According to a recent study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), impaired sensory neurons might be linked to COVID-19 and long COVID. These neurons are responsible for senses such as smell, taste, touch, pain, and temperature changes, and impairment or damage to them may result in the loss of these senses.
The study found that viral proteins, such as the spike protein and nucleocapsid proteins, were released by infected neurons, not the virus itself. Some doctors speculate that the sensory problems and muscle pains experienced by long COVID and vaccine-injured patients could be due to the spike proteins found on the COVID-19 virus’ surface. Dr. Diane Counce, a neurologist, stated that the MIT study confirms what clinical intuition has been telling us regarding the cause of these symptoms.
The importance of inflammation
Neural damage can be caused by various factors, including inflammation, which is a natural immune system response to viruses and their proteins. However, chronic inflammation can lead to neuron hyperactivity and damage, resulting in neurological disorders.
Patients with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) may experience hypersensitivity to environmental changes, leading to histamine release and neuropathic pain, itching, and swelling. Microclotting is also a recognized cause of neural damage, which can block blood vessels and deprive the brain of oxygen, leading to neurological disorders.
“The nerves form a webbing around the blood vessels … If you have clotting, then you’re not feeding the nerves correctly,” Dr. Counce said, adding that this could cause something close to “infarcts in the nerves.”
According to internal medicine physician Dr. Keith Berkowitz, when microclotting occurs, it can result in sensory problems, chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can affect multiple systems at once, and Dr. Berkowitz recommends prescribing various therapeutics to effectively manage them all.
Clearing the spike proteins
There are several drugs that have proven to be effective in treating COVID-19 infections, chronic long COVID, and vaccine injuries.
Ivermectin is considered a first-line therapy and has a high affinity to the COVID-19 virus, including its spike protein.
It can immobilize the proteins for immune clearance and has been shown to be very helpful in clearing acute COVID-19 infection and alleviating the loss of taste and smell, according to Dr. Berkowitz.
Another potentially helpful drug is N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which impairs and breaks down spike protein.
Augmented NAC may be particularly potent in its effects. Nurse practitioner Scott Marsland at the Leading Edge Clinic has reported that treatment with augmented NAC has been particularly helpful in controlling flare-ups of symptoms in long COVID and vaccine-injured patients.
Another noteworthy treatment is nattokinase, an enzyme derived from fermented soybeans called natto. Studies in Japan have found that it can break down spike proteins in cell cultures, and it also has potent anti-clotting properties.
This means that it can help break down blood clots that block the sensory nerves from getting enough oxygen and nutrients. Some of Mr. Marsland’s patients have reported improved senses of smell and taste after taking a high dosage of nattokinase twice a day.
