Dr. Courtney Craig

03/11/2025

New Video Alert!

I sometimes get asked where my nutrition recommendations come from since there is no direct diet research in ME/CFS.

It's a good question!
Learn more in 6:30 minutes.

https://youtu.be/ZZ_7Jw5rAfc?si=pzRhHIos2R6BpYis

Have you ever wondered about nutrition recommendations for ME/CFS or long COVID? This video addresses the lack of direct research and explains how experts ma...

28/10/2025

🧬 Another “blood test for ME/CFS”?
The headlines about the new EpiSwitch study sound exciting—but there’s an important catch.

I unpack why that matters and why a true biomarker for ME/CFS is still a long way off.

👉 Read the full post: https://www.postviralnutrition.com/blog/mecfs-biomarker-episwitch-hype

Every few years, new headlines promise a biomarker for ME/CFS. Learn why most fail, what’s behind the EpiSwitch test, and why real progress will take a cluster of biomarkers.

22/10/2025

A review paper is making the rounds with the sensational headline: “COVID-19 is Airborne AIDS.” Please read this critically—the science does not support that comparison.

🦠 COVID-19 is not like HIV/AIDS.
HIV is a lifelong virus that attacks and destroys the immune system. COVID-19 does not do this. While it can affect the immune system temporarily or cause long COVID in some, most people recover their immune function after infection.

🧬 COVID-19 doesn’t “hide” in your body like HIV or herpes.
There’s no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 becomes a chronic or latent virus. Most people clear it completely after infection. The idea that COVID creates long-term “carriers” like HIV is misleading.

⚠️ Scary headlines ≠ scientific consensus.
Even immunologists have called this “Airborne AIDS” claim scientifically inaccurate and irresponsible. Oversimplifying COVID this way can harm public understanding—especially for communities already impacted by post-viral conditions like ME/CFS.

Yes, COVID is serious. But we need accurate science, not fear-based framing. I hope this paper gets retracted.

https://www.ajpmfocus.org/article/S2773-0654(25)00146-4/fulltext

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is often compared to other pandemics for its societal and global health impact, with some commentators drawing parallels to HIV/AIDS due to the immune dysfunction caused by both viruses (1-4).

16/10/2025

Great piece today in Rolling Stone...

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/long-covid-kids-school-absenteeism-1235447552/

Long Covid is affecting hundreds of thousands of kids in America, and many doctors and schools refuse to recognize their illness.

13/10/2025

There’s almost no direct nutrition research for postviral illnesses like ME/CFS or long-haul COVID (PASC).

So you might wonder how on earth I make nutrition recommendations for these conditions!

The answer: I look to aging research.

These illnesses mimic aging phenotypes—meaning the body behaves biologically older than its actual age. And while we may never have robust nutrition trials for ME/CFS or PASC, we do have decades of high-quality research on how diet supports older adults. That research becomes a powerful guide for supporting the same systems disrupted in postviral illness: muscle, mitochondria, the immune system, and the gut.

I break down what this means and how it translates into real-world nutrition strategies in my latest blog post:

👉 Read the full post here: https://www.postviralnutrition.com/blog/nutrition-mecfs-long-covid-aging-research

Discover how decades of aging research guide nutrition for ME/CFS and long-haul COVID/PASC—from protein and micronutrients to fiber and caloric strategies.

08/10/2025

Many common pathogens—including herpesviruses like Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), SARS-CoV-2, and even some bacteria and parasites—can persist long after the initial infection. These pathogens interfere with your body’s immune defenses, energy production, and even the way your genes work.

This helps explain why conditions like ME/CFS and long COVID look and feel like accelerated aging, even in young or middle-aged people.

Watch the full video on YouTube
👉 https://youtu.be/86FsPRoSZo8?si=JHkzBHj-A2i3l2y6

02/10/2025

When I got sick with ME/CFS at 15, I felt decades older than I was.
And even now, in my 40s, that sense of being “aged beyond my years” hasn’t gone away.

