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Treatment with Eurythmy Therapy after COVID-19 Disease -An Expert Consultation

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Katharina Gerlach at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
Katharina Gerlach
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Treatment with Eurythmy therapy after a COVID-19 illness
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Treatment with Eurythmy Therapy after COVID-19 Disease -An Expert
Consultation
K. Gerlach, RIArT – Research Institute for Creative Arts Therapies, Institute for Eurythmy Therapy, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
Question
Different studies describe an affection and a long-
lasting impairment of the essential organ functions
after a COVID-19 disease. In traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM) the connection between organ
damage and mental disorders is considered
fundamental. To give just one example, a relationship
between fatigue and liver damage has also been
described outside TCM. Thus, it may be that some of
the long-lasting symptoms are due to organ damage of
the lungs, liver, kidney and heart. In Eurythmy Therapy
(EYT) the respective symptom is treated with regard to
the individual constitution of the patient: The organ
connection is always taken into consideration when
choosing a therapy concept e.g. the kidney in anxiety.
With which treatment concepts could already be
made experiences in the treatment of Long Covid?
Results
The The following symptoms were reported: Respiratory
problems, exhaustion, depression, insomnia, anxiety,
cough, headache, aching limbs. In the therapeutic
process, these observations and statements of the
patients were described: Exhaustion feels like exhaustion
after Pfeiffer's glandular fever; “Like” PTSD; Fever has
increased tension from everyday life; Arms and upper
body were so quickly fatigued: initially after 5 minutes,
legs rather not. It was further described that children, if
they are not pre-diseased, usually have no further
problems after an illness. In adults, the disease seems to
raise major life issues up to a reorientation. A catalog of
28 proven exercises for the corresponding symptoms has
been compiled, such as L(AOU)M (Regulation of
respiration and overall metabolism) LMO (for exhaustion
connected to the liver), LMNR (for depression), LMS (for
aching limbs), IAO (connected to lung, kidney and liver: for
anxiety and headache) negation/affirmation (for
shortness of breath), A (for anxiety)/A-adoration (for
insomnia) both connected to kidney).
Method
2 conferences of 75 minutes each on 16.5.2021, 1 held
in German, the other in English, organized by
International Coordination of Anthroposophic
Medicine Eurythmy Therapy (IKAM-EYT) took place
with the question with which exercises colleagues
worldwide have dealt with symptoms in connection
with Covid-19 diseases. The focus should be on
treatments after an illness, but also the handling of
the pandemic situation as such incl. preventive
measures was discussed. Participants were altogether
approx. 30 participants from Germany, Netherlands,
Switzerland, Great Britain, USA, Czech Republic,
Russia, Armenia, Norway, Sweden. 8 of the
participants were already involved in treatment after
COVID-19 disease.
Conclusion
The reported symptoms are in accordance with the
currently internationally published data [6]. The question
of a new self-world relation is well described [7] and
appears often in treatment with EYT. That adults after
COVID-19 disease raise the question of reorientation,
suggests that the ego organization is particularly
challenged by the disease. The whole exercise catalogue
is now being further tested and discussed in professional
circles.
What are your experiences in the treatment of Long Covid?
Please contact me: katharina.gerlach@alanus.edu
References
[1] T. Mokhtari, F. Hassani, N. Ghaffari, B. Ebrahimi, A. Yarahmadi, und G. Hassanzadeh, „COVID-19 and multiorgan failure: A narrative review on potential mechanisms“, J. Mol. Histol.,
Bd. 51, Nr. 6, S. 613–628, Dez. 2020, doi: 10.1007/s10735-020-09915-3.
[2] T. Denning, „The Connection Between Your Emotions and Your Organs“, Aug. 16, 2020. https://www.nspirement.com/2020/08/16/the-connection-between-our-emotions-and-our-
organs.html
[3] M. G. Swain und D. E. J. Jones, „Fatigue in chronic liver disease: New insights and therapeutic approaches“, Liver Int., Bd. 39, Nr. 1, S. 6–19, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1111/liv.13919.
