Scientists discover the only treatment that can cure long Covid

Therapy may be the only treatment to successfully cure persistent Covid symptoms, according to groundbreaking new research.

Canadian scientists found that talking therapies and physical and mental rehabilitation are “likely to improve symptoms” among those affected by the virus.

But there was ‘no convincing evidence’ that certain medicines, nutritional supplements or oxygen therapy could effectively treat the phenomenon now known as long-term Covid.

US officials suggest one in 10 people who contract the virus will develop Covid for a long time, while aAround two million people in Britain are said to be living with the condition, including 112,000 children.

It has long been thought that the symptoms range widely, from fatigue and shortness of breath to muscle and joint pain.

In the study, researchers from McMaster University in Ontario reviewed findings from 24 separate studies involving 3,695 patients with the condition.

Writing in the British medical journalthey said the evidence ‘suggests that a program of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is likely to reduce fatigue and improve cognitive function in patients with long Covid-19’.

They also found that “intermittent” aerobic exercise three to five times a week for four to six weeks is “likely to improve physical function” and promote recovery.

However, they acknowledged that both cognitive behavioral therapy and physical and mental rehabilitation “can be challenging.”

This is because patients ‘may express concerns about the safety and efficacy of these approaches’ as it ‘implies that Covid is not ‘real’ but ‘psychological’ for a long time.

However, the scientists acknowledged that the study had some limitations, including “potentially missing eligible studies.”

Dr. Daniel Munblit, an expert in pediatric long-term conditions at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, also said: ‘This is top quality research using state-of-the-art methodology and the authors have done their best to account for limitations .’

He added: ‘The work underlines the importance of addressing patients’ concerns and skepticism around CBT and rehabilitation, particularly the misconception that their effectiveness implies a purely ‘psychological’ basis for long Covid-19.

‘Most importantly, the study found no convincing evidence to support other interventions, including various medications (vortioxetine, leronlimab), nutritional supplements (synbiotics, coenzyme Q10) and other therapies (amygdala and insula retraining, transcranial direct current stimulation, hyperbaric oxygen therapy). ).’

Long Covid has recently been thrust back into the spotlight, after Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s daughter Violet Affleck revealed she had suffered a ‘post-viral infection’ in 2019.

In July, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s daughter Violet revealed she had contracted a post-viral illness in 2019 and urged medical facilities to impose “mask mandates” in an impassioned speech to the LA County Board of Supervisors.

In an impassioned speech to the LA County Board of Supervisors in July, she urged medical facilities to impose “mask mandates.”

In Britain, ministers have repeatedly said they will not resort to imposing lockdowns unless a doomsday Covid variant emerges.

A wall of immunity among the population – built up through repeated waves of infections and the rollout of vaccines – has given officials the confidence to make pandemic-era measures a thing of the past.

Spikes in Covid cases could still cause mass illness across the country, wreaking havoc on schools, healthcare and public transport.

But officials are also no longer tracking the prevalence of the virus in the same way they used to, as part of the government’s ushering in of pre-Covid normalities.