Natto? My Exploration of Micro-clotting and Nattokinase
Hi friend,
I learned early on that having Long Covid means assuming whatever role the occasion calls for. Patient, doctor, guinea pig, investigator. I became ill before there was even a name for the disease, just an array of symptoms with no concrete explanation. Were they related to COVID? Were they not? Who knew?
Since then specialists, advocates, researchers have emerged sharing insights online, writing papers and conducting studies. Of course given the lack of clear diagnostic criteria and because we rely on patient self-reporting, the deniers followed. Many calling the illness into question and using methods straight from the ME/CFS silencing playbook. These loud voices vying for attention make it increasingly difficult to find information about what we can safely try to alleviate or (better yet) treat our symptoms. On top of that depending on where you’re based, healthcare professionals often do not know what to test or try to help us feel better. That’s why I am weary when I see a new drug or supplement to try that is being hailed as a potential end to this madness (ivermectin anyone?). I used to get a huge jolt of excitement that I might have found the key to the beginning of the rest of my life. Now I taper that feeling and wait to see that treatment being mentioned upwards of twenty times before doing some research.
We are reaching the stage where a few theories are starting to crystallise about what could be driving long COVID. For months I have not stopped hearing about micro-clots. I decided to a deep-dive and here’s what I’ve learnt so far:
They could be responsible for symptoms including debilitating fatigue, brain fog and many others
In the studies done found so far micro-clots were found in nearly all the Long Covid patients and none of the healthy controls
There are still many unanswered questions. Are they found in people who recover from an acute infection? What symptoms do they create? Are they a side effect of Long Covid or are they driving Long Covid symptoms?
Tests are not widely available globally let alone treatments, but there’s a lot of research going into existing anti-platelet and anti-coagulant drugs used together to break down the clots
There are also over-the-counter enzyme supplements that work as natural clot busters (serrapeptase, lumbrokinase and nattokinase), which many long-haulers are taking to trying while sharing their experiences online
If you’re interested in learning more I’d recommend this series on Gez Medinger’s YouTube channel as a great starting point
After doing said research, I spent the last six weeks doing a little experiment of my own. I found several accounts from Long Covid patients who have almost or fully recovered using serrapeptase, lumbrokinase or nattokinase. I figured these over-the-counter supplements could be a low risk way for me to take recovery in my own hands. I started off taking 2000 FUs of nattokinase every morning on an empty stomach. My original plan was to take 60,000 units of serrapeptase at the same time to maximise potential benefits, but after several days of nausea and worsening symptoms I gave up on that.
Over the last six weeks I have had some of the best days symptom-wise as well as some of the worst. I had two weeks with little fatigue where I bounced back much quicker from activity, followed by three really difficult weeks. Over the last week my symptoms seem to have levelled out. I’ve heard from others that things get worse before they get better, so I will be sticking with it.
If you’re interested in testing these supplements out, here are a few tips:
Do your research about what interactions these supplements might have with existing medication (here’s a useful blog from
on this topic)Take these enzymes on an empty stomach with water
Make sure to order supplements that are enteric coated (this means slow releasing)
During this time I was reminded that the road to recovery is meandering and complicated. That sadly there are more answers than questions so far. Despite the bad weeks, the good days have given me some much needed glimmers of hope. Glimmers of hope that tell me there will be more to come.
Naïma