Last week, we identified one of the challenges with chronic COVID-19 syndrome: the brain can get stuck in a high-alert response, a.k.a. limbic system impairment, creating an over-active immune response, even when the virus is no longer present. This can trigger chronic symptoms in multiple systems of the brain and body.
For Byron, chronic COVID-19 syndrome primarily showed up as severe gastrointestinal issues, such as extreme food sensitivities and diarrhea. But let’s back up to the beginning of his story.
Byron developed symptoms of COVID-19 at the end of June 2020, around the same time as one of his good friends. Unlike his friend, who fully recovered in two weeks, Byron’s symptoms only worsened. Like many others with COVID-19 complications, he experienced a loss of smell and taste, night sweats, a minor cough, and extreme gastrointestinal symptoms.
“COVID-19 triggered a protective reaction, and my brain got stuck there. The limbic system went on red alert, and ramped up all the engines.”
Prior to being infected with COVID-19, Byron considered himself to be a healthy 58-year-old. He’d had some previous health challenges that were resolved, and lived an active, healthy lifestyle. His diet was gluten-free, keto and paleo-friendly; he practiced yoga and was very self-aware. After contracting COVID-19, his immune system went into overdrive, and he suddenly became extremely sensitive to most foods; there were only three he could eat without experiencing debilitating gastrointestinal and immune reactions. Byron describes himself as having a slight frame to begin with, but in less than eight weeks, he lost 25 pounds and much of his muscle mass. He looked emaciated, could hardly eat anything, had no energy, and felt like he was dying.
Byron was quickly losing hope that he would ever recover. Fortunately, a health care professional referred him to the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS), and that’s when Byron’s healing began. It felt like a dream when he experienced relief just one week into starting the program. “It felt like magic to me because the changes were so incredible,” he says. He was immediately able to eat more foods, and his energy level increased dramatically. The fear he’d carried for months was replaced by a state of inner calm, and he gained back muscle mass. He finally felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
“I am gaining weight and muscle mass, I have more energy , and my vitality for life is back!” – Byron
“I know at two months in, I still have some healing to do, and I plan on implementing the program for six months as they suggest, but [DNRS] is working!” Byron exclaims. “Don’t get me wrong, I still experience some symptoms, but they are way better, and I know that I will fully recover.” Byron explains that he’s tolerating more and more foods, has normal bowel function, has more energy and his sense of smell and taste have returned. He adds, “I am gaining weight and muscle mass, I have more energy and my vitality for life is back! Also, I’ve noticed that my threshold for stress has radically changed. I feel like a different person! Even my neighbors have commented on how much healthier I look now!”
Emotionally, Byron feels healthier too, and says, “I wasn’t expecting that. I have no anxiety, worry or hypervigilance. I had suffered from PTSD, anxiety and depression in the past, and I have coped well with all of it, but that started to shift too. I actually felt positive for the first time in my life, or that I can remember, anyways! And it wasn’t manufactured, it was real… I feel confident and clear!” He’s lost the brain fog, and enthuses, “I feel genuinely empowered, and I am not bothered by things that used to trigger me in the past.”
When asked what he would say to other people who are experiencing chronic post COVID-19 symptoms, Byron says, “COVID-19 triggered a protective reaction, and my brain got stuck there. The limbic system went on red alert, and ramped up all the engines. My immune response was on overdrive… but you can get that under control again by rewiring your limbic system.” He says he knows it sounds “almost unbelievable,” and he himself was skeptical at first about DNRS. But the relief was so immediate and surprising, he says, “that it felt like magic! It felt beyond what my experience or knowledge could ever know is possible.” After struggling for months with debilitating symptoms and feeling like he was wasting away, he now understands on a “visceral level” that rewiring the limbic system is the key to interrupting the spiraling cascade of misery, and recovering from “long-hauler” COVID-19 symptoms.
If you are suffering from chronic post COVID-19 symptoms, it’s time to explore DNRS in consultation with your health care provider to see if the program is the right fit for you. DNRS can be implemented alongside any pharmaceutical or medical treatment you may be taking for your chronic post COVID-19 symptoms. Let DNRS help you move your brain and body from a state of survival into a state of growth, repair, and healing.
Next week we will introduce you to Victor. No stranger to limbic system impairment, Victor was already using DNRS to recover from anxiety and sensitivity issues. While the initial acute symptoms of COVID-19 receded, his sensitivities increased. Since Victor was already familiar with DNRS and limbic system impairment, he knew exactly why chronic COVID-19 symptoms were happening, and how to find relief. For more information about how you might also find relief from your chronic symptoms, please visit our website at retrainingthebrain.com.
Yours in Good Health,
Annie Hopper and the DNRS Team
