The symptoms of COVID-19 are scary enough. What I personally find even more terrifying, is the long-haulers syndrome so many people struggle with months after “recovering” from acute COVID. In many people, lingering symptoms are occurring 6 to 9 months after COVID infection, hence the term long-haulers syndrome. It comes with a slew of symptoms, from fatigue and body aches to difficulty breathing, racing heart, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and more.

COVID-19 was originally viewed as a respiratory disease but we’ve now gained a new understanding of its impact on our blood vessels and how that affects the entire body. There’s no better person to dig into the vascular nature of COVID with than today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. William Li.

Dr. William Li is an internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of one of my favorite books, the New York Times bestseller “Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself.” His groundbreaking work has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments and impacted care for more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease and obesity.

His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views. Dr. Li has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, Live with Kelly & Ryan and the Dr. Oz Show, and he has been featured in USA Today, Time Magazine, The Atlantic, Parade and O Magazine. He is president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation and is leading research into COVID-19.

Dr. Li organized a team of international experts to look at autopsy tissue from those who had died of COVID. They found it not only affected the lungs but also caused microvascular damage, endothelial inflammation, and neuropathy, which better explains the diverse range of symptoms associated with COVID.

Dr. Li and I have each seen certain approaches benefit those who are struggling with long-term symptoms, like hyperbaric oxygen, and we discuss some exciting prospective treatments, like nitric oxide. The body can be a powerful self-healer when given the right tools and ingredients. Dr. Li and I explore how this pandemic has forced us to rethink medicine and what the future of managing COVID might look like.

There’s still so much we have to learn about COVID and addressing long-haulers syndrome. Dr. Li’s research provides a better understanding of what we’re dealing with and why integrative therapies could be so beneficial to address multiple systems at once.