 I know, I know, we’re all sick of COVID-19. But it’s still here, and getting reinfected is problematic. Here’s why I think it’s especially important for those of us who are neurodivergent.
Well, I’m pretty sure we are all fed up with COVID these days and I won’t be surprised if this post ends up being the least popular one I write all year. But I also think it could be my most important post, so I’m choosing to write it anyway. That’s my stubborn autistic fierceness coming through—speaking up about something unpopular because it matches my values. So I’m not going to apologize for that. But that doesn’t mean I’m trying to bum everyone out, either. The opposite, in fact. Think for a minute about wearing your seat belt. Cars are dangerous. There are real risks. But most of us don’t panic every time we get in a car, and most of us buckle up because it is a reasonable precaution (and we don't want to get fined) and we know seatbelts save lives. I’m hoping we can get to a point where we treat COVID precautions in a similar way—they are just an automatic response that does not have to be supercharged with stress. So let’s take a minute to look at the what the latest science is telling us about COVID risks and discuss some reasonable precautions. Despite the fact that we are hearing very little about COVID these days, there is a ton of research on it. At the moment of this writing, entering ‘COVID-19’ as a search term on Google scholar results in 4,940,000 hits. That’s a lot. It’s more than almost anyone has the time or bandwidth to read, unless you happen to be neurodivergent and it’s your special interest (I do know a clinical herbalist who spends 2 hours every day reading through it all. For real). So what is all this research telling us? Here are some of the main points: 1.) COVID hits you where you are weak, which is why we are seeing so many people who were already struggling with their health hit the hardest. I think this is really important for neurodivergent people to consider. So many of us are already struggling with migraines, gut issues, POTS, EDS, fatigue, chronic pain, etc. and we often struggle to ‘keep up’ as it is. If your joints are already giving you a lot of grief, you really don’t need COVID coming along and ratcheting it up another notch. Often people with autoimmune diseases or obesity are considered the most vulnerable, but neurodivergence is a risk factor as well. 2.) In a way, everyone has long covid. That’s because COVID-19 sticks around in your body a lot longer than the acute infection does, and leaves all sorts of messes anywhere in the body (via the ACE2 receptors) that need to be cleaned up. When scientists looked at the brains of healthy individuals a year after they had COVID, the brains were still different (or shall we say damaged?) But in someone who is pretty healthy, they may not notice that things aren’t quite the same. Think about a workplace where a boss suddenly gives everyone a little more work to do. If they are not overworked, they may be able to handle a little extra work without major issues. But if they are already overworked and close to a tipping point, that little bit of extra work may push them over the edge. So again, those of us who were already working extra hard to ‘keep up’ may be the most likely to get hit hard by COVID. 3.) COVID risks are cumulative. A Scientific American article from last month stated that “each infection is associated with a substantially increased risk of health issues like cognitive dysfunction, autoimmune disease and cardiovascular problems, even for mild infections.” I’m still processing that one. Just take a minute to let it sink in: The risks are cumulative. Each new infection greatly increases your risk of serious ongoing health issues, even if you didn’t get very sick. That’s sobering, to say the least. In light of all of these things, it is a critical time to be focused on your self-care. This could include things you can do to prevent reinfection, such as:
Here’s another thought: If you have a one-on-one appointment where you will be in close proximity with someone (like a hairstylist or a chiropractor or a massage) schedule it first thing in the morning when there are less particles in the air from the practitioner (and wear a mask). Self-Care should also include things you do to recover from an infection to minimize the risks of developing long-COVID (or to recover from it if you already have it), such as:
COVID Recovery Tea- This is a tea that would be great to take for at least the first 6 weeks after COVID, as well as other herbs that address any lingering symptoms. Taking it as easy as possible and drinking a quart of this daily can be a great way to support your body in an effort to prevent having COVID interrupt your daily life in the months to follow. Use 2 teaspoons of each herb, boil a quart of water, cover and let it sit overnight. Drink throughout the following day.
Astragalus and codonopsis are two other herbs you could look into as well, especially if you are prone to getting sick easily or already have chronic health issues. *** I realize as I write this that most of us are still burned out from the initial hyper-vigilant COVID roller coaster, so I'm going to keep advocating that we adapt a response similar to wearing a seat belt. Masking is no big deal in China, so it’s not inevitable that masking has to mean something TERRIBLE. For any of you living in a place where wearing a mask is something you are villainized for, I am truly sorry. Masking is just one piece of reasonable measures of prevention though, so see which pieces work with your life and you will already be more protected than you were before. These are just some initial starting points. If there is one big takeaway here, it’s to take it as easy is possible in these times. I know for a lot of folks, even thinking about COVID risks feels stressful and even overwhelming, but does ignoring it actually make you feel better? And doesn’t a lot of that stress come from feeling powerless? For me, knowing some tangible things I can do that will actually give me greater protection and help me recover faster eases some of my stress, and that’s why I decided to write this. I wish you all a happy, healthy and low-key summer! Take care out there, and I’ll see you next time… Further Reading What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About COVID-19 Reinfection (AMA) Is it Dangerous to Keep Getting COVID-19 (TIME) Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection (Nature) Would you like these posts delivered directly to your inbox each week? Subscribe for free on Substack: arikarapson.substack.com
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