BALTIMORE (WMAR) — There are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to long COVID but a national study is trying to figure out if natural medicines work to help patients get better and they are looking for Marylanders to enroll.
"Our natural medicine of homeopathy can provide relief to patients. I’ve seen it clinically. I’ve seen my long COVID patients improve and I know I can help these patients," said the principal investigator Dr. Elizabeth Rice.
With no treatment options available, long COVID can be debilitating. Arizona healthcare worker Evelyn Hernandez knows this all too well.
"I’m still having a lot of fatigue. I had at one point lost a lot of hair. I have some depression and anxiety," said Hernandez.
She contracted COVID over a year ago working in hospice care.
"One of our medical assistants actually had it and when she tested positive, I was also having some symptoms at that time," said Hernandez.
A new study from the JAMA Network estimates half of COVID-19 patients experience lasting symptoms beyond six months.
A new multi-state study aims to see how natural medicines work to treat long COVID symptoms. Hernandez is one of the first participants.
"Of course I want all those symptoms to go away but also it would be very helpful for other people," said Hernandez.
Physicians working on this have volunteered their time to help come up with individualized treatment plans for each participant.
"These medicines are made from substances in nature like minerals and plants," said Rice. "They’re prescribed based on an interesting concept of like cures like and so it’s a little bit different of an approach than conventional medicine."
The study is based out of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences. Participants will complete surveys at the beginning, middle and end of the 12-week study to measure their fatigue, quality of life and symptoms to see if those who received the actual medicines improved more than those who took placebos.
"There aren’t many therapies available even in the natural medicine world, that can treat both physical and mental emotion symptoms so homeopathy is just the perfect fit for these patients," said Rice.
To be eligible, you have to be vaccinated, and have tested positive for COVID at least 60 days ago, among other conditions. Click here to check your eligibility.
