This website is currently only operated PRIVATELY.

Long Covid / ME/CFS and chronic diseases: Knowledge transfer can build bridges - e il mondo cambierá - and the world will change

Suddenly it was there, the day X and nothing worked anymore

My life was completely turned upside down.

I would be very happy if you would take a few minutes to read my story for you.

After all, I loved my job as a strategic consultant for communication and marketing, that was me and I put my heart and soul into it. I had built up my business “MehrLot Digital” so painstakingly and lovingly over the years and had also registered MehrLot Digital as a brand.

Nothing worked anymore.

Severe CFS, MCS, fainting, vision problems, sleep disorders, nothing tolerable to eat and drink, dizziness attacks that sometimes caused me to fall with bruises and injuries, severe inflammation, increase in other REAL allergies (in addition to BHT, BHA, TBHQ, PEG, dodecyl gallate, citric and sorbic acid, pollen (IgE), food (IgE)) + countless massive intolerances, orthostatic hypotension coupled with cardiovascular problems (even though I do NOT have high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus), severely altered gut microbiome/leaky gut/E.- Coli/Helicobacter, cardiovascular problems, shortness of breath, pronounced allergic asthma, tinnitus, loss of speech or inability to understand when I was exhausted and tired, severe anaphylaxis, intolerances and allergies to all foods/cosmetic and chemical products/xenobiotics/pollutants, massive “symptoms of poisoning”, countless intolerable medications, some of which were severe and life-threatening. (ICU, ambulance service, emergency), angioedema, massive muscle complaints and suddenly unexplained severe “rheumatic attacks”, MS and Fabry disease symptoms, bleeding problems, “loss” of my handwriting and reactive viruses (EBV/HHV6).

In 2022, I had to take the difficult step of giving up my self-employment completely, I sold my motorcycle, we put my bike and hiking clothes in mothballs, but I always kept my camera, canvas, paint box and my beloved books were always in my field of vision and within reach, so that they would always remind me of my inventiveness and creativity and always keep the door open for me to return there with passion.

But now it was all about baking a gluten-free bread that I could tolerate, as all the ingredients had become intolerable. Countless attempts at baking failed, because how were we supposed to make bread from (fine) rice flour, water and a little cream of tartar (unfortunately there were no more ingredients left at the time). Fruit, vegetables, fish, lean meat or a compatible tea were out of the question and yet I had treated my body carefully, healthily and always positively with a smile and a firm belief in life, but my body didn't seem to care.

Or did it in the end?

I was in for a tough and tearful time, but my body benefited from the fact that I had so often in my life anchored mental and emotional strength, a firm belief, the will to survive, patience, discipline and a healthy lifestyle as firm pillars in my own “ecosystem”. I benefited from my many positive coping strategies.

In the meantime, I have become a “water expert” and drink my water from all “vessels”, i.e. water glass, espresso cup, wine glass, champagne glass and thus give myself the feeling of being able to participate fully in life (a little survival trick that works wonderfully).

Many small steps were necessary, patience, discipline and a positive will to survive.

And so I made a virtue out of my “need”.

In 2024, I not only wrote a marketing thesis on “Personalized Medicine as a Task for Society as a Whole” at the German Academy of Management, but also completed a diploma in “Disaster Management” at the Vienna Business Academy. I am proud that I was able to complete both degrees with excellence despite my chronic stress.

We all know the alarming figures that show us how urgent and necessary new innovative approaches to crisis and emergency management are, as an estimated 400 million people worldwide are struggling with the long-term consequences of Long Covid and ME/CFS. More than 1 billion are predicted by 2033.

Illnesses and deaths due to non-optimized drug therapy already amounted to 528.4 billion dollars annually in the USA in 2016, i.e. 16% of total healthcare expenditure.

The alarming global increase in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, dementia, migraines and strokes has a profound impact on our emergency management. From initial medical care to higher-level infrastructure planning and crisis communication. In 2021 alone, more than 3.4 billion people suffered from a nervous system disease.

In 2021, around 529 million people worldwide were affected by diabetes, 96% of whom had type 2 diabetes, which is largely preventable. This global diabetes epidemic also has a significant impact on our emergency management. It is a creeping crisis and must be taken into account more and more frequently in emergency scenarios. Think of the increasing number of potential hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic shocks, immediate glucose support and insulin, nutritional support for vulnerable populations.

Increasing short-sightedness (myopia) in children is a serious health problem with far-reaching implications for necessary adjustments in emergency management. It should be clear that short-sighted people are more at risk in emergency situations, such as evacuations or fires, if their vision is impaired. The global incidence of myopia is expected to exceed 740 million cases by 2050.

