podcast
05 Jul 2021
Long Covid will be the hallmark of the pandemic and is likely to affect hundreds of thousands of patients for years to come. But because the disease is so new, we have very limited information about how to treat it. Some patients are currently discharged from hospital with no formal recovery plan, which can result in a longer recovery process and prolonged side effects.
So when I heard about the free 12-week specialist recovery programme from Nuffield Health, I wanted to learn more. In addition to physical rehabilitation, the programme includes topics such as coping with fatigue, managing breathlessness, anxiety, low mood, improving sleep and eating for recovery.
I chat with Dr Ben Kelly who leads the Clinical Research, Outcomes and Data Science functions within Nuffield Health. Alongside his Nuffield Health responsibilities, Ben has acted as Head of Interdisciplinary Medicine & Technology at the Medical Research Council, with his clinical expertise in cardiology. Paula Moore also joins us and is a business graduate and certified health and life coach, spending most of her career in senior retail management who personally recovered from chronic stress and fatigue 6 years ago.
We mention the term VO₂ max during the podcast a few times without defining it. Put simply, VO₂ max is the maximum rate of oxygen your body is able to use during exercise. The greater your VO₂ max, the more oxygen your body can consume, and the more effectively your body can use that oxygen to generate the maximum amount of ATP energy. Studies have shown that increasing your VO₂ max can help maintain your health and physical fitness well into your later years. This may have a role in recovery from Long Covid and mitigating symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness.
You can find out everything you need to know about the free 12-week recovery programme for people affected by the long-term symptoms of COVID-19 from the notes below and on the Nuffield Health website that we’ve linked.
We would love to get your feedback on the subject matter of these episodes - please do let me know on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook & Twitter) what you think,and give us a 5* rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today’s episode
And don’t forget to subscribe to The Doctor’s Kitchen newsletter for weekly science based recipes and tips to help you live the healthiest and happiest lifestyle possible.
Dr Ben Kelly:
Dr Ben Kelly leads the Clinical Research, Outcomes and Data Science functions within Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity. His work primarily focuses on whole systems approaches to the tailoring of interventions for the treatment of long-term conditions. Working closely with the NHS, Ben is specialist in designing and implementing new care models that are driven by both healthcare and fitness professionals; particularly focussing on primary and secondary prevention. Alongside his Nuffield Health responsibilities, Ben has acted as Head of Interdisciplinary Medicine & Technology at the Medical Research Council, with his clinical expertise sitting within the cardiac field.
Paula Moore:
Paula is a business graduate and certified health and life coach, spending most of her career in senior retail management. Paula joined Nuffield Health in 2018 in what has been her most rewarding role to date – driving social impact through the Charity’s flagship programmes. Paula acts as the connection between the central office and our specialists delivering interventions on the ground, contributing to people’s recoveries, quality of life and wider social benefit. Having personally recovered from chronic stress and fatigue, every day is a privilege for Paula knowing the work she does is positively changing lives.
Download our app to get access to all of our recipes, with specific suggestions tailored to your health needs.
Sign up to our newsletter and receive a free copy of our breakfast, lunch and dinner plan to kick start your healthy eating.
