From Long Covid to Parkinsons, Caffeine may help.
"Caffeine is the major component of coffee and the most consumed psychostimulant in the world"
In our brains, there are these little fighters called microglia. They are part of the brains natural immune response. It seems that caffeine can stimulate them ( good in a healthy brain, maybe not so much in unhealthy?) When they get excitable, they go after "lurkers", the post viral/bacterial/disease effects that like to mess with our brains.
Quote: "In healthy individuals, microglia play a key role in keeping the brain's neurons functioning normally, but they are vulnerable to disruption. Surges of inflammation in the bloodstream, either from an autoimmune reaction triggered by an infection, or the lingering presence of a virus, can cause these cells to pump out their own inflammatory molecules, which then disperse rapidly through the brain."
If you've got some geek time, these studies show caffeine's potential effects on playing traffic cop for retinal disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, post virus hangovers ( sequela ), and more!
Side note: i recently had a nice bout of Covid (9/23) and a few things seemed changed in my metabolism ( just as a few things changed in my metabolism after the vax jabs) I was never able to consume caffeine without some negative side effect- a big crash shortly thereafter, raised heartbeat, acid reflux.....
I am drinking a cup of DELICIOUS coffee as i type this, don't know how long this ability will last, but i am going to ride this wave as long as i can!!!!
Research Links:
Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28250576/
NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4112016/
Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531720304449