I so wanted to read this article, in full, and make appropriate comments. (Though I have suffered far less an impact than so many here.)
Shame we can only see the first few paragraphs!
We are finally starting to understand brain fog and how to treat it
Brain fog – which encompasses memory problems, lack of mental clarity and an inability to focus – had eluded scientific scrutiny until covid-19 thrust it into the spotlight. Now, we're starting to learn more about what exactly it is and how we can beat it
COURTNEY SHUKIS was looking forward to lunch: she had just recovered from covid-19 and was glad to be meeting her friends again. Before leaving her home in Plano, Texas, she checked the calendar, making a mental note of the restaurant and when to meet. “But instead of going there, I got in my car and drove to a completely different place,” she recalls. “I sat at the table for half an hour, looking at my phone, wondering where everyone was. My brain fog was really bad.”
That wasn’t a one-off. After having covid-19, Shukis had frequent episodes of memory loss. She would forget to make dinner, had trouble finding the words to describe things and got confused about school pick-up times. “I had never had any difficulties with these kinds of things before. It just felt like my brain wasn’t working right.”
Half another paragraph is accessible before it disappears behind a paywall.
What a shame we can’t read more…I am suffering from Long Covid and all my symptoms - including brain fog - from before being treated for hypothyroidism are back, despite being optimally medicated. It is soooo depressing. I feel like I have gone back 15 years. I am now a full-time carer to my husband, who has Parkinson’s & Dementia, so don’t post much anymore, but I could definitely do with some energy and to get rid of this pain. If anyone has any ideas, I’d be very grateful to hear them. TIA
The quoted neuroscientist, dr Brennan has published a book Beating Brain Fog which is on Amazon. The reviews are not very useful but one says she recommends CBT and GET. I’m not sure what GET is. A reviewer with an interest in ME is very negative about this approach. If someone had suggested CBT to help the brain fog I experienced while under medicated on 50mg Levo I would not have taken them seriously.
It's basically an approach founded on disbelief that there is really any physical impediment to a person with ME being able to be physically active. They just have to be gradually weaned back into it with a positive attitude. That's my interpretation.
Some do find it useful. But for many it makes their symptoms worse and even sets some people back into being bed bound. Not surprised some would be upset about it.
Edited: here's some interesting articles and letters to the Guardian regarding the controversy of GET and GET in treating M.E. and Long Covid
Oh my - how dreadful! Many of them are simply idiots, adopting ideas they simply not only don't but can't understand. GET was discredited by one of the Scandinavian countries as far back as 2009. Insufficient energy in the mitochondria cannot be 'gained back' by expending the small amount available. I told them to 'go figure'! Apologies, I've veered into CFS/ME.
CBT? Last year I had 12 weeks on an accelerated program with the most amazing psychotherapist who was retraining. It was awesome for my anxiety and depression but absolutely nothing in that amazing programme would help with my brain fog. I can see how someone who hasn’t experienced either anxiety depression or brain fog and certainly not all 3 together might infer that mental health takes up thought space but peri menopausal or sub clinical hypothyroid symptoms of brain fog for me are so very different. I had a rare week of clarity last week, gone now, it was like having a holiday.
That was, in the end, my conclusion. But I would email the author to get a thyroid-patient view represented - at least having read the article in full!
Am I the only one to feel somewhat irritated that 'brain fog' has been completely dismissed for so many of us until Covid shoved it right under their noses, to the extent they can no longer pretend we're just a bunch of whining (mostly) females. But it will be interesting to see how things pan out with the 'scientific scrutiny'!
We can be happy enough if there is decent research which helps with explanation and treatments. But incandescently angry that it has, as you say, been not just ignored, but suppressed.
Patients even mentioning it have realised it would have been better not to have said anything.
Possibly the biggest concern is that they find an approach which works in Covid - but not thyroid or other causes. I do not see that there will be a momentum which will carry work on in other areas.
Maybe a working Covid approach will straitjacket thyroid patients even more? Will be treated as for Covid brain fog, and if you don't improve, they'll suggest you never had it, or the cause was Covid (symptomless if they need to explain why you were never ill with it).
Imagine, for Covid brain fog treatment X works well. But for thyroid we need T3 plus (which could even be X). But as Covid brain fog sufferers don't need T3, "There is no evidence that T3 helps with brain fog...".
(Since seeing it yesterday afternoon/evening, I've had several hours for "attitude" to develop. 😡 )
Well - I have written to Kayt - the author - via letters@newscientist.com
A long missive.
I said personal things that I do not wish to post here by way of explanation - otherwise I'd have been happy to post the text.
I specifically reference Richard Asher (Myxoedematous Madness), Bianco's brain fog survey/paper, and diogenes (et al.) new paper. As well as a link to this thread.
Over seventy years since the impact of hypothyroidism on the brain and mind exploded onto the scene. And where are we now? "Oh, what's brain fog?", "Your TSH is too low/suppressed", "When TSH is below top of range, all will be fine", "Must be something other than thyroid"...
PS: I actually suggested that diogenes' paper is so profound, so significant, that it deserves a New Scientist article of its own. Even a Thyroid special edition of NS.
Or how long ago she had a baby. It's all 'well you lose your mind when you have a baby, it's normal to be scatty etc etc. Even after the baby is starting school.....
I suspect there’ll be a total disconnect between covid research in the matter of brain fog and thyroid disorder brain fog. We will get the same old rubbish given by the same old misogynistic luddites clogging up endocrinology and promoting such an unhelpful culture within medicine.
You would think that some of these (Dr.s) would stop and think how come so many say but I am still not well on your treatment? Or are they all so scared of the GMC.
It’s a whole machinery of disinformation. Starting with an incorrect model for understanding of how it all works . TSH is the only metric you need (rubbish) t4 monotherapy is gold standard (rubbish) symptoms are not to be trusted (rubbish) a TSH if 20 is fine if you’re an old codger (rubbish) anywhere in range or even out of the top end is fine (rubbish) combination therapy is a waste of time (rubbish) T3 will give you a heart attack (rubbish) on and on it goes the factory of pure lies. They should all be forced to read diogenes research and be tested on it before being allowed to practice.
I used to do things like put dinner on and forget it was on