Cold water immersion - friend or foe?

One of the things that helped Jackie the most in her recovery - cold water immersion - and one of the most commonly asked questions from listeners.

But it doesn't work well for everyone. In this episode, Jackie dives into the science behind the power of cold water, as well as discussing her own expertise and her own journey - why did it work for her? And how could you make it work for you?

As always - this isn't medical advice - always speak to a trusted medical professional before considering cold water, or indeed any new treatment.

Links:

Join breathing courses: www.LongCovidBreathing.com

Work with me options: https://www.longcovidpodcast.com/workwithme

My Insight Timer profile (free): www.Insightttimer.com/longcovidpod

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Uroš shares his inspiring recovery journey from long COVID, revealing how addressing hidden emotional patterns and learning self-compassion transformed not only his health but his entire approach to life.

• Prior to illness, Uroš appeared to be living his best life following a 15-month sabbatical, with a fitness routine and new career mentoring entrepreneurs
• After contracting COVID for the second time, Uros experienced severe post-exertional malaise, brain fog, and eventually became bed-bound
• Finding online recovery stories provided the first ray of hope during a period of despair and medical uncertainty
• Breathing techniques helped regulate his nervous system, with yoga nidra becoming a daily practice that brought surprising mental peace
• Discovery of his unhealthy relationship with emotions became a turning point – Uroš had been "putting poisonous snakes in a bag" for decades
• Self-compassion meditation triggered unexpected emotional release, allowing him to process suppressed feelings
• Identifying limiting core beliefs about always needing to "give everything" transformed his relationship with himself and his family
• Recovery progressed from bed-bound to house-bound to gradually increasing physical activity over approximately 6 months
• Rather than returning to his previous life, Uros is now focused on creating "Uroš 2.0" – integrating recovery lessons into building a more authentic life centered on passion
• The recovery journey revealed five phases: calming the nervous system, removing stressors, gradual reexposure to life, leaving the sick mindset behind, and integrating the lessons learned

Links:

Long Covid Breathing Courses: www.LongCovidBreathing.com

Dr Becca Kennedy: https://resilience-healthcare.com/

Dr Becca Kennedy on the Long Covid Podcast:

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Dr. Diana Driscoll shares her remarkable journey from bedridden POTS patient to pioneering medical researcher developing treatments for autonomic dysfunction. Motivated by her own ten-year battle with post-viral dysautonomia and her children's similar struggles, she created patented solutions when conventional medicine offered no answers.

• POTS is not a disease but a presentation of symptoms related to inflammation affecting the cardiovascular system
• Dr. Driscoll's "Driscoll Theory" identifies high intracranial pressure as a common factor in POTS and dysautonomia
• Her research uncovered neurotransmitter deficiencies, particularly acetylcholine, leading to the development of Parasym Plus
• Inflammation creates oxidative damage, worsening symptoms and creating a vicious cycle that must be broken
• Many POTS patients show signs of blood vessel leakage and blood-brain barrier disruption
• Female patients often face additional challenges due to hormonal fluctuations increasing inflammatory responses
• Recovery requires consistency and understanding your personal inflammatory triggers
• Patients can maintain recovery by being proactive about their health and recognizing early warning signs
• Genetic factors influence inflammatory responses and understanding these can prevent relapse

Parasym Plus Info

www.drdianadriscoll.com

www.potscare.com

www.vagusnervesupport.com

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Recovery doesn't have to be perfect to be effective, and sometimes the very quest for perfect recovery can keep us stuck in our healing journey. Jo Thomas shares her personal experience with overcoming POTS and chronic fatigue, highlighting how shifting mindsets and letting go of perfectionism accelerated her healing process.

• Jo's recovery journey came in layers—medical management first, followed by lifestyle changes and nervous system regulation
• Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overachieving often contribute to chronic fatigue and can hinder recovery
• Focus on responding appropriately to your body rather than pushing for linear progress
• Your responsibility is to take appropriate recovery actions, not to control how your body responds
• What feels like a setback might actually be a normal bodily response to increased activity
• Recovery often means living life differently than before—usually in better alignment with your values
• Becoming overly focused on achieving "full recovery" can create pressure that impedes progress
• Our bodies communicate through symptoms—learning to interpret them rather than fear them is key
• Many people discover that post-recovery life is actually better than pre-illness life
• "Keeping yourself in wellness" becomes a lifelong practice rather than reaching a finish line

Links:

Jo's website: https://jothomascoaching.com/

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Aaron West shares his remarkable two-and-a-half-year journey with Long COVID and his unexpected path to recovery. From being a highly athletic cyclist who once rode across South Carolina in a single day to becoming bedbound with debilitating symptoms, his story demonstrates that recovery is possible—sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

• Previously an avid athlete who competed in triathlons and rode 237 miles across South Carolina in one day
• Contracted COVID in Fall 2021 during the Delta wave
• Developed severe symptoms including persistent cough (500-1,000 times daily), neurological issues, and "electromagnetic pulse" sensations
• Forced to go on disability due to inability to work while coughing
• Found some relief through antihistamines (Zyrtec, Pepcid) and beta blockers
• Practiced pacing using "spoon theory" and heart rate monitoring to manage symptoms
• Experienced a "light switch" recovery after contracting Omicron variant in January 2024
• Post-recovery, rediscovered creative abilities and is now writing a book and running a business
• Emphasizes the importance of community support during illness and recovery
• Doctor described him as someone who came back after being "far gone"

For those still suffering with Long COVID—there is hope. While everyone's recovery journey is different, healing is possible, and sometimes it comes in unexpected ways.

