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Walsh said other COVID-related treatment protocols issued by FLCCC have similarly lacked an evidence base.

Walsh likened the group's approach to treating long COVID-19 to \"throwing spaghetti against the wall\" and called it \"tremendously dangerous and unethical.\"

\"The main takeaway is you need to contact your physician [who] can help guide you through the workup of these symptoms,\" Walsh said.

There are clinics that specialize in treating post-COVID patients, he said. Allegheny Health Network deploys a multi-disciplinary team that includes pulmonologists, neurologists, behavioral medicine specialists and infectious disease physicians to help create a personalized approach to care for patients.

\"There's obviously the concern that people are going to turn to the internet and social media,\" Walsh said. \"It's easy to go down that rabbit hole.\"

But, he added, it's important to remember that there is a tremendous amount of work being done to address post-COVID symptoms and that there is also enormous interest in the different strategies that may prove effective in treating these symptoms.

\"PHOTO:
Scott Olson/Getty Images
PHOTO: Respiratory Therapist Nirali Patel works with a COVID-19 patient in the ICU at Rush University Medial Center on January 31, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
>

Long COVID-19 is likely not just one disease, Mark said. Post-ICU syndrome has been known for many years prior to the pandemic. But that's different from someone who had mild COVID-19 but developed persistent symptoms. Depending on what an individual's specific problems are, there are going to be different treatments for them, he said.

The FLCCC did not immediately return a request for comment. However, the group does state the following about its long COVID-19 treatment plan: \"As with all FLCCC protocols, we must emphasize that multiple aspects of the protocol may change as scientific data and clinical experience in this condition evolve.\"

That's concerning to to Mark, who noted people who may feel desperate, and may believe they have to chose between the FLCCC protocol or nothing.

\"It's irresponsible to dangle a magic cure for these symptoms,\" Mark said.

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