Complementary and Alternative Healthcare for Long COVID
Many of the people we spoke with told us that their family doctor or specialist physicians were unable to help with their long COVID symptoms. When this happened, they turned to other healthcare providers in the hope of finding some relief. Often, these providers were other regulated health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, naturopaths, and massage therapists. Some participants also consulted care providers from other healing traditions, such as acupuncturists and reiki practitioners. Our participants generally found complementary and alternative care providers more open to exploring and understanding their symptoms, and more able to suggest strategies for dealing with them. Many of the people we spoke with felt that doctors needed to be more open to the involvement of other healthcare providers if they were unable to offer much, themselves, in the way of treatment for long COVID.
Seeking relief from symptoms
Participants in this study reached out to a wide array of complementary and alternative practitioners in the hopes of getting help with their symptoms. As Tanya explained, “I have taken it upon myself to use what little energy I do have to try and find help for myself. I’m not getting it from the regular medical field … I have seen a naturopath, I have had manual osteopathy treatments done. I have tracked down a long COVID rehabilitation clinic that you pay out of pocket for, and I’m on their waitlist.” Lyse consulted a physiotherapist for help with dizzy spells and an occupational therapist to learn about energy management. « Là je me suis fait dire d’aller voir un physio pour mes étourdissements. J’ai commencé aussi à rencontrer un ergo, pour évaluer pourquoi ma fatigue puis l’aide à la gestion de l’énergie. » [That’s when I was told to go and see a physio for my dizziness. I also started seeing an OT, to assess my fatigue and then help with energy management.] Translation from original French.
Hollie went to a chiropractor for help with persistent headaches. She explained, “She’ll adjust my neck. And gua sha has really helped, so just kind of like the scraping of the muscles with like a spoon or a tool … that’s really the only relief that I get from headaches, is using the gua sha method.” Angela was “in five or six different therapies every week.” She told us, “I go to chiro, I go to physio, I’m doing spinal decompression, I’m doing acupuncture, massage … I have a naturopathic doctor … and that’s probably why I am getting better … my actual doctor has, other than pain relievers and bed rest, there’s nothing there …”
Kristen felt supported by her naturopath and was "a huge fan of acupuncture, osteo, and massage."
Transcript
Yes, the naturopath was phenomenal, again, really supportive. And I felt like the acupuncture really helped with the pain. I remember one day, my husband drove me – he had to drive me, I couldn’t drive for months – but I felt like such a cripple, that I couldn’t even […]
Valérie gained a sense of control over her symptoms with the help of her kinesiologist.
Written testimony
Je suis allée quelques fois, dans le fond, la kiné, elle, ce qu’elle a fait, elle m’a monté un programme « d’exercices » entre guillemets. Bien des exercices de respiration. Ouais, vraiment plus respiration, de détente, de méditation, vraiment plus axés sur… Essayer de calmer le système nerveux, qui est vraiment en grosse surcharge, puis essayer de redonner de l’énergie un petit peu en quelque part, parce que là c’est trop. Fait que dans le fond, la kiné, elle m’a fait ça, puis elle m’a aidée aussi au niveau de la gestion de l’énergie. Elle a été chercher des documents que l’ergo là-bas, utilisaient beaucoup pour les gens qui ont l’encéphalomyélite-myalgique dans le fond, pour essayer de décrire nos journées, qu’est-ce qu’on fait? Puis trouver c’est quoi qui déclenche les malaises post-effort pour arrêter de dépasser nos limites puis éviter de retomber sans arrêt comme ça. (2-8 :05) Ça, c’est ce qui m’a aidée vraiment énormément, c’est ce qui a été le plus efficace pour m’aider puis retrouver un… Je ne dirais pas retrouver des capacités ou… Non, juste retrouver d’être un petit mieux dans mon corps, d’avoir moins de symptômes désagréables, puis de calmer un petit peu les choses.
[I went to the kinesiologist a few times, and what she did was set up an ‘exercise’ program for me. A lot of breathing exercises. Yeah, really more breathing, relaxation, meditation, really more focused on… Trying to calm the nervous system, which is really overloaded, and then trying to restore a little energy somewhere, because it’s too much. That’s what the kinesiologist did for me, and she also helped me with energy management. She went and got some documents that the occupational therapist over there used a lot for people with encephalomyelitis-myalgia, to try and describe our days, what do we do? Then find out what triggers post-exertion discomfort, so we can stop going beyond our limits and avoid falling back like that all the time. That’s what really helped me enormously, that’s what was most effective in helping me regain a… I wouldn’t say regain my abilities or… No, just regain feeling a little better in my body, having fewer unpleasant symptoms, then calming things down a little.] Translation from original French.
