While the majority of infected COVID-19 individuals do recover, a significant proportion (30-60%) continue to experience symptoms and complications a long time after their acute illness. These patients are called COVID 'long-haulers'. Long-haul symptoms can include shortness of breath, cough, fever, fatigue, depression, anxiety, joint and muscle pain, headache, and brain fog.

Long-haulers report prolonged, systemic neurological, cognitive co-morbidity symptomology and significant disabilities long after infection. After seven months, many long-haulers have not yet recovered and continue to experience a wide range of physical and mental/psychological symptoms that can diminish the quality of life (Davis et al., The Lancet 2021).

COVID-19 long-haulers often have serious long term complications affecting the function of their lungs, kidneys, heart, or brain. Others report a sensitivity to light and sounds, excessive bruising, or numbed limbs. Experiencing such disturbing symptoms can take a further toll on mental health and well-being.

Top COVID Long-Haul Symptoms

"There's a whole host of neurological manifestations of COVID infections," says U.H. neurologist Cathy Sila, MD, Director of the Stroke Center at the Neurological Institute at University Hospitals.

The reason why some previously healthy, often young, adults still haven’t recovered from the disease has stymied many physicians, up until now.

Long-Haul Cause is Now Known - Damaged Vagus Nerve

New research suggests the COVID virus attacks the vagus nerve causing Long-Haul Syndrome, says Dr. Gemma Lladós, lead researcher from the University Hospital in Badalona, Spain. The study reports how the COVID-19 virus causes vagus nerve dysfunction (VND), specifically: "Most long COVID subjects had a range of significant, clinically relevant, structural and functional alterations in their vagus nerve, suggesting vagus nerve dysfunction as a central cause of COVID long-haul."

This new research, presented at the annual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases conference, strongly suggests the virus acts on the longest cranial nerve in the human body.

This new hypothesis helps to explain the long list of post-COVID symptoms, including fatigue, anxiety, dysphonia (persistent voice problems), dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), dizziness, and tachycardia (abnormally high heart rate), orthostatic hypotension.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The Vagus Nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and the longest cranial nerve in the human body. It is also the most complex of all nerves that emanate from the brain, responsible for transmitting information from the brain to tissues and organs throughout the body. The vagus nerve represents 80% of our Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), directly controlling digestion, detoxification, and immunity.

Stimulating the vagus nerve can 'wake up' the PNS, benefitting us in various ways, for example stomach acid and digestive enzyme production increase, ensuring the proper and sustained absorption of vital nutrients. Blood pressure is lowered, and the immune system is activated, thereby reducing body-wide  inflammation(Pavlov 2012). Stimulating the vagus nerve also causes hormones and enzymes like oxytocin and acetylcholine to be stimulated, aiding the body's general health and improving psychological wellbeing.

The key to optimal health is to have a high vagal tone. This is because low tone (as in the obese or elderly) is associated with increased inflammation, respiratory dysfunction, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (Gidron 2018, Lietke 2018). Stimulation and treatment of this vital nerve can provide significant relief for many suffering long haulers.

Health Canada Authorizes Vagus Nerve Therapy for Treating COVID Long-Haul

Health Canada now recognizes that vagal nerve therapy may be helpful to long-haulers and has authorized Dolphin Vagal Stimulation to treat COVID Long-haul symptoms, including shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, headaches, brain fog, etc.

Dolphin Vagal Stim Only Health Canada Authorized Therapy

The Dolphin Vagal Nerve Stimulator produces minute microcurrent impulses that gently relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and release endorphins. This recent authorization from Health Canada makes Dolphin VNS the only government-authorized COVID-19 long-haul therapy available to the public.

"Dolphin VNS therapy is a promising new therapy to combat the lingering adverse effects of long-haul chronic symptoms," says company spokesperson Yulia Kramarenko.

"Dolphin Vagal stim is proven effective for many long-haul symptoms. The conveniently applied Dolphin VNS enables a potentially life-changing intervention in any home or clinical setting with minimal training or supervision."

"I am amazed! This treatment has given me back some of the 'normal' that I had lost due to COVID. This technology is brilliant. Thank you." – J.A.

Read more testimonials and learn more about VNS treatments by following Dolphin Neurostim™ on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Toll-free: 800.567-7246

The abundant sunshine, beaches, and several other unique features make Spain a fantastic place to live. Individuals from the European Union find it very easy to move to Spain since they don't need a residence permit or work visa before living in Spain. However, things have changed a little for UK citizens now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union. So, you may wonder, can I move to Spain from UK after Brexit?

UK citizens can still move to Spain after Brexit, though not as easy as it used to be before Brexit. While UK citizens can still move to Spain without a visa, they can't stay in Spain for more than 90 days.

If you are a UK citizen and you wish to stay in Spain for more than 90 days, you must obtain a visa stating a genuine reason why you need to live in Spain for more than 90 days. The requirements for moving to Spain from the UK vary just as the reasons vary also. Kindly read on to see the categories UK citizens can move to Spain.

How to Move from UK to Spain After Brexit

Most of the requirements for moving to Spain from the UK have changed after Brexit. The requirements vary based on the mode of application.

• AS AN INDIVIDUAL

UK citizens can move into Spain as individuals, including unemployed individuals. However, unemployed individuals must formally prove that they have enough funds to cover the cost of living in Spain and apply for a non-lucrative visa. Both employed and unemployed individuals must have a medical certificate to prove good health before moving to Spain.

UK individuals without a visa can legally stay in Spain for a maximum of 90 days. You must consider a visitor visa first if you wish to remain in Spain longer than 90 days.

• AS A WORKER

If you are moving to Spain as a worker after Brexit, you must have a contract for your employment. You must also have formal proof of payment you have received in the past. If you work for a Spanish organization, you need to obtain a Spanish work permit through your organization. If you are self-employed, you need to prove that your business is legal and obtain a self-employed visa.

A UK citizen working in Spain can stay within the country all through the period that his/her work and residency visa is valid. A work and residency visa has a validity period of one year and can be renewed when it expires.

• AS A FAMILY

A UK family planning to move to Spain must have a residency visa. The Spanish residency can easily be extended to one's spouse and children, so just one residency visa is enough for a whole family while moving to Spain. Often, one family member will need to move to Spain alone and live there for a certain period to obtain a residency visa.

 • AS A STUDENT

You need a student visa before moving to Spain as a student. Also, you must prove that you have registered in a Spanish educational institution and have enough funds to support your stay in Spain. Students who are UK citizens can reside in Spain for the duration of their study program.

Can UK Citizens Get a Spanish Residency?

UK citizens can obtain both temporary and permanent Spanish residency. Here are the ways you can get this done:

TEMPORARY SPANISH RESIDENCY

Temporary Spanish residency allows UK citizens to live in Spain for more than 90 days but not more than five years. To obtain a temporary Spanish residence, UK citizens need to apply for temporary Spanish residency and submit the following together with the residency form:

PERMANENT SPANISH RESIDENCY

As the name implies, permanent Spanish residency allows UK citizens to live in Spain for as long as they want. If you wish to obtain a permanent Spanish residence, you must first move to Spain, get a temporary Spanish residency, and stay in the country for at least five consecutive years. After that, you should apply for permanent Spanish residency. These are the documents you must submit together with your residency form:

Final Thoughts

Brexit doesn't hinder UK citizens from moving into Spain. However, the time and effort required to process immigration documents of UK citizens have increased significantly after Brexit. Hence, UK citizens might encounter delays or difficulties when moving to Spain after Brexit. To make things easier, you can seek counsel from an immigration expert.