Long COVID Specialist in Minnesota
Integrative neurology care for lingering brain fog, fatigue, and post-COVID symptoms, with testing to show you why.
Book Your ConsultationYou cleared your COVID-19 infection weeks or months ago, and the fatigue never lifted. The brain fog never lifted either. Words slip away mid-sentence. A short walk leaves you wiped out for the rest of the day, and people around you stopped asking once normal bloodwork gave everyone the impression nothing was wrong.
Mind Body Neurology treats Long COVID as a nervous system and immune story, not a single lingering virus. Dr. Alexander Zubkov combines neurologic evaluation with functional lab testing to map mitochondrial function, adrenal output, gut health, and hormone balance side by side, then builds a plan around what your body shows.
Telehealth visits are open to residents of Minnesota, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee, with lab kits shipped straight to your door.
On This Page
What Is Long COVID?
Long COVID, also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection or PASC, describes new or ongoing symptoms present three months or more after a COVID-19 infection.1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies Long COVID as an infection-associated chronic condition, meaning the illness itself has passed while the downstream effects on the body remain active.
Long COVID touches more than one organ system for most patients. The brain and nervous system carry a heavy share of the burden, alongside the immune system, the gut, and the endocrine system.2 Brain fog and fatigue top the list of reported symptoms, followed by post-exertional crashes, sleep disruption, and mood changes unfamiliar before infection.
Standard neurology and primary care visits often stop at "your labs look normal." Our integrative neurology model digs one layer deeper, looking at mitochondrial energy production, cortisol rhythm, neuroinflammation, and gut-immune signaling, the systems standard panels rarely screen. Read more about our overall functional medicine approach in Minnesota.
If you're looking for a Long COVID specialist in Minnesota, Mind Body Neurology provides a comprehensive neurological and functional medicine evaluation. We find the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms and create a personalized recovery plan built around your own results.
Long COVID often feels like:
- Brain fog and trouble finding words mid-sentence
- Fatigue no amount of sleep resolves
- A crash the day after mild exercise or a busy day
- Unrefreshing or fragmented sleep
- New headaches or a shifting migraine pattern
- Heart racing or lightheadedness on standing
- Digestive changes or new reactions to foods
- Anxiety or mood swings unfamiliar before infection
These signs point toward a nervous system under strain. On their own, none of them are a diagnosis, together, they warrant a full evaluation.
An Integrative Neurology Approach to Long COVID
Deep Intake & Neurologic Evaluation
A detailed history of your infection, timeline, and current symptoms, paired with a full neurologic exam and review of prior labs and imaging.
Advanced Functional Testing
Targeted labs covering mitochondrial markers, adrenal and thyroid hormones, inflammation, autoimmune screening, and gut health, chosen around your presentation.
A Personalized Recovery Plan
Nutrition, sleep repair, movement pacing, targeted supplements, and medication such as low-dose naltrexone where appropriate, sequenced around your body's readiness.
Managing Long COVID: Five Pillars of Recovery
Our treatment approach for Long COVID in Minnesota is designed to uncover and address the underlying causes of persistent symptoms, not manage them in place. Every care plan is tailored to the individual. We help patients work toward improved cognitive function and a better quality of life through a root-cause approach.
Mitochondrial and Adrenal Support
COVID-19 inflammation frequently disrupts mitochondrial energy production, leaving cells short on the fuel needed for normal function. Coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine, and alpha-lipoic acid support cellular energy output. Adaptogens such as rhodiola and ashwagandha address an overtaxed adrenal response when testing shows the pattern is present.
Immune Modulation and the Gut-Brain Connection
Long COVID often unmasks or worsens autoimmune activity, and the gut plays a direct role in keeping immune signaling in check. Low-dose naltrexone, an anti-inflammatory diet, and targeted probiotics work together to quiet immune overactivation and repair the gut lining. Testing first tells us which of these your body needs.
Detoxification and Antioxidant Support
Persistent viral fragments and environmental toxins slow recovery for some patients. Glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, and citrus flavonoids support the body's own antioxidant defenses. A guided detox protocol gets added once testing points toward a toxic burden as a contributing factor.