Chris says "my OT, physiotherapist, and kinesiologist have done an immense amount of positive things for me."
Transcript
My OT and my physiotherapist and my kinesiologist have done an immense amount of positive things for me. The most benefit I’ve had in terms of just getting functional again, getting some of my deconditioning resolved, getting the strength and motivation to, you know, get out of bed some days […]
Other benefits of complementary and alternative treatment
The people we spoke with who had sought out complementary or alternative treatment found it beneficial in several ways. They felt it was more holistic and offered more continuity than mainstream medical care. And they appreciated that these healthcare providers advocated on their behalf, and helped them understand their symptoms. For example, Angela appreciated her naturopath “putting the sciatica pain and long COVID together” due to “inflammation” whereas her family doctor saw them as unrelated. Jennifer 1 considered her physiotherapist to be her “biggest champion.” While Coucoute’s physiotherapist was the person who first identified her symptoms as related to long COVID. Maggie told us the continuity of care she experienced at her physiotherapy appointments helped her feel like she was actually “doing something.” She explained, “I go twice a week, I see the physiotherapist. He knows me, he knows my story, he knows if anything is improving or getting worse. So it’s what I’ve missed in other parts of this journey because it’s always felt so episodic.”
Elaine searched for a healthcare provider who would look at her long COVID symptoms holistically.
Transcript
I started working with a naturopath and I’m hoping to start working with a functional medicine doctor who – again, it’s paying out of pocket – but who has the time because I’m paying him privately, has the time to look at my entire person. All of the stuff that’s […]
aerik has complex health needs and can't afford private care. They were able to attend a free clinic at a naturopathic college.
Transcript
There is a naturopath at the college that has student clinics, so free student clinics. I’m a low income person. I’ve been on disability since long before COVID based on my chronic illnesses and so care is limited in terms of like not having access – like paid care is […]
Katherine hadn't realised that physiotherapy could help with her breathing problems.
Transcript
Initially, I didn’t really understand what good physiotherapy could possibly do for me, because my symptoms were – like my arms, my legs were fine. I didn’t really understand that there are so many muscles involved in breathing that you could actually exercise, so I was pretty skeptical at first. […]
Doctors need to be more open to complementary and alternative medicine
Many of the people we spoke with who had accessed complementary or alternative treatment wished that conventional medicine was more open to these approaches and more willing to recommend them to patients.
Louise was pleased that her new GP suggested she see a naturopath.
Transcript
His perspective on it is that it is a full body inflammation issue, like a systemic inflammation issue. And so that’s why it’s affecting everything from my lungs to – I get – I’ve got a weird lump on my leg, there’s weird inflammations that will show up for no […]
Violaine got relief from some of her symptoms by stimulating her vagus nerve. She wished the health system would incorporate such treatments more routinely.
Transcript
Puis des gens m’avaient parlé de la stimulation du nerf vague. Au Québec on n’offre pas ce service-là dans le système de la santé. Mais il y a des gens qui m’ont expliqué qu’on pouvait faire ces exercices-là par nous-même de façon mécanique, manuelle, c’est très simple là, des massages […]
Angela wished that doctors were more willing to refer patients to other kinds of healthcare providers.
Transcript
They never ever said, “Oh go to physio, go to chiropractor, go to a naturopathic doctor.” I actually – my – so for my husband’s plan for work, it pays for $1,200 to a naturopathic doctor. After that point, with a doctor’s note, it goes to something called EAP, which […]
Nick wishes there was more engagement between the medical community and other forms of healthcare.
Transcript
Well, this goes deeper than long COVID and it’s something that I think the medical community at large needs to accept, and that is the emergence and that is the presence of alternative medicine practitioners. And I think there has to be better and more engaged work that happens between […]
Lori urges doctors to "think outside the box."
Transcript
For doctors, think outside the box, long COVID is think outside the box. With a lot of people a lot of the tests and stuff are coming back negative, everything looks good but they’re still having these – so don’t discount just because – give them something that can help […]