Links:

Aaron's website: https://www.cinejourneys.com

Follow Aaron on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/awest505.bsky.social

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Amy Mooney shares her unique perspective as both an occupational therapist and caregiver to her daughter with ME-CFS, revealing essential insights about rest, recovery, and meaningful approaches to chronic illness management.

• 25 years of occupational therapy experience transformed by caring for her daughter with ME-CFS for the past decade
• Learning to see "beyond the iceberg" - what practitioners miss when they only observe patients during clinical visits
• The concept of "aggressive rest" as an active strategy rather than simply doing nothing
• Understanding different forms of exertion: physical, cognitive, emotional, and sensory
• How each person has different "buckets" for various types of exertion and unique symptom patterns
• The importance of preemptive rest before activities and recuperative rest afterward
• Creating personalized support systems that address individual symptoms and priorities
• Safely testing boundaries rather than pushing through prescribed exercise protocols
• Why prioritizing activities that bring joy and meaning is crucial for quality of life
• Being cautious about delayed responses to increased activity - sometimes PEM hits 3 days later

Amy has been working with Bateman Horne Center to provide education and resources to medical providers, helping ensure patients receive appropriate care focused on true rest rather than harmful exercise regimens.

Links:

• Amy's private practice: www.OT4ME.com
• Bateman Horne Center's rehabilitation professional resources and videos: https://batemanhornecenter.org/providers/mecfs/diagnosing-managing/rehab-professionals/
• Peer-to-peer Facebook group (for therapists only) - PT, OT & SLP Resources for Treating ME/CFS:

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Jackie explores recovery themes in today's episode, as she identifies five key themes that emerge across different healing journeys: consistency in daily practices, mindset that fosters healing, understanding what's happening in your body, building personal strategies, and creating a healing environment.

• Consistency means showing up daily for practices that help, even when progress feels invisible
• Mindset isn't about toxic positivity but creating biochemical conditions for healing through belief in improvement
• Understanding your body's responses and triggers makes interventions more effective and reduces fear
• Building strategies involves creating a personalized toolkit of what actually works for your unique body
• Creating a healing environment means being mindful about what you consume—food, media, thoughts
• Mental health support is crucial, not because illness is psychological but because chronic illness affects mental wellbeing
• Small 1% improvements compound over time into significant progress
• Recovery isn't about finding one miracle cure but assembling your own unique puzzle pieces

Have questions? Contact me through the fan mail function in show notes, social media, email or visit longcovidpodcast.com. Your feedback helps shape future episodes!

Links:

• Podcast feedback form: www.tinyurl.com/LCpodcastfeedback
• Dr Sarah episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/15544786
• Dr Sanjay Gupta (the PoTS specialist) episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/11374770
• My recovery story: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/13235996
• Work with me page: https://www.longcovidpodcast.com/services-1
• Curable app: https://www.curablehealth.com/

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**

Rachael's inspiring journey through long COVID showcases the resilience of the human spirit in the face of ongoing symptoms and challenges. The episode delves into her unique recovery strategies, including her tailored exercise protocols designed specifically for individuals battling long COVID, emphasising the importance of consistency, adaptability, and trust in one's body.

• Rachael redefines recovery as a journey, not solely symptom-free living
• Importance of building confidence through gradual, consistent movement
• Development and success of the "90-Day Rebound Method"
• Emphasis on mindset: focusing on consistency over progression
• Insights on dosage, effort, and individualised exercise approaches
• Real-life success stories from Rachael's coaching
• Flexibility in training to accommodate fluctuating symptoms
• Encouragement for listeners to seek supportive communities in their recovery process

Links:

Our previous episode (Rachael's recovery story):
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1835170/episodes/14084650

Rachael's Website:
www.rebound-athletic.com

Rachael's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rebound.athletic/

Message the podcast! - questions will be answered on my youtube channel :)

For more information about Long Covid Breathing courses & workshops, please check out LongCovidBreathing.com

(music credit - Brock Hewitt, Rule of Life)

Support the show

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs

Transcripts available on individual episodes here

Podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.com
Facebook @LongCovidPodcast
Instagram Twitter @LongCovidPod
Facebook Creativity Group
Subscribe to mailing list

Please get in touch with feedback, suggestions or how you're doing - I love to hear from you, via socials or LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com

**Disclaimer - you should not rely on any medical information contained in this Podcast and related materials in making medical, health-related or other decisions. Please consult a doctor or other health professional**