting inflammatory conditions that can cause symptoms.
Post-COVID symptoms don’t affect everyone the same way. Because of this, many with Long-Haul COVID may experience conditions and symptoms that are not explained by standard diagnostic testing. Because of this, symptoms can be hard to explain and difficult to manage.
Some physicians may misunderstand the exact origin of symptoms and may not realize that several different things can contribute to the “perfect storm” that can lead to Long-Haul Covid.
Dr. Brossfield spends the time necessary with you to understand exactly what you are going through. Additionally, she uses scientific diagnostic testing to get to the root of what is going on and why.
With a conclusive understanding of what exactly is causing symptoms at their root cause, Dr. Brossfield can formulate a treatment plan specifically for you.
Talk to our New Patient Coordinator
She is happy to explain how it all works and answer any questions you may have, with no obligation.
Or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and we will contact you.
MeRT has been shown to further help many patients to recover from the symptoms of Longhaulers that are brain-related.
MeRT for Long Haul COVID
Depending on what your specific symptoms are, there is an additional treatment that we offer to our patients called MeRT. This treatment is geared toward those patients who are experiencing the following symptoms from Long Haul COVID:
- Brain fog
- Memory issues
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Depression and anxiety
- PTSD
MeRT can be used as an adjunct treatment protocol, or in and of itself. The treatment is a well-tolerated and highly effective approach for symptom relief. It’s non-invasive and drug-free.
Simply stated, MeRT uses a magnetic field to stimulate and balance brain function, guided by sophisticated imaging and diagnostics.
How Does MeRT Work?
Your brain’s electrical activity, brain waves, or thought patterns are unlike anyone else’s. That’s what makes MeRT therapy so compelling: we customize the treatment for each patient. This cutting-edge protocol uses the combined technologies of:
Diagnostics
• qEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram) – a non-invasive procedure that involves placing electrodes along the scalp to map your brainwaves. We use this information for highly targeted rTMS treatments.
• ECG/EKG (electrocardiogram) – a similar procedure to the qEEG that measures electrical signals coming from your heart. By measuring brain-heart coherence, we can target the rTMS therapy to be as accurate as possible.
Treatment
• rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) – a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic induction coils placed along your scalp to stimulate specific areas of the brain.
The results of the qEEG and EKG tell us what is functioning normally and show us areas of dysregulation. We then use this information to create a precision treatment protocol using rTMS.
MeRT is an entirely non-surgical, non-invasive, and drug-free treatment.
The Four Steps of MeRT Treatment
By assessing the communication quality between the networks of neurons in your brain, we can hone in on and gently stimulate and “wake up” those areas to improve function.
Testing & Evaluation
On your first appointment, we will perform the qEEG, also often referred to as a brain scan, and an EKG as described above. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
These tests are painless, easy to do, and straightforward. They are performed right in our office.
Once testing is completed, our scientists and physicians will interpret and analyze the results to determine the exact function of the brain.
Analysis
We carefully analyze the test results using a scientific and patented approach. Once the testing is completed and results evaluated, we will schedule a consultation with the Doctor to discuss the results and how these relate to symptoms being experienced.
Based on this analysis, we develop a treatment plan customized to your specific condition and schedule your assessment period of treatment.
MeRT Treatment
If you and Dr. Brossfield make the decision to move forward with MeRT, the next step is the assessment period of treatment. Therapy is five days a week, in two-week intervals. You simply sit in a comfortable chair while a highly-trained neuro-technician uses a device that produces a low-frequency magnetic field to induce mild electrical signals in the targeted areas of the brain.
Time spent in the chair is typically 30 minutes. The stimulation occurs for 6-8 seconds every minute.
Progress Evaluation
We will monitor your progress throughout your daily treatments to confirm how you feel and track improvements. After two weeks of treatment, we will perform another qEEG and EKG to review your progress and make any needed modifications.
If there is a positive response to treatment during the assessment period, you will likely notice some symptom improvements. At that point, we will schedule treatment in two-week intervals.
Got Questions?
Talk with our New Patient Coordinator.
Our New Patient Coordinator is available to answer any questions that you may have about how MeRT can help you. She’ll take the time to listen to your concerns, answer your questions, explain costs, and any other details. She can also assist you in getting scheduled should you decide to move forward with treatment.
We understand what you may be going through, and our goal is to help guide you through the process with quality care in a warm and compassionate environment.
You don’t have to make any big decisions right off. You can start with an EEG and a consultation with the doctor, and together you can decide if you may benefit from MeRT.
While MeRT is a relatively new treatment protocol, it has shown some remarkable results. It doesn’t cost anything to call us and talk. Our New Patient Coordinator is here for you.
Talk to our New Patient Coordinator
She is happy to explain how it all works and answer any questions you may have, with no obligation.
Or fill out the form at the bottom of the page and we will contact you.
Contact Form
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