Gwyneth Paltrow opens up about long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms
Gwyneth Paltrow is opening up about the ongoing symptoms she's experiencing from her battle with COVID-19.
Recently, the actress shared on her Goop website that her bout with the virus has left some lasting side effects.
"I had COVID-19 early on, and it left me with some long-tail fatigue and brain fog," Paltrow wrote. "In January. I had some tests done that showed really high levels of inflammation in my body. So I turned to one of the smartest experts I know, the functional practitioner Dr. Will Cole. After he saw all my labs, he explained that this was a case where the road to healing was going to be longer than usual."
Recent studies show 10% of COVID-19 patients will go on to become so-called "long-haulers" and can suffer symptoms beyond 3-4 weeks.
"After you have gone through the initial infection, you end up with complications," infectious disease specialist Dr. Simone Wildes told "Good Morning America." "You're having trouble with your heart, you're having trouble breathing, you're having issues with memory and concentration, some people lose taste and smell."
Dr. Wildes also said that some people may have problems with skin, hair loss, muscle aches and more. But the most common symptom that Dr. Wildes has seen among patients after experiencing COVID-19 is brain fog, just like Paltrow has experienced.
"The most common one that patients tell me all the time [is] they have brain fog, they're just not thinking clearly, and they report that the fatigue they have is just out of this world," said Dr. Wildes. "Like nothing they have felt before they feel like they cannot do their daily activities."
Since recovering from the virus, Paltrow said that she's adhered to a healthy diet, free from alcohol and sugar and is taking a handful of supplements suggested by her medicine practitioner, Dr. Will Cole, for what she called her gut health.
She also said she's been fasting and doing a keto and plant-based diet, which she hopes helps her "form lasting habits."
"Everything I'm doing feels good, like a gift to my body," said Paltrow. "I have energy, I'm working out in the mornings, and I'm doing an infrared sauna as often as I can, all in service of healing."
While Paltrow's health regimen has several benefits including better skin and being more energized, Wildes said that there is no scientific data that shows it will cure these long-term symptoms.
"There's no data to say that you know, the diet she's on a particular regimen is the prescribed way of treating patients who have long hauler syndrome," Wildes said. "We just encourage supportive therapy, healthy diet, exercise, therapy, you know, whatever it is we can do to support you through this difficult time until you're able to get back to normal. That's what we're doing right now."
