We all remember COVID-19 sweeping our planet and taking a heavy toll on our economy, our well-being, and our lives. The pandemic eventually memory, but for many, including Easton, Maryland teen Dylan Smith, the suffering didn’t end.
Dylan contracted COVID-19 in January of 2022, one week after his mother was infected. Both recovered, but for Dylan, the symptoms remained and quickly progressed from chronic fatigue, body aches, and migraines to seizures. Dylan’s father, Mike, said, “Once the pain set in, it was very alarming because you couldn’t even sleep at night, and we would go to the emergency room in the middle of the night to try to seek relief for his pain.”
After contracting COVID-19 again, Dylan took his last independent steps in June 2022, becoming bedridden with a feeding tube. Says Dylan, “Lying down in a wheelchair, eyes shut, couldn’t talk, couldn’t move any part of my body. Basically, dead in a way.”
Eventually, Dylan was diagnosed with Long COVID – a condition for which there is no cure according to traditional medicine. Seemingly without hope for recovery and after many different treatments, Dylan’s parents found The Spero Clinic in Fayetteville, AR, which offers a unique and successful protocol for pediatric Long COVID.
What Is Long COVID?
Post-COVID Syndrome or “Long COVID,” has baffled the medical community for quite some time. Emerging as a significant concern, millions of people worldwide are still facing ongoing, debilitating symptoms that are disrupting their lives. According to the CDC, “6.9% of adults and 1.3% of children (roughly 17 million and 1 million, respectively) in the United States ever reported experiencing Long COVID.”
Those infected with the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus commonly develop symptoms 4–5 days after exposure. Recovery from a mild infection commonly occurs within 7–10 days after the onset of symptoms; it could take 3–6 weeks in severe/critical illness.
However, in many cases, symptoms can remain or even start up again. Long COVID most often occurs in people who have had a severe bout of COVID-19, but it is not restricted to those who were critically ill or hospitalized. People with mild COVID symptoms and even those who did not develop any symptoms can also be affected.
Long COVID – Symptoms and Causes
Like Dylan and many others, Long COVID symptoms can be both crippling and long-lasting. A complex condition, Long COVID is associated with more than 200 symptoms, including severe nerve pain, pseudo seizures, debilitating fatigue, brain fog, depression, and memory loss.
Research has indicated a concerning link between long COVID and the development of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), a disorder characterized by an abnormal increase in heart rate, often due to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. AMPS, or Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome, is connected to Long COVID and is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain.
Evidence suggests that in some cases, Long COVID may be due to neurological trauma, particularly in individuals who were already under high chronic stress at the time of infection. The continuous stimulation of the immune system and nervous system can lead to an overactive stress response even after the viral threat has passed, contributing to the persistent symptoms of Long COVID.
The Spero Clinic’s Unique Treatment Approach
Long COVID’s most disabling symptoms are cognitive dysfunction, pain, and autonomic nerve dysfunction – all neurological. This is why medication treatments will not work, because the neurological damage is not being addressed.
Instead, Spero’s unique treatment programs have long focused on healing neurological damage caused by viral infections. While the SARS-CoV-2 virus is rather new, the way it affects the nervous system is not. It appears to follow the same path of destruction as other viruses that affect the central nervous system.
According to extensive research conducted by Spero’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Katinka van der Merwe, “Long COVID symptoms are temporary and can be reversed with The Spero Clinic’s Long COVID treatment program. I have made it my life’s mission to treat patients who suffer from so-called ‘impossible’ diseases – those that have been given up by the medical community.”
“I can help them,” she continued, “by treating them with non-invasive, holistic therapies that all aim to heal the issues occurring in your central nervous system. Our Long COVID treatment program is based on holistic principles to allow the body to heal itself.”
Dylan’s Path to Recovery
When Dylan arrived at The Spero Clinic, all he had was a small ray of hope. “They’re treating Long COVID as a neurological disease where they’re healing the body from the inside out,” says Dylan’s mom, Stacy. “It’s finally giving us hope that our child can get his life back.”
Already three months after receiving treatment at The Spero Clinic, Dylan’s progress was significant. “I can move all of my body. I have the feeding tube out. I can talk, I can speak fully. Nerve pain is down to zero when it was at a 10,” Dylan said.
After 15 weeks at Spero, Dylan was fully healed. “Thank you all so much, everyone I’ve mentioned, for saving my life. I truly owe everything to all of you,” Dylan said before ringing the symbolic bell to celebrate his recovery.
Results such as these are quite common at The Spero Clinic. “So far, we’ve had a 100% success rate. We’ve had 10 severe long COVID cases, so it’s not a big pool of patients, but I’m very excited about the possibility,” Dr. Katinka told Baltimore’s Channel 11 News.
Stacy Smith concurs, “It’s been amazing, it really has. We have our son back.”
If you or your loved one suffers from symptoms of Long COVID, visit The Spero Clinic’s website or call (479) 304-8202.
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