Rudra’s curse: COVID isn’t just a cold

Last week we talked about how to avoid getting COVID. This week, let’s talk about why you should avoid getting infected or reinfected.

‘Fever was born long ago from the wrath of Lord Rudra, who had been insulted by Daksha.’ Madhav Nidhan.

When I was a medical student in the early 1970s, it seemed as if the great age of infectious diseases was over, thanks to sanitation, immunization and antibiotics. Yet the curse of Rudra has continued into the twenty-first century in new and unforeseen ways. When I think of the mythological origins of fever, I wonder whether the real cause of Rudra’s wrath was not the Agrarian Revolution, about ten thousand years ago.  Animals and plants were domesticated, and humans began to tame the wildness of nature, which Rudra embodies. With its consequences of increased number and concentration of population, settled rather than nomadic living and close contact with domestic animals and birds, the Agrarian Revolution led to the development of infectious diseases not seen among forager tribes. From measles to COVID, we have suffered the scourge of zoonotic diseases.

From the Ayurvedic standpoint, fever is taken very seriously. We are advised to look not only at its acute phase, but at the ways it, like other types of disease, can become chronic and penetrate deeper into the body, affecting multiple systems. This is definitely the case with COVID. There’s no evidence to support the view that a mild or asymptomatic case of omicron will not have long term negative consequences and no solid reason to believe that vaccines will completely protect you from this aspect of the disease.

For today, we’ll look into the ways COVID could affect your long-term health, even after you seem to be ‘over’ it. Next week we’ll delve more into Long COVID, but this week we’ll look at implications for everyone who has had COVID. And remember, these effects are going to be compounded by having COVID more than once. Unfortunately, COVID is not ‘one and done’ like measles. And each reinfection will have worse consequences for your immune system..

Yes, that’s right, COVID ages and weakens your immune system, rendering you more vulnerable to other infections or to getting COVID again. You might have heard of T cells and how HIV affects them. COVID also isn’t good for your T cells, or for that matter, your B cells.

Not only does COVID age and weaken your immune system, but also, similarly to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), COVID causes immune dysregulation. This can lead to the development of autoantibodies that attack your own tissues. Some COVID survivors have been found to have antibodies that target the brain, thyroid, blood vessels, central nervous system, platelets, kidneys, heart and liver. This could lead to a host of future illnesses, from glomerulonephritis, an autoimmune kidney disease to thyroid disease to bleeding disorders to lupus.

COVID also has effects on your blood. According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), your chances of getting a blood clot in your calf (DVT) are significantly increased for three weeks after COVID. Your chances of a life-threatening blood clot on your lungs (pulmonary embolism) are increased for six weeks after COVID and your chances of a bleeding disorder are increased for two months.

And there are other vascular complications with COVID as well. The risk of stroke is more than twice as high for COVID-19 patients when compared to people of the same age, sex, and ethnicity in the general population. Yes, younger adults are getting strokes during and after COVID. There is also an increased risk of heart attack in the weeks after a COVID diagnosis. Again, we’re talking about adults in midlife, not just about the elderly.

 And then there’s the issue of your brain on COVID. Evidence is mounting to suggest that even a mild case of COVID will shrink your brain and reduce the amount of grey matter. It’s highly likely that COVID will predispose patients to early-onset dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

These are all effects of COVID on previously-healthy people of all ages—effects that can be experienced after a mild case that does not require hospitalization.  COVID is not just a cold or flu, it is not something to ‘get over with,’ it is a potentially disabling multi-system disease. And remember, it’s worth avoiding COVID even if you’ve already had it, because the long-term negative effects are cumulative.

https://khn.org/news/article/covid-autoimmune-virus-rogue-antibodies-cytokine-storm-severe-disease/

https://khn.org/news/article/covid-autoimmune-virus-rogue-antibodies-cytokine-storm-severe-disease/

https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj-2021-069590

https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2022/01/covid19-increasing-stroke-risks.php

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04569-5

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!