Long-COVID
Recovery Program
If you have been experiencing persistent symptoms from COVID-19 for longer than 6 weeks, our Long-COVID Recovery Program may be suitable for you.
There are over 44 million people who have now contracted COVID in this country. COVID on its own is a horrific disease that has resulted in over 700,000 deaths in the United States alone.
What we are now seeing is somewhere between 10-30% of patients who have been infected with COVID-19 can have symptoms that linger weeks, sometimes months, after the active infection subsides. These individuals are now referred to as having “long COVID,” “long hauler COVID,” or “chronic COVID.”
The long-COVID issues are often problems that these patients did not have before — chronic fatigue, chronic pain issues, headaches, digestive problems, nerve pain and more. This is a serious problem because it’s affecting a whole range of people, including the very young as well as older people, and it doesn’t seem to have a clear preference for one or the other. We have now coined the phrase, “Long-COVID Syndrome.”
This is an evolving concept, but the bottom line is COVID is leaving a lot of people disabled, a lot of people in pain, a lot of people with chronic fatigue, and it doesn’t seem to matter how severe the infection was. There are people who had mild COVID and have not recovered and there are people who had very severe COVID, barely surviving hospitalization, who also haven’t recovered.
Chronic Issues
The thing that is particularly interesting about post-COVID is that it looks a great deal like other chronic illnesses we have seen that have started with an infection. Issues such as ME/CFS (Myalgia Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), neuropsychiatric syndromes, problems with depression, problems with anxiety disorders, and problems with chronic headaches. At The Kaplan Center, treating people with chronic illness is our specialty. We have been treating these chronic issues for decades and we are very good at it. We understand these condition very differently – and better – than most physicians do.
Into this mix, we have also been looking very strongly at Long-COVID Syndrome. We have been trying to understand if that would give us an edge into better treating the people that we’re currently seeing. The answer to that question is now a resounding “Yes.”
Long-COVID Syndrome is a multisystem disease, meaning that the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system can be affected, the lungs can be affected, the heart can be affected, and the brain itself can be affected. We have got to be able to understand how to go about treating these large, complex problems.
Common Symptoms of Long-COVID Syndrome
People commonly report experiencing different combinations of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
- Cough
- Chest or stomach pain
- Headache
- Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)
- Joint or muscle pain
- Pins-and-needles feeling
- Diarrhea
- Sleep problems
- Fever
- Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)
- Rash
- Mood changes
- Change in smell or taste
Searching for Breadcrumbs
Recently, Dr. Bruce Patterson, former Head of Virology at Stanford University, now head of IncellDx, has identified specific biomarkers‑tests within the blood that help us understand what part of the immune system has been damaged in Long-COVID Syndrome. Dr. Patterson’s research provides critical insight into how to predict, identify, and treat patients who are affected by Post COVID Syndrome. More specifically, he believes he’s identified one specific type of white cell that becomes damaged by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
We have teamed up with Dr. Patterson’s lab and we’re working with the studies and the research he has done in order to be able to get much better results for our patients.
Have you been experiencing symptoms longer than 6 weeks after the initial onset of your symptoms?
Call 703-532-6302 now to see if you would benefit from a comprehensive 90 minute appointment with The Kaplan Center.
We will obtain a comprehensive history, recommend complete and appropriate testing and utilize a variety of integrative medicine tools to help with recovery from the ongoing symptoms.
Health Investment
The Post-COVID Recovery Program is a fee-for-service program and outside of any insurance participation. The first appointment is $630 for a 90 minute consultation with our Nurse Practitioner and $399 for Cytokine testing.
Call to Make an Appointment
Call 703-532-6302 now to speak with a nurse to see if you would benefit from a comprehensive 1-hour appointment with The Kaplan Center.
Possible Treatments
– Prescription Rx
– Nutritional Supplements
– Acupuncture
– IV Therapy
– Physical Therapy
– Breathing Training
– Sleep Management
– Psychotherapy, EMDR, Guided Meditation
The Long-COVID Recovery Program is a fee-for-service program and outside of any insurance participation.
At the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, our priorities are with yours: returning you to optimal health.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many COVID-19 patients become long haulers?
Research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates 10-30% of COVID-19 patients become long haulers.
Why do long haulers continue to experience these long-term symptoms?
One common theory is that there is viral persistence, inactivated viral fragments, or reactivation of a latent virus. While research is still ongoing to make any conclusive statements, we do believe that the etiology is an immune state caused by pro-inflammatory cytokines.
What are cytokines?
Using IncellDx’s patented kit, we are measuring immune markers and cytokines. Cytokines are immunoregulatory proteins made by immune cells to communicate, signal and coordinate immune responses. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells including T-cells, B-cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells and play an important role in the regulation of the immune system. However, in certain conditions and pathologies, elevated cytokines can contribute to hyperinflammatory states, which we believe is the underlying cause behind chronic COVID-19.
How can I be evaluated for treatment, request treatment or get more information?
Complete the assessment on this page.
Is this covered by insurance?
Reimbursement varies depending on your insurance coverage. Depending on treatment, you will be provided with relevant CPT codes to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement consideration.
If only there was a single pill that could resolve your condition.
The reality, however, is that the causes of illness and pain are multidimensional, and effective treatment requires a multidimensional approach.
