Long COVID Is Not Going Away - The Hidden Post-Infectious Pattern Behind Chronic Illness with Dr. Christian Jenski | Long COVID | E163

🔥 What if Long COVID isn't an entirely new condition, but another chapter in a much older story of infections triggering chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and symptoms that refuse to go away? Read UnCurable (https://uncurablebook.com/) to explore a deeper perspective on complex chronic illness, root-cause medicine, and why understanding what keeps the body stuck may be the key to moving healing forward.
What if Long COVID is still affecting millions of people while the resources created to study it are disappearing?
In this episode of Made for Health, Dr. Aaron Hartman and Dr. Christian Jenski begin a new series on Long COVID and the larger world of post-infectious chronic illness. They discuss why people continue to experience persistent symptoms years after infection, even as federally funded Long COVID programs and research initiatives wind down without establishing a single standardized approach to diagnosis or treatment.
Dr. Hartman and Dr. Jenski explore why Long COVID may not be an entirely new phenomenon, but part of a broader pattern of post-infectious illness seen throughout medical history. They discuss its overlap with chronic fatigue, POTS, dysautonomia, mast cell activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammatory response, and other complex conditions. They also explain why functional medicine approaches these patients through a systems-based lens, looking at inflammation, immune regulation, metabolic health, nutrition, gut health, environmental exposures, and other potential contributors rather than treating each symptom in isolation.
Key Topics Covered
Why Long COVID remains a major health challenge years after the pandemic
The winding down of federally funded Long COVID clinics and research programs
Why standardized diagnostic and treatment pathways remain limited
The history of post-viral and post-infectious syndromes
Why Long COVID may share patterns with other complex chronic illnesses
The overlap between Long COVID, chronic fatigue, POTS, and dysautonomia
Mast cell activation and chronic inflammatory response
Mitochondrial dysfunction and persistent post-viral symptoms
Why multisystem illness can be difficult to address through separate medical specialties
How functional medicine uses a systems-based approach to complex illness
The role of metabolic health and underlying inflammation
Nutrition, nutrient optimization, and the gut-brain axis
Why treatment needs may change from acute infection to chronic illness
How infections may trigger or uncover previously hidden health vulnerabilities
Why individualized care matters when treating complex chronic conditions
Follow Dr. Aaron Hartman and Richmond Integrative & Functional Medicine
🌐 Website: https://richmondfunctionalmedicine.com/
📺 YouTube: @AaronHartmanMD
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