Clinician • Founder • Pain and Long COVID Specialist
Understanding long COVID and Severe ME/CFS with Dr Robert Groysman.
In the lead-up to Severe ME/CFS Day on August 8, Emerge Australia is proud to present a compelling episode of the Emerge Australia Imagine podcast series. Join CEO Anne Wilson in conversation with Dr Robert Groysman, a pioneering pain and long COVID specialist based in Texas, US.
Dr Groysman was among the earliest doctors in the US to treat long COVID, and his personal experience with the condition inspired him to develop a groundbreaking, personalised framework for understanding and treating complex, invisible illnesses. His research uncovers six interconnected biological mechanisms – dysautonomia, mitochondrial dysfunction, endothelial damage, gut dysbiosis, MCAS and excess histamine, and hormonal imbalance – that create diverse symptom profiles in long COVID and ME/CFS patients. His innovative approach has transformed patient care and offers hope for those living with severe symptoms.
It is most important to have an early diagnosis because if we catch it early there is a good chance we could be able to reverse things. Unfortunately some people have been living with ME/CFS for 30 or 40 years without diagnosis and treatment and then it is difficult to address.
In this insightful episode, Dr Groysman discusses the vital linkages between long COVID and ME/CFS, the challenges faced by patients with invisible illnesses, and the urgent need for tailored, comprehensive treatment strategies. He shares his perspectives on improving recognition within the medical community, addressing the needs of severely affected individuals, and closing critical gaps in research and healthcare support.
I try to treat the mechanisms that are amendable to being fixed – the person’s quality of life can improve … Doctors – don’t just treat the symptoms – you need to go after the mechanisms. I encourage clinicians to look at the causative mechanisms or biological causes of symptoms. For example if someone has brain fog, there could be many causative factors – it could be the gut, blood flow, insomnia, neuroinflammation or other conditions – we need to treat the primary drivers of symptoms to improve outcomes for patients.
Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, or advocate, this conversation offers valuable insights and a message of hope. Tune in to learn how lessons from long COVID can inform better understanding and treatment of Severe ME/CFS and discover how we can all work together to improve the lives of those impacted by these complex conditions.
We are grateful for Emerge Australia’s Ambassador Bloom sharing her rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine to open and close our podcasts.
