CHICAGO – Stella ( www.stellacenter.com ), the leader in Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment for emotional trauma and mental health management, and RTHM ( www.rthm.com ), a Long COVID clinic with expert clinicians, a research arm, and a patented treatment and diagnosis algorithm, have partnered to provide RTHM’s Long COVID patients with access to Stella’s Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment.
SGB has been shown to help return the sympathetic nervous system to a healthier state after a biological trigger alters its function. Recently, Stella partners published a case study in the Journal of Neuroimmunology that showed how SGB treatment reduced symptoms of Long COVID.
The SGB treatment offers promising results and will be administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist trained by Stella at locations convenient to patients. “Stella’s SGB is one of the options within our individualized treatment plans, but it’s an important one,” says RTHM’s co-founder, Dr. Jennifer Curtin. “The collaboration between RTHM and Stella provides our patients with a unique and potentially helpful treatment.”
Long COVID affects up to 30% of those who have contracted COVID-19. Yet few clinicians have the background in post-viral disease or can access all the tools required to treat these challenging conditions. RTHM is unpacking the knowledge gained from other, often post-viral diseases like ME/CFS and leveraging that wisdom for those suffering with Long COVID. “Where others see Long COVID as ‘uncharted waters’,” Dr. Curtin says, “we already have a partial map from navigating other post-viral diseases.”
RTHM’s treatment and diagnostic algorithm created by co-founders Dr. Curtin and Dr. Kellogg, will help clinicians make the best treatment and diagnostic decisions for patients – including Stella’s SGB methodology. RTHM will identify patients that may find relief from SGB and facilitate care with Stella Certified MDs. RTHM will be using apps and biological and biometric data gleaned from wearable devices, which could help support the efficacy of SGBs in people with Long COVID. “It’s clear that Stella and RTHM will both continue to innovate like lives depend on it— because they do,” said Michael Gershenzon, Stella’s Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.
“RTHM and Stella have a shared mission: ending needless suffering,” he added. “The number of people affected by Long COVID represents a major health crisis. Knowing that Stella’s treatment might be able to help an entirely new population is incredible.”