My own dismay and seeing on a daily basis that our societies (worldwide) are anything but resilient - many hundreds of millions of people are chronically ill - made me create my University of Hope over many months. Firefighters, emergency and disaster managers, paramedics, doctors, police, military and many others in KRITIS-related professions are fighting countless challenges and threats worldwide every day.

And then the time had come ...

I wanted to pass on my extensive knowledge, all my analyses, elaborations and experiences and thus make a decisive contribution to making our global societies more resilient.

I created and developed my University of Hope with many new approaches, scenarios and possible strategies to support firefighters, emergency and crisis managers, police / military, employees in all health and KRITIS professions and of course our society as a whole with my knowledge for more resilience, awareness and security.

You have all read the alarming figures and I asked myself ...

What about our emergency services and many everyday heroes who are on the front line?

Have you considered that many of those affected may also have lost their sense of smell?

Possibly have muscle weakness?

Have possible muscle weakness or could suffer from vision problems, severe sensitivity to light and noise, pronounced orthostatic hypotension, intolerance to medication or medication abuse?

Strategy development, communication, marketing, awareness, immersion in complex issues, environmental, nutritional and pharmaceutical topics had already aroused my passion and curiosity and I began to read the books of Medical Medium (Anthony William) - whom many millions of people follow.

I have been an active member of Professor Eric Chan's PK Forum (Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National University of Singapore) for over a year now. Not only have I “dived deep” into the topic of Personalized Medicine, but I have also made my own case available to the scientific community by sharing my knowledge with them.

I am also proud and happy that I managed to convince the academic committee of the Embry-Riddle University Worldwide College of Arts & Sciences / Department of Emergency, Disaster and Global Security Studies with my elaborated ideas and my conception and thus was allowed to give my lecture on the topic “When your life is on the line, optimized and comprehensive training, as well as the development of holistic 360-degree approaches, is everything” Well-Prepared for Emergencies - A balance between high-tech innovation and human care, at this year's Pracademic Emergency Management and Homeland Security Summit 2025. This two-day global event brings together scholars, practitioners and policymakers to explore collaborative, forward-thinking solutions in EM, homeland security and disaster resilience.

I am proud and happy with what I have achieved so far, but I still have a long way to go and I will go it.

I am endlessly grateful that I was able to walk this hard and rocky road together with my dear husband Cesare, who has always been at my side and had to cope with me in many a frightening situation (anaphylaxis, relapses, emergency breathing exercises, etc.). There are still many stones to be cleared, and we will continue to bravely walk this path together. Thank you, my darling!

I would also like to thank my dear friends Mario, Heiko, Tina, Katrin, Peter, Petra, Alex, Markus and Pierre. Our dear convent sister Sigharda in Würzburg, Professor Eric (whom I greatly appreciate for his know-how and his warm humanity), my Indian friends Shivendra and Samrat, Sundoz from Boston Childrens Hospital and the Finnish professor who unselfishly viewed and evaluated my MRI CDs. My professional dentist and her lovely practice team (who go to great lengths to ensure my safety), Anthony William (for his informative books) - through whom I have indeed been able to develop my own personalized and valuable strategies that have led me to significant improvement in my symptoms - thank you Anthony for this transfer of knowledge. My pharmacist, the professional (private) laboratory team (who always have to master the challenges of blood sampling from a safety point of view), our Italian butcher Carlo (who made it possible for my body to tolerate lovingly selected (organic) veal again), master baker Martin (who tried to work with me to make a tolerable bread, which turned out to be a huge challenge), Pastor Michael, my supervising tutor at the German Academy of Management, the service-oriented DAM team and many others (who made sure that I was not exposed to any unnecessary additional dangers and, of course, my firm and stable faith. And before I forget, I would also like to thank our many feathered friends, Gastone our neighbor's dog, the mouse family Speedy and our garden hedgehog Charlie for all the wonderful smiles they brought to my face when I couldn't leave the couch or my bed due to weakness.

A thousand thanks, because each and every one of you was and is an important part of my ecosystem and I am very grateful for that.

And don't worry, I too am laughed at and given mocking looks by some for wearing my mask, but that doesn't bother me in the least, because none of these people are in my shoes and really understand what it means to have no tolerable medication, to fight for every tolerable food, and to go down this path of all the deprivations. And just in case someone is wondering why I don't take cromoglicic acid, ranitidine, fexofenadine, ASA, heparin, pantoprazole, simvastatin, lidocaine, tranexamic acid, PPIs, NSA IDs, aciclovir, amoxicillin, paracetamol, morphine, procaine or metamizole then precisely for this reason, that I have already reacted severely to these medications with ADRs in the past.

I wish you all all the best from the bottom of my heart and please stay healthy as best you can.

Pace e Bene!

Your Birgit