Crypto News: Help! I have Covid brain fog

Hey guys, it's Kristen in NYC. Today, a reader wonders whether there's anything that can be done about the mental struggles associated with long Covid. But first...

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I am experiencing brain fog and lack of focus after having Covid. Word recall and spelling correctly is very hard too. It has been a year now and there has been no improvement. Is this typical? Has anyone found anything that has helped? Julia, New Jersey

First of all, Julia, you are definitely not alone in this. Nearly half of patients with the constellation of symptoms we have come to know as long Covid report either poor memory or brain fog, according to a JAMA Network Open study on long COVID symptoms.

Unfortunately, while brain fog is one of the most common long-term effects of Covid, it's also one of the most poorly understood.

Part of the problem is that brain fog is hard to define, according to Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System.

"Brain fog itself is a colloquial term to describe this haze," he says. It's a catch-all for a host of neurocognitive changes that might include memory loss, lack of focus or confusion, among other problems.

While it's a term we're all familiar with, brain fog wasn't really considered a medical diagnosis until Covid came along. Al-Aly says that means we don't have much experience treating it.

"It's also very clear Covid can cause gastrointestinal issues. But we know how to treat those. We've been doing it for years," he says. "There is not a single FDA-approved drug for brain fog. I know that's unsatisfactory."

The good news is researchers are learning how to better help patients with these symptoms. A study out in December from researchers at Yale University, for example, showed some promising evidence that an existing drug for ADHD might help.

In the meantime, there are things you can try to help mitigate the impact of brain fog on your life. Getting formal cognitive testing can narrow in on the issue, enabling you to better address it. If you know you're having trouble focusing, for example, doctors suggest tricks like scheduling shorter meetings and avoiding multitasking.

Al-Aly also says the same things that help all of us feel our best can also help combat brain fog.

"Good nutrition, a good night's sleep, the gym," he says. "All those sorts of things could help you maintain your mental acuity." — Kristen V. Brown

This week, a former Food and Drug Administration official told House lawmakers something sure to cause worry for new parents: The US is probably unable to prevent another baby formula shortage.

"The necessary safeguards have not been advanced at an adequate pace to prevent future illnesses," Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissioner of FDA's Office of Food Policy & Response, said Tuesday in a House oversight hearing. "The infant formula supply chain continues to lack serious resilience."

We need to figure out how all the toxic chemicals we consumer are affecting us, reports the MIT Tech Review.

Changes to telehealth policies could limit care for trans people, STAT writes.

A woolly mammoth meatball? From the Atlantic.

Ask us anything — well, anything health-related that is! Each week we're picking a reader question and putting it to our network of experts. So get in touch via AskPrognosis@bloomberg.net.