[4] M. Kirchner-Bockholt, Grundelemente der Heil-Eurythmie. Dornach: Verl. am Goetheanum, 2010.
[5] HIRICARE, Tais Pérez-Dominguez u. a., „Progresión de la enfermedad renal crónica. Prevalencia de ansiedad y depresión en la poliquistosis renal autosómica dominante“, Nefrología,
Nr. 32, Mai 2012, doi: 10.3265/Nefrologia.pre2012.Feb.11379.
[6] H. E. Davis u. a., „Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact“, EClinicalMedicine, S. 101019, Juli 2021, doi:
10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101019.
[7] verfügbar unter https://www.resilienz-akademie.com/die-phasen-der-krisenbewaeltigung/, abgerufen am 19.8.2021
»Human and Planetary Health –
Die Verantwortung der Medizin für Mensch und Natur«
14. – 19.9. 2021, Goetheanum, Dornach
... EYT exercises as movement meditations were widely applied to meet mental health symptoms in the treatment after a COVID-19 illness. They were reported to give relief, orientation [6] and strengthened resilience: "one can work his way back" like described by Antonova et al. and Philipe et al. [1] [2]. Some of the applied exercises are well known as body related movement meditations [8]. ...
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Long COVID from the Perspective of Anthroposophic Medicine – Symptoms and Treatment Options, https://www.anthromedics.org/PRA-0993-EN
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2021
A growing number of people are affected by a Long COVID syndrome with often long-lasting, significant impairment of their health. Different pictures with prolonged hyperinflammation, damage and functional restriction of the musculature, the heart, the nervous system and the sensory organs occur. A relatively large group of rather younger patients shows symptoms of post-viral chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis syndrome (CFS/MES). These patients more often had a rather mild COVID-19 course and may subsequently develop long-lasting CF/ME symptoms. This article presents aspects for an understanding the disorder as well as a multimodal treatment concept of Anthroposophic Medicine.
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Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2021
Background A significant number of patients with COVID-19 experience prolonged symptoms, known as Long COVID. Few systematic studies have investigated this population, particularly in outpatient settings. Hence, relatively little is known about symptom makeup and severity, expected clinical course, impact on daily functioning, and return to baseline health. Methods We conducted an online survey of people with suspected and confirmed COVID-19, distributed via COVID-19 support groups (e.g. Body Politic, Long COVID Support Group, Long Haul COVID Fighters) and social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook). Data were collected from September 6, 2020 to November 25, 2020. We analyzed responses from 3762 participants with confirmed (diagnostic/antibody positive; 1020) or suspected (diagnostic/antibody negative or untested; 2742) COVID-19, from 56 countries, with illness lasting over 28 days and onset prior to June 2020. We estimated the prevalence of 203 symptoms in 10 organ systems and traced 66 symptoms over seven months. We measured the impact on life, work, and return to baseline health. Findings For the majority of respondents (>91%), the time to recovery exceeded 35 weeks. During their illness, participants experienced an average of 55.9+/- 25.5 (mean+/-STD) symptoms, across an average of 9.1 organ systems. The most frequent symptoms after month 6 were fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and cognitive dysfunction. Symptoms varied in their prevalence over time, and we identified three symptom clusters, each with a characteristic temporal profile. 85.9% of participants (95% CI, 84.8% to 87.0%) experienced relapses, primarily triggered by exercise, physical or mental activity, and stress. 86.7% (85.6% to 92.5%) of unrecovered respondents were experiencing fatigue at the time of survey, compared to 44.7% (38.5% to 50.5%) of recovered respondents. 1700 respondents (45.2%) required a reduced work schedule compared to pre-illness, and an additional 839 (22.3%) were not working at the time of survey due to illness. Cognitive dysfunction or memory issues were common across all age groups (~88%). Except for loss of smell and taste, the prevalence and trajectory of all symptoms were similar between groups with confirmed and suspected COVID-19. Interpretation Patients with Long COVID report prolonged, multisystem involvement and significant disability. By seven months, many patients have not yet recovered (mainly from systemic and neurological/cognitive symptoms), have not returned to previous levels of work, and continue to experience significant symptom burden. Funding All authors contributed to this work in a voluntary capacity. The cost of survey hosting (on Qualtrics) and publication fee was covered by AA's research grant (Wellcome Trust/Gatsby Charity via Sainsbury Wellcome center, UCL).
