Long Covid: Nutrient Absorption Dysfunction

The second subtype to repair

See my earlier posts on subtype 1: Kidney-Electrolyte Imbalance. I believe these systems need to be restored in this order to avoid crashes and overwhelming the body.

Partial Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. What worked for me may not work for others. I am providing this for educational and information purposes only. Always consult a healthcare provider before beginning any treatments. (Full disclaimer at the bottom.)

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I’m Andrew, a systems thinker who used my background with a BSc in Biology to help find ways to help solve for deficiencies in my body due to the damage from Long Covid. It started with my wife, who got hit hard in the early days of the pandemic. Then it came for me a few years later. Fatigue, brain fog, weird nerve symptoms, gut chaos. It felt like our bodies had become black boxes, mysterious and malfunctioning.

Doctors didn’t have many answers. So I became the researcher I needed. I dug into physiology, biochemistry, holistic medicine, and mountains of patient stories. And through a lot of trial, error, spreadsheet-wrangling, and autistic pattern-recognition, I started to piece together a framework: different subtypes of Long Covid damage that each needed their own first-aid strategy. It was an n=1 study, a mix of science and anecdote, something I call Long Covid Alchemy.

This post is my second map to help others understand what I discovered about the terrain of this disease. And some guidance on how they might be able to find their own way out. This is one of the big ones: the nutrient absorption dysfunction subtype.

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Gut Instability: The Hidden Saboteur

You’re eating well. Taking supplements. Trying to do everything right.

But somehow… nothing’s working.

You’re still exhausted. Your nails are brittle. Your digestion is a mess. You feel nutrient-deficient even though you're stuffing yourself with nutrients.

I call this Nutrient Absorption Dysfunction—when your body can’t use the nutrients you’re giving it.

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Main Clues

Sound familiar?

• Bloating or pain after eating

• Loose stools or alternating constipation

• Weird food sensitivities

• Constant fatigue that doesn't lift with B12 or iron

• Mouth ulcers, brittle nails, or dry skin

• Cravings for protein or salty foods

• Pale tongue or "geographic tongue"

• Stomach feels like it’s not digesting properly

These are the signs your gut isn’t processing or absorbing nutrients the way it should.

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Why This Happens

COVID doesn’t just mess with the lungs and nerves—it can trash your digestion too. Here’s what I believe goes wrong in this subtype:

• Malabsorption: Damage to the gut lining reduces your ability to absorb nutrients like B12, iron, magnesium, and fat-soluble vitamins.

• Microbiome Imbalance: Antibiotics, inflammation, and stress can wipe out beneficial microbes, making digestion inefficient and prone to overgrowths (like SIBO or Candida).

• Inflammation: The gut lining becomes irritated and leaky, triggering immune responses and reducing nutrient uptake.

• Low Enzymes or Acid: Many Long Covid patients develop low stomach acid or low pancreatic output, further degrading digestion.

Even if you're eating a perfect diet, your gut might be too inflamed or underpowered to extract what it needs.

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What Helped Me Recover

Here’s what I did to start repairing this system. Your mileage may vary, but this was a turning point for me.

1. I Stopped Chasing Calories and Started Soothing Inflammation

I switched to gentle, anti-inflammatory foods. Cooked veggies. Broths. Simple proteins. Nothing raw or hard to digest. This gave my gut a chance to cool off and heal.

2. I Added Digestive Support

• Cayenne pepper before meals to stimulate acid and bile

• Digestive enzymes with meals to help break down food

• Betaine HCl for stomach acid support

3. I Focused on B12 and Iron

I wasn’t absorbing enough from food. So I tried methylcobalamin B12 (sublingual) and gentle iron forms like iron bisglycinate. I paired them with vitamin C and avoided taking them near calcium or coffee.

4. I Rebuilt the Microbiome

I used:

• Probiotics (like Bacillus subtilis HU58, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086)

• Prebiotics (like partially hydrolyzed guar gum / PHGG)

• Occasional herbs like berberine or oregano to keep overgrowths in check

5. I Fed the Gut Wall

Collagen, gelatin, bone broth. These became staples. I also took L-glutamine, a key fuel for gut cells. Zinc carnosine helped soothe inflammation.

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What I Ate to Rebuild

These foods became my allies:

• For Iron & B12: Liver, shellfish, grass-fed beef, eggs

• For Gut Soothing: Bone broth, gelatin, aloe vera juice

• For Microbiome Support: Cooked greens, leeks, green bananas (prebiotic starch)

• For Enzymes: Pineapple, papaya, apple cider vinegar

Sometimes less is more, especially if your gut is raw and reactive. Start gentle.

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Why This Matters

Until I fixed my nutrient absorption, nothing else worked. I couldn’t raise energy, restore nerves, or support mitochondria if I was leaking resources out the bottom. Your gut is your gateway to healing, it’s the supply chain to the rest of the body.

If you’ve been supplementing like crazy and not feeling any better, your gut might be the bottleneck.

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Please Consider Supporting This Work

While I’m working to share everything I know about Long COVID, how it works, why it lingers, and most importantly, how to fight back, a lot of my time still goes into just keeping the lights on.

If you’ve found my posts helpful, or if you want to see more deep dives, practical guides, treatment breakdowns, and community tools, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Every subscription helps me spend more time researching, writing, and building resources for those still navigating this beast.

Your support doesn’t just help me, it helps the whole Long COVID community.

What’s Next

This is post #2 in my “First Aid for Long Covid” series. I’m building a roadmap based on the five most critical subtypes of Long Covid damage. I believe these have to be addressed first, before fancier treatments, before nootropics, before even mitochondrial support.

This one’s about the gut. The next will be about the mitochondria.

Stay tuned, and remember:

You’re not broken. You’re just undernourished, because your body is struggling to process what you give it. And that can be fixed.

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All the best in your recovery,

Andrew, the Long Covid Alchemist

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Disclaimer: This Substack post and any links are provided for informational purposes only, based on a science-driven and holistic approach to common Long Covid health concerns. The author is not a licensed medical professional, and nothing shared here is intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your healthcare regimen.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and usefulness of the information provided, errors or omissions may still exist. This content should not be considered exhaustive or authoritative and is not a substitute for professional medical guidance. This work will undoubtably be edited and amending in the future.

Some remedies, protocols, or supplements discussed here may not be reviewed or approved by regulatory bodies such as the FDA or Health Canada. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own discretion and risk.

The author assumes no liability for any harm, injury, or loss arising from the use or misuse of any information provided in this post, or any accompanying documents. This includes any consequences related to the use of plants, supplements, or other substances mentioned.

Names and identifying details may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

© Andrew Murrie 2025. All rights reserved.