Mindfulness Meditation Interventions for Long COVID: Biobehavioral Gene Expression and Neuroimmune Functioning

Abstract

Some individuals infected with SARS CoV-2 have developed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC) or what has been referred to as Long COVID. Efforts are underway to find effective treatment strategies for those with Long COVID. One possible approach involves alternative medical interventions, which have been widely used to treat and manage symptoms of a variety of medical problems including post-viral infections. Meditation has been found to reduce fatigue and unrefreshing sleep, and for those with post-viral infections, it has enhanced immunity, and reduced inflammatory-driven pathogenesis. Our article summarizes the literature on what is known about mindfulness meditation interventions, and reviews evidence on how it may apply to those with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Evidence is reviewed suggesting effective and sustainable outcomes may be achieved for symptomatology and underlying pathology of post-viral fatigue (PASC and ME/CFS).

Psychiatric symptoms in Long-COVID patients: a systematic review

“…From a therapeutic point of view, in close relation both to the traumatic component of a part of the symptoms found in LC, and to the inflammatory component (initially exerted by the infection and then self-sustained), interventions aimed at reducing the inflammatory process and reducing the excessive activation of the sympathetic nervous system through a relaxation response may be useful. For example, models of intervention involving reconditioning and mindfulness may help patients suffering from LC ( 69 ). Future clinical trials on LC patients may be therefore warranted.…”

Cardiopulmonary and metabolic responses during a 2-day CPET in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: translating reduced oxygen consumption to impairment status to treatment considerations

“…There is increasing evidence of the efficacy of some types of ‘mindfulness training’ to transcend the state of ‘ill’ and move toward a state of ‘well’ with regard to many diseases [ 176 ]. Recent work demonstrated the efficacy of meditation as an adjuvant therapy to alter bloodborne factors and resiliency to viral infection in the treatment of COVID-19 [ 177 ] and has been reviewed elsewhere with promise for long COVID and ME/CFS [ 178 ]. A multi-symptom disease such as ME/CFS is often addressed with a poly-pharmaceutical approach to symptom management.…”

Aged brain and neuroimmune responses to COVID-19: post-acute sequelae and modulatory effects of behavioral and nutritional interventions

“…In a variety of studies, the outcome of meditation has been associated with anti-inflammatory cytokine activity [ 164 – 168 ], as has been reported in numerous systematic reviews [ 169 , 170 ]. Meditation has been shown to cause neural reorganization, “re-modulation, and re-regulation” of the neuroimmune responses [ 171 , 172 ]. These studies have also demonstrated that mindfulness meditation has been associated with a number of changes toward the inhibition of inflammatory processes and may be applied in the treatment of long COVID [ 173 ].…”

“…Meditation may help patients by the modulation of pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory responses and/or by decreasing the over-activation of a sympathetic nervous system over the relaxation process [ 166 ]. Such stabilizing parasympathetic responses may be trained and translated easily to daily life to combat the long COVID disease [ 172 ].…”