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COVID-19 and multiorgan failure: A narrative review on potential mechanisms
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2020
  • J MOL HISTOL
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) in December 2019 form Wuhan, China leads to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While the common cold symptoms are observed in mild cases, COVID-19 is accompanied by multiorgan failure in severe patients. The involvement of different organs in severe patients results in lengthening the hospitalization duration and increasing the mortality rate. In this review, we aimed to investigate the involvement of different organs in COVID-19 patients, particularly in severe cases. Also, we tried to define the potential underlying mechanisms of SARS-CoV2 induced multiorgan failure. The multi-organ dysfunction is characterized by acute lung failure, acute liver failure, acute kidney injury, cardiovascular disease, and as well as a wide spectrum of hematological abnormalities and neurological disorders. The most important mechanisms are related to the direct and indirect pathogenic features of SARS-CoV2. Although the presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, a receptor of SARS-CoV2 in the lung, heart, kidney, testis, liver, lymphocytes, and nervous system was confirmed, there are controversial findings to about the observation of SARS-CoV2 RNA in these organs. Moreover, the organ failure may be induced by the cytokine storm, a result of increased levels of inflammatory mediators, endothelial dysfunction, coagulation abnormalities, and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the organs. Therefore, further investigations are needed to detect the exact mechanisms of pathogenesis. Since the involvement of several organs in COVID-19 patients is important for clinicians, increasing their knowledge may help to improve the outcomes and decrease the rate of mortality and morbidity.
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Fatigue in chronic liver disease: New insights and therapeutic approaches
Article
  • Jun 2018
The management of fatigue associated with chronic liver disease is a complex and major clinical challenge. Although fatigue can complicate many chronic diseases, it is particularly common in diseases with an inflammatory component. Fatigue can have both peripheral (i.e., neuromuscular) and central (i.e., resulting from changes in neurotransmission within the brain) causes. However, fatigue in chronic liver disease has strong social/contextual components and is often associated with behavioural alterations including depression and anxiety. Given the increasing awareness of patient‐reported outcomes as important components of treatment outcomes and clinical research, there is a growing need to better understand and manage this poorly understood yet debilitating symptom. Although several pathophysiological mechanisms for explaining the development of fatigue have been generated, our understanding of fatigue in patients with chronic liver disease remains incomplete. A better understanding of the pathways and neurotransmitter systems involved may provide specific directed therapies. Currently, the management of fatigue in chronic liver disease can involve a combined use of methods to beneficially alter behavioural components and pharmacological interventions, of which several treatments have potential for the improved management of fatigue in chronic liver disease. However, evidence and consensus are lacking on the best approach and the most appropriate biochemical target(s) whilst clinical trials to address this issue have been few and limited by small sample size. In this review, we outline current understanding of the impact of fatigue and related symptoms in chronic liver disease, discuss theories of pathogenesis, and examine current and emerging approaches to its treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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The Connection Between Your Emotions and Your Organs
  • Aug 2020
  • T Denning
T. Denning, "The Connection Between Your Emotions and Your Organs", Aug. 16, 2020. https://www.nspirement.com/2020/08/16/the-connection-between-our-emotions-and-ourorgans.html
Progresión de la enfermedad renal crónica. Prevalencia de ansiedad y depresión en la poliquistosis renal autosómica dominante
  • May 2012
  • Tais Hiricare
  • Pérez-Dominguez U
HIRICARE, Tais Pérez-Dominguez u. a., "Progresión de la enfermedad renal crónica. Prevalencia de ansiedad y depresión en la poliquistosis renal autosómica dominante", Nefrología, Nr. 32, Mai 2012, doi: 10.3265/Nefrologia.pre2012.Feb.11379.