Post-COVID Syndrome: Evidence Suggesting Positive Effects of Whole-Body Hyperthermia
The artificially increasing body temperature is a therapeutic approach that aims to stimulate the human immune system and activate the patient's self-healing capabilities. A recently published retrospective analysis investigated the course of disease in hospitalized patients with Post-COVID Syndrome (Long COVID). These patients received whole-body hyperthermia as part of a multimodal therapy concept.
The therapeutic rationale for its use was based on the immune system dysregulation and symptoms such as fibromyalgia-like pain, exhaustion and depression that often persist in post-Covid syndrome. Hardly any scientific data has so far been available on this.
The hyperthermia treatments for the study patients took place at the anthroposophic Paracelsus Hospital in Unterlengenhardt (DE) and were supplemented by conventional and anthroposophic medical interventions. The therapeutic effect of whole-body hyperthermia was measured using specific patient questionnaires and the collection of clinical data both at the time of hospital admission and four weeks after discharge.
Overall, the results of this case series indicate an improved health status, in some cases significantly. Sixty-three percent of the surveyed patients identified whole-body hyperthermia as an effective treatment.
The study therefore provides initial evidence of potentially positive effects of whole-body hyperthermia in post-Covid syndrome as part of a multimodal therapeutic approach. It is published and freely available online: