As the pandemic stretches on, doctors and researchers alike are still working to understand
The medical community’s current understanding of long COVID is that it affects the entire body, causing an array of symptoms from shortness of breath and joint pain to sensory impairment and loss of cognitive ability. Studies from the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics and the University of Washington estimate that 10% to 30% of those infected with COVID-19 will experience long COVID. In the U.S., that could mean up to 24 million Americans (if cases do not exceed 80 million, which is unlikely). This means a substantial chunk of the U.S. workforce will need help — and traditional care models won’t cut it, says Dr. Akl Fahed, chief medical adviser at integrative health platform Goodpath.
“We have to focus on the whole person rather than the symptom or complaint the patient comes with,” says Dr. Fahed. “Long COVID does not have a well-defined pathophysiology, and there’s not necessarily a singular cure or fix for it. But that’s where integrative care is the most effective.”
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Integrative care combines the conventional care one would receive at a clinic or hospital with daily lifestyle changes and exercises for the body and mind. Goodpath, an employer-provided benefit that already provides virtual integrative care for chronic conditions like back and joint pain, digestive issues and trouble sleeping, has added long COVID to their platform. Goodpath users can take an assessment that examines their health before and after COVID, then receive a personalized recovery program on Goodpath’s app.
“You would have access to virtual solutions through the app, a physical kit we ship to you monthly and a health coach that will help you throughout your journey,” says Dr. Fahed. “We really go back to basics and focus on what we call ‘conservative treatments.’”
Goodpath’s treatments include meditation exercises to reduce stress and brain fog, diet changes provided by a nutritionist and cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition, Goodpath provides an olfactory training kit, which allows patients to expose themselves to four different odors twice a day for at least 24 weeks in an effort to improve their overall sense of smell after losing it to COVID. As for those struggling to regain their pre-COVID stamina, Goodpath includes activity pacing training: patients set incremental, daily goals to complete daily tasks that may be as simple as taking their kids to the park or reading for an hour.
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Still, since long COVID is new to Goodpath as well as doctors and scientists, Dr. Fahed notes that the program is subject to changes and additions as more research is published. Goodpath’s recovery time averages around three months for the other conditions it addresses, but there’s no average expectation for the long Covid recovery path yet.
“We’re continuously learning because the literature and science changes every day,” says Dr. Fahed. “Our programs are changing as new treatments and modalities come to light.”
Long COVID symptoms are far-reaching, with studies reporting everything from memory loss and depression to heart disease and kidney damage. A study from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs found that veterans infected with COVID were 52% more likely to have a stroke than those who didn’t contract the virus. A study published in Kidney Medicine reported that approximately 28% of those hospitalized with COVID were diagnosed with acute kidney injury — meaning the kidney suddenly cannot filter waste from blood — and 9% had to receive kidney replacement therapy.
Goodpath cannot address every facet of long COVID, since it’s directed at those who are not in current need of hospitalization. But for those recovering from home, it could be a game-changer — especially if they are trying to get back to work, explains Dr. Fahed.
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“Every single company around the country is facing a reduction in work performance and resignations from employees with long COVID,” he says. “When the pandemic started, we were focused on work from home and masks in the workplace, but now the discussion is completely different. Employers need to ask themselves how they will help employees treat this condition.”
Dr. Fahed believes an integrative care approach can help people adapt to their bodies’ new needs slowly but effectively, given the proper guidance and resources that are not readily accessible in traditional healthcare plans alone. In the meantime, employers can take the first step and acknowledge the impact long COVID had and will continue to have on their workforce.
“My biggest advice to employers is to understand and validate long COVID — the worst thing they could do is be dismissive,” says Dr. Fahed. “Long COVID is a real condition. It may not be as understood as other conditions in medicine but that doesn’t mean it’s not here.”
