Liver abnormalities and liver damage can result from covid infections. There have been quite a few studies showing this. When I started looking at information I have collected over the past 4 years from this angle, it started to form another picture which really pointed to the importance of solid liver support during and following covid infections.
I am going to echo what others working in the field of wellness have said, and that is that Long CV isn't a thing. It is no more a thing in and of itself than something like MS or lupus or Hashimoto's, or any other autoimunne condition is.....which is to say that it is a collection of symptoms that seem to fit certain profile and that provile is then given a name. The trouble is that we loose sight of that and we want to make the thing a thing because it allows us to put it in a neat little box and put it on the shelf like a trophy and an answer to our question. A diagnosis of long covid or any of the autoimmune diseases isn't an answer, but rather a doorway that opens to a stream of questions to gain clarity of the patterns and the players so that we can make new changes and shift the trajectory away from the Western Medical mindset of resignation to doom and gloom........to one of hey, we can TOTALLY work with this......look!
It appears as if the reactivation of latent viruses after covid infection, may be the result of liver toxicity (and probably lymphatic toxicity as well). Now, I also believe CV to be a man manipulated thing, so who really knows....maybe it was created to be a stealthy seeker to find the sleeping herpes family viruses and shake them away and into motion. I mean.......at this point I wouldn't be surprised........HOWEVER>>>>>>>>>>>>>to look at this from a slightly more approachable and less fantastical perspective, we can say that latent viruses can be reactivated when the body is under a great deal of stress.......which can come from all sorts of sources. With this thought it makes sense that bringing in liver and lymphatic support during and following cv infection (or really any illness) would help to alleviate the stress on the body, allow things to flow through and clear and there would be a less likelihood of reactivation.
So what does that mean in terms of support? (translated into.....stop talking now, please just tell me what the supports you recommend are!)
This means support the liver. One very effective way of doing this is castor oil packs on the liver. There is a company called Heritage that makes a roll on castor oil, which was recommended to me by another practitioner. The roll on form makes is pretty much mess free. Simply roll over the liver area, then apply heat for 15 to 60 minutes or so........this might be a hot water bottle or a heating pad. Some folks may find that they can only tolerate short periods of time, others may be able to go longer.
Other liver supports are some of the plant medicines. Dandelion and Burdock are both helpful and fairly gentle. Milk Thistle is another open, which I really like when constitutions are prone to autoimmune conditions. Schizandra is another support for the liver that can be helpful And then there is St. John's Wort, which is a very potent. liver clearer. The last three ,mentioned herbs should be used with great caution or not at all, if there are also pharmaceuticals being used that need to maintain a constant level in the body, such as some HIV drugs and some hormone therapies. They are so good at helping to clear the liver that they can clear the pharmaceuticals too fast and the levels needed will not be maintained.
Lymphatic support is always important following any illness. There are two herbs that I like most for this and that is cleavers (which is super well tolerated by most folks) and then red root (my feeling is that this is stronger than cleavers and should be approached with caution to check tolerance and contraindications). I prefer red root as a tincture and while cleavers can be used as a tincture, I feel it works best as a tea.
Good hydration - drinking water - is essential as it builds lymph fluid. IF there isn't enough lymph fluid things like dead viruses are going to be more concentrated in that fluid and it will not have the fluidity to flow through well. So drink water.
It is also important to know that lymphatic fluid doesnt really flow unless there is movement. So get up and walk.......10 minutes several times a day.....get that fluid moving. And best to walk outside, to take in some sunshine, fresh air, and connect with nature which helps to put us into a parasympathetic state.
Lastly, Epsom salt baths can be helpful in lymphatic support. When chronic illnesses are present, I recommend 2 to 3 times a week minimum.
Bringing in liver and lymph supports are important and, at least in theory, should lessen the likelihood of prolonged illness and perhaps reactivation (or lingering of reactivated) viruses.
I will add my own little personal story here from 25 years ago.......after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's (which is actually EBV that is occupying the thyroid), I used solely the herb milk thistle with the idea of relieving stress on the liver, so that my body could be free to focus it's energy on healing.......and while I did also invoke the support of acupuncture, the work herbal was focused on the liver. Within a few. months, my thyroid levels were all normal and remained so ever since. (and I also. now know that this is an area that I will need to keep an eye on post covid). Just one small example and testament to the importance of supporting the liver when viruses are involved.
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