Bacterial Vaginosis and Fertility
April 7, 2025
Nutrition and lifestyle factors to reduce sperm DNA fragmentation
April 14, 2025
This webinar was delivered by Ciara Wright PhD for the Long Covid Advocacy Ireland (LCAI) group. LCAI is run by a very dedicated team of volunteers and is Ireland’s only formal advocacy group for patients. Their website is an excellent source of information and supports for patients.
Introduction to gut health
We are delighted to contribute in some small way by providing some educational webinars for patients. This first webinar (January 2025) covers an introduction to gut health. While the causes and pathologies in Long Covid are multisystemic and complex, the gut and our microbiome may be connected in many ways. The gut is also a primary site of infection during acute Sars-CoV-2 infection. Optimising your gut health is not going to be a silver bullet. However, it may help to support other systems in recovery.
Some of the proposed underlying causes in Long Covid are microclotting and coagulation, immune dysregulation and inflammation along with disrupted autonomic responses. In this webinar, Ciara explains how the gut microbiome and gut barrier can influence each of these underlying causes. She discusses how the gut microbiome can become imbalanced after infection. There can be damage to the immune defences and the protective gut lining causing leaky gut. With about 80% of the immune system residing at the gut, just beneath this protective lining, a leaky gut can give rise to numerous immune reactions. These include autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation or even immune exhaustion.
Testing options
Ciara discusses test options; at Positive Nutrition we always recommend using a stool test that includes markers of inflammation, leaky gut and digestive capacity along with all the bacteria, yeasts and parasites. This information is critical for an effective gut protocol to address immune imbalances coming from the gut.
Personalised approach
Ciara also talks about dietary and supplement supports though in reality there are many to choose from. A personalised protocol is always going to be best. A stool analysis coupled with a detailed patient background often tells a whole story of health. A Nutritional Therapist can help you to understand how you got to where you are, and importantly, how to optimise your gut health.
The slides for this talk are available here
If you would like to know more about how we can help Long Covid patients address this multi-faceted illness, please just get in touch.
