COVID-19 is not only a severe illness for some but can also lead to ongoing health issues, even after recovery.
This condition, known as long COVID, affects about 10 to 30 out of every 100 people who have had COVID-19. One of the most common problems these patients face is continuous tiredness, also known as fatigue.
The struggle with fatigue can make everyday tasks challenging and lead to problems at work, home, or school. It can also result in people having to rely more on their loved ones, which can be hard for everyone.
Until now, doctors have been unsure about how to help patients overcome this prolonged fatigue.
A Promising Solution: Online Brain Training Program
Researchers from Luther College recently made a breakthrough. They conducted a study that shows a new kind of treatment can help people with long COVID feel less tired and more energetic.
This treatment involves a kind of brain training that people can do online. It focuses on two parts of the brain called the amygdala and insula.
The researchers had some people with long COVID use a program for this brain training, known as Amygdala and Insula Retraining (AIR).
You can access this program through the internet, or even through an app on a smartphone. The program was named the Gupta Program after the person who created it.
Other people in the study did a general wellness program instead. This program called 12 Weeks to Wellness, was used as a comparison.
The Results: Less Fatigue and More Energy
The study’s results were impressive. People who used the online brain training program felt twice as energetic as those who did the general wellness program.
What’s more, the brain training was four times as effective at reducing tiredness.
The brain training program works by teaching the brain to create new pathways.
This helps the brain control the body’s immune system and nervous system better, bringing them back to a balanced state. This is why patients feel less tired and more energetic.
These findings are very exciting because they offer a new way to help people with long COVID overcome their fatigue.
It’s an affordable solution that patients can use wherever they have access to the internet or a smartphone.
Looking Ahead: Hope for Other Conditions Too
This isn’t the first time the AIR program has proven beneficial. Past studies have shown it can also help with other conditions that cause ongoing tiredness, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Loren L. Toussaint, a Psychology Professor at Luther College, said these findings are very important.
With so many people worldwide still struggling with the lasting effects of COVID-19, treatments like this brain training program offer much-needed hope.
In a world where long COVID is often overlooked, this research shines a light on a problem that affects many people, even as COVID-19 becomes less of a public concern.
It also offers a practical solution that could make a big difference to those suffering from the exhausting effects of long COVID.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about Vitamin D deficiency linked to severe COVID-19, and how diets could help manage post-COVID syndrome.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about new evidence on rare blood clots after COVID-19 vaccination, and results showing zinc could help reduce COVID-19 infection risk.
The study was published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal.
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