Hormone and Thyroid Rebalancing
Infection stress frequently disrupts thyroid conversion and adrenal output, showing up as low T3 or a blunted cortisol curve on testing. Treatment ranges from thyroid support to bioidentical hormone therapy and stress resilience work, depending on what your full thyroid and adrenal panel shows.
Cognitive Recovery and Brain Repair
Neuroinflammation from COVID-19 affects the brain's white matter and supporting cells, giving a biological basis to the brain fog patients describe.5 Omega-3 fatty acids, phosphatidylserine, structured cognitive exercises, and sleep hygiene work together to rebuild clarity and focus over time. Progress is tracked, not assumed.
Recovery from Long COVID rarely comes from one prescription. These five pillars come together into one plan built around your infection history and your own lab results, not a protocol someone else followed.
Book Your ConsultationIs This Program Right for You?
Good fit:
- Symptoms lasting three months or more after a confirmed or probable COVID-19 infection
- Normal standard labs alongside ongoing fatigue, brain fog, or post-exertional crashes
- A history of autoimmune or thyroid disease flaring after infection
- Readiness to pursue functional lab testing paid out of pocket
Not ideal:
- Symptoms still within the first few weeks of acute infection
- Preference for symptom management alone without deeper testing
- Emergency or rapidly worsening neurologic symptoms, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, which need same-day evaluation in an emergency room or with your primary neurologist
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Book a consultation and get answers specific to your case.
A typical recovery resolves within a few weeks. Long COVID describes symptoms lasting three months or more after infection, often affecting the brain, immune system, hormones, and gut together.
Brain fog, persistent fatigue, post-exertional crashes, headaches, sleep disruption, mood changes, and gut symptoms following COVID-19 infection top the list, alongside hormone and thyroid changes triggered by the illness.
A standard neurology visit typically screens for structural disease and stops once imaging and basic labs come back normal. Dr. Zubkov adds functional testing for mitochondrial, hormone, gut, and inflammatory markers standard panels skip, then builds treatment around what those results show.
Testing ranges from full thyroid panels and cortisol rhythm testing to organic acid profiles, gut microbiome assessment, autoimmune panels, and mitochondrial markers, chosen around your specific symptom pattern.
Most patients start with an initial medical evaluation and full case review, followed by lab testing and a three to six month treatment plan with ongoing follow-up from Dr. Zubkov and a health coach.
Yes. Research links COVID-19 infection to measurable changes in brain white matter and supporting cells, giving a biological basis to the brain fog and memory complaints patients describe.
Functional lab testing and integrative visits are generally not covered by insurance. Your consultation costs $99, and lab and treatment costs get reviewed with you before you commit to testing.
Yes. Dr. Zubkov sees patients via telehealth in Minnesota, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Lab kits ship directly to your home.
References
- Davis HE, McCorkell L, Vogel JM, Topol EJ. "Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations." Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2023, 21(3), 133-146. PubMed
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Long COVID Signs and Symptoms." Link
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Clinical Overview of Long COVID." Link
- Thaweethai T, Jolley SE, Karlson EW, et al. "Development of a Definition of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection." JAMA, 2023. Link
- Fernández-Castañeda A, et al. "Mild respiratory COVID can cause multi-lineage neural cell and myelin dysregulation." Cell, 2022. Link
Dr. Alexander Y. Zubkov, MD, PhD treats patients across Minnesota and via telehealth in select states. Minnesota communities served include Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Edina, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Bloomington, Maple Grove, Eagan, Woodbury, Lakeville, Burnsville, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Champlin, Chanhassen, Crystal, Excelsior, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Minnetrista, New Hope, Orono, Robbinsdale, Rogers, St. Louis Park, Victoria, Waconia, Shakopee, Chaska, Coon Rapids, Blaine, St. Cloud, Stillwater, Hudson, and River Falls.
Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?
If normal labs and "give it time" have not solved your brain fog or fatigue, a deeper look at your nervous system, hormones, and gut might be the missing piece. Book a consultation and start building a plan around your own labs and history.
Prescribed only after a medical consultation. Telehealth available in Minnesota and select states.
Email: support@mindbodyneurology.com • Tel: 952-209-6209