It turns out, science backs this up.
Research shows that ME/CFS and long COVID (PASC) mimic accelerated aging—from shortened telomeres and “zombie cells” to mitochondrial dysfunction and muscle decline.

In a new blog, I dive into:
🔹 Why ME/CFS and PASC are considered “aging phenotypes”
🔹 How viruses like EBV and SARS-CoV-2 drive premature aging
🔹 What this means for lifespan and long-term outlook
🔹 Why it matters for nutrition and other treatment strategies

📖 Read the full post here: https://www.postviralnutrition.com/blog/mecfs-long-covid-accelerated-aging

Our bodies carrying the weight of time long before the calendar says so.

Discover how ME/CFS and long COVID/Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID (PASC) resemble accelerated aging. Explore research on mitochondria, telomeres, immunity, and muscle changes.

22/09/2025

Living with fibromyalgia or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) often means daily pain and inflammation that standard medications don’t fully address.

A supplement called PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) is gaining attention for its ability to calm overactive nerves and mast cells, offering a safe and natural way to support pain relief.

In my latest blog post, I break down:

- What PEA is and how it works
- The difference between micronized and ultra-micronized forms
- What the research says about PEA for fibromyalgia pain
- How PEA may support those with MCAS
- Practical tips for dosing and choosing a quality supplement

If you’ve been looking for natural ways to complement your chronic pain plan, this article is for you.

🔗 Read the full blog here: https://www.postviralnutrition.com/blog/pea-fibromyalgia-pain-relief

Discover how PEA (palmitoylethanolamide) can reduce fibromyalgia pain and calm mast cells. Learn about dosing, safety, and best formulations.

15/09/2025

Our microbiome is so much more than our guts. It is also our nasopharynx.

Are snot transplants on the horizon?

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2494362-can-a-strange-new-treatment-finally-relieve-chronic-sinus-infections/

Constant loss of smell, facial pain and a blocked nose are a reality for the 10 per cent of people living with chronic rhinosinusitis, a disease long-neglected by research. Targeting the nasal microbiome, though, is offering hope

10/09/2025

Did you know chronic viral infections can promote pathways of aging?

Inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and senescent cells are some of the hallmarks of postviral conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID.

09/09/2025

Most people with POTS or orthostatic intolerance are always told, “Eat more salt.” And yes—sodium can help raise blood volume and ease symptoms.

But here’s the problem: when sodium goes up and potassium stays low, the imbalance can actually make symptoms worse over time.

Many with long COVID or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may already have low potassium, which is linked to fatigue, palpitations, and worsening orthostatic symptoms. Yet potassium often gets overlooked.

In my latest blog post, I dive into:
🥗 Why low potassium (hypokalemia) is common after viral illness
⚖️ How sodium and potassium need to work together—and what happens when they don’t
🍌 The best foods to raise potassium naturally
🥥 What to look for in electrolyte drinks to maintain balance

If you’re relying on salt to manage POTS or OI, read this now. Check your electrolyte labels. Let’s start giving potassium the attention it deserves!

👉 Read now: https://www.postviralnutrition.com/blog/low-potassium-long-covid-cfs

Discover why low potassium (hypokalemia) is common in long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome, how high-salt diets affect POTS, and the best foods to restore balance.

08/09/2025

New video alert! Rapamycin is the most promising medication to be used off-label for postviral illness.

Rapamycin has been used for decades to prevent organ rejection, but new studies suggest it may help reset broken systems in ME/CFS and long COVID—from energy production and immune dysfunction to brain inflammation and cellular cleanup.

Before you get too excited, it’s important to understand the limitations of the current research and the potential risks. Watch below:

https://youtu.be/n8LWY2QdvZo?si=7d4E645abTo3u4xv

Could rapamycin be the breakthrough treatment for ME/CFS and long COVID?In this video, I explain what rapamycin is, how it works to target the 4 core problem...