This BC Company Helps Treat Long COVID & These Are The Symptoms They Look For

A B.C. company is now offering a rehabilitation program for people suffering from brain fog . There is a list of over 200 symptoms of long COVID to watch out for, including long-lasting cognitive issues.

ABI Wellness in Langley, B.C. uses a system they call Brain Enhance and Recovery System (BEARS), to aid in cognitive ability. They use this as a method for some symptoms that are associated with long COVID.

It's not just used for treating long COVID, but also for strokes, PTSD, and brain injuries like concussions.

What is long COVID?

The government of Canada's website refers to long COVID as a post-COVID-19 condition. It said that people have long COVID when they "still show symptoms of COVID-19 for weeks or months after their initial recovery."

Shaun Porter, the chief operating officer at ABI Wellness, told Narcity in an email that there are many symptoms of the illness. He also specified that it can even afflict people who had "very mild" cases of COVID-19.

Symptoms of long COVID

According to Porter, studies have shown that the illness is linked to over 200 different symptoms, and can impact organs including the heart, lungs, and brain.

The most common among the many symptoms though are "fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain, chest pain, and cognitive issues," Porter added.

ABI Wellness is finding that people often have a mix of the symptoms presenting, and that cognitive symptoms impact "a large majority of long COVID sufferers."

Cognitive symptoms range from brain fog and forgetfulness to fatigue and difficulty concentrating. These can in turn impact someone's "ability to work, go to school, maintain relationships, or do things independently," said Porter.

Porter said that while brain fog is a common symptom, it "is dangerous language and downplays the severity of the lived experience of this population."

"We need to begin calling it what it is, which is a brain injury," he added.

As of right now, they are not sure how long the symptoms can last, but Porter did say some people are still suffering up to two years after getting COVID-19 — while others recover in a short period of time.

There is also no cure for long COVID right now, and they are unaware of the long-term effects of having it.

Rehabilitation

ABI Wellness treats people in person and virtually, using the Brain Enhance and Recovery System. The program uses exercises, to help with brain neuroplasticity.

Porter said that "this allows the brain to rewire and through that process regain cognitive functions that had been impacted by the injury or illness."

This, in turn, can be used to help mitigate some of the cognitive symptoms of long COVID.