Covid brain fog, again — any tips?

[Carl-Richard]

So I got covid exactly one week ago. It hit me pretty hard as I had just finished my last exam and slept bad the day before, and I had just barely recovered from a lung infection. My fever calmed down by the 5th day, and that is when I started to notice that yes indeed, the same brain fog is back.

I can't say for sure how long this one will take, but last time, I swear it took several months before it slowly went away (or I somehow got used to it; I have no idea). Somewhat luckily, I caught it at the beginning of the longest Christmas vacation I'll ever have (almost 2 full months long). Somewhat less luckily, I can't afford even the slightest hit to my cognition for the next semester, and I feel there is a slight chance I'll still be affected then. 

Yes, it's only the 7th day, but it's currently so bad that I can't watch something as innocuous as House with my brother and understand 50% of what is going on at times. Time feels like it's constantly sped up, like I'm having weed withdrawals, and I can't think any interesting thoughts.

Today, I went to the gym for the first time since getting sick, and I expected to be weak and lousy due to the infection, and I was correct (I can lift the same weight I'm used to, just not at the same speed, focus and intensity). It didn't really better my brain fog at all; if anything, it made it slightly worse. I'll see if sprint training does something (it should make my mind clearer anyway), which I'll maybe try tomorrow.

Anyways, any general tips or special knowledge about covid that could be useful for speeding up recovery? I'm seriously contemplating getting regular vaccines for this shit if this happens every time.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[Osaid]

What happens when you do a cold shower?

There are certain things that normally help with brain fog as well, like proper diet and sleep, take care of those as well. Don't overeat, give yourself time to digest things. 

Certain teas and hot beverages might help, what kind of effect does coffee have?

[Carl-Richard]

15 minutes ago, Osaid said:

What happens when you do a cold shower?

I read somewhere that one proposed mechanism for the brain fog is some type of immune cell in the brain getting out of wack and causing excess inflammation. A shock of adrenaline could maybe have some effect on that considering adrenaline's effect on the immune system. I also thought what if getting infected with a different virus could maybe "reset" the aforementioned immune cells? (I'm not trying that just yet though 😅). I'll try some cold showers.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[BlueOak]

9 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I read somewhere that one proposed mechanism for the brain fog is some type of immune cell in the brain getting out of wack and causing excess inflammation. A shock of adrenaline could maybe have some effect on that considering adrenaline's effect on the immune system. I also thought what if getting infected with a different virus could maybe "reset" the aforementioned immune cells? (I'm not trying that just yet though 😅). I'll try some cold showers.

If this was the case I'd try more anti-inflammatory foods and supplements than usual. Plenty of types out there to pick from.

My initial thought was more water than usual, more meditation than usual, and vitamin B for circulation, I don't know if Alpha brain would help in this case but it's my usual go-to for things like memory issues or focus issues. Definitely Vitamin B though, a good dose of it.

Obviously, if you've got anything that won't shift, hit it with a high-dose vitamin C supplement, Garlic/Tumeric/Ginger, a high-grade manuka honey and anything that oxygenates the system or increases immune response. For example, yoga with the hands at the chest together, pulling outward to stimulate the lymphatic glands, some people do that with a twist of the waist while sitting down.

What I call the healing breath is probably the most useful breathing technique. That's 1 in, 4 hold, 2 out. To whatever count you are comfortable with, more useful for chest and regular colds, but I wouldn't rule it out to pump oxygen into the body and expel junk. So it can be 4 seconds of breath, 16 seconds hold, and 8 seconds of exhale as an example, try to do it in a place with good airflow or outside a few times a day.

There is a herb that comes to mind for increasing blood flow to the brain but I can't recall it, perhaps someone else will. It's been a long time since I was in natural foods or medicine. I'd take a Purdey drink if you are in the UK and see if you get any noticeable difference (minor vitamin B shot).
 

[Jason Actualization]

1 hour ago, BlueOak said:

There is a herb that comes to mind for increasing blood flow to the brain but I can't recall it, perhaps someone else will.
 

Ginkgo biloba?

[Carl-Richard]

I'm actually surprisingly better today, but I don't think I'm back to normal. One of the symptoms I had (eye pain) is now almost gone. I had a pretty good nights sleep (even overslept a bit by accident), which might have helped. I still appreciate you guys' responses.

 

1 hour ago, BlueOak said:

My initial thought was more water than usual, more meditation than usual, and vitamin B for circulation, I don't know if Alpha brain would help in this case but it's my usual go-to for things like memory issues or focus issues. Definitely Vitamin B though, a good dose of it.

B complex or something more specific?

[Someone here]

Royal Jelly +Modafinil+Caffeine. 

For mental clarity ..alertness &energy boost .

[Carl-Richard]

45 minutes ago, Someone here said:

Royal Jelly +Modafinil+Caffeine. 

For mental clarity ..alertness &energy boost .

Those are good for battling the symptoms. I'm mostly interested in speeding up recovery.

[undeather]

Not the kind of information I would usually share here since integral medicine requires quite an extended case history to begin with - but here are some things that might help you with yoru symptoms. Most of it is very benign and easy to purchase - I left out dosages by design. 

Supplements:
-Vit D3, Very high dose initially if well tolerated 
-Zinc lozenges until symptoms gone 
-10,000mg vit c per day (split up)
- Melatonin before bed, lots of sleep
- Quercetin
- Green tea extract, polyphenols
- Lysine
- SPM’s
- Selenium
- Collustrum, transfer factor, betaglucans
- Glutathione, NAC
- Manuka honey
- BHT (Betahydroxytoulene)

Herbs:
- Licorice
- Black cumin seed oil
- Neem
- Artemisia, Lomatium, St Johns Wort, Echinacea, Propolis, Olive Leaf, Garlic, etc. 

 

[Someone here]

3 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I'm mostly interested in speeding up recovery.

How would that look like? 

BTW are you vaccinated yet ?

[Carl-Richard]

@undeather God daym 🤩

 

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

How would that look like? 

I don't know. Something like @undeather wrote: essential nutrients, anti-oxidants, etc. Things that aid in bodily processes.

 

1 hour ago, Someone here said:

BTW are you vaccinated yet ?

Not anytime recently. I got the vaccines a few years ago.

[Leo Gura]

I recommend a bunch of brain health antioxidant supplements. Google for a list.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Leo Gura

[BlueOak]

6 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I'm actually surprisingly better today, but I don't think I'm back to normal. One of the symptoms I had (eye pain) is now almost gone. I had a pretty good nights sleep (even overslept a bit by accident), which might have helped. I still appreciate you guys' responses.

 

B complex or something more specific?

B Complex is fine. Unless you have a specific diet or medical requirement to consider.

7 hours ago, Jason Actualization said:

Ginkgo biloba?

Thanks for that, it's a fair choice. It jogged my memory with a bit of searching. Echinacea is what I was thinking of, and I personally used to always have it at home as a go-to. Both of those would make good picks, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories etc. For me it was one of the most blanket useful botanicals out there.

Casual reading around the subject.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/cytokine-storm-syndrome-4842383
Cytokine storm, can produce headaches and lethargy after an exaggerated immune response. Obviously, it's not that severe here, so don't overly worry, I reference it only to show the symptoms of why something happens. I don't want to reach above my level too much, but this COVID variant being somewhat unique or different could have caused that sort of over-immune response in people, which is why it was so severe at first. It also explains the wide variety of different symptoms people experience. Be interesting to see what they eventually come up with in their ongoing research.

[Buck Edwards]

Only one thing worked wonders for me. 

Orange juice. Loads. 

And yeah, sleeping all day long like a sloth. 

And stay away from a screen. Like duh. 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Buck Edwards

[kenway]

 

BDNF - Brain Derived Neutotrophic Factor

... but it can't be ingested, so you have to synthesize it yourself. Recipe is as follows:-

*

45 minutes daily aerobic exercise for 2 weeks

45 minutes daily anaerobic exercise for 4 weeks.

3000mg EPA daily

RDA Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)

*

After 6 weeks you should have enough BDNF to clean the glymphatic system (brain circulation) as well as regrowing any burned out receptors.

You should also probably detox and sauna as frequently as you can. 

 

[AerisVahnEphelia]

weed withdrawal stay for 2 years sometimes more.

acute for a month, 2 months people are good, then lethargy, mania, low energy and what else.

and it can be triggered stronger by any diseases or "high"/ "drunk" up to those 2 / 3 years.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by AerisVahnEphelia

[UnbornTao]

On 27/11/2023 at 5:29 PM, Someone here said:

Royal Jelly +Modafinil+Caffeine. 

For mental clarity ..alertness &energy boost .

I don't know whether combining caffeine and modafinil is a good idea, if that's what you meant. In any case, best to try one at a time.

Edited November 28, 2023 by UnbornTao

[Carl-Richard]

4 hours ago, AerisVahnEphelia said:

weed withdrawal stay for 2 years sometimes more.

acute for a month, 2 months people are good, then lethargy, mania, low energy and what else.

and it can be triggered stronger by any diseases or "high"/ "drunk" up to those 2 / 3 years.

I'm not having weed withdrawals 😂

[PurpleTree]

Usually it takes at least 2-3 weeks or more to recover imo

there are a few recovery supplement protocols on reddit that seem to help some

 

[PurpleTree]

aspirin also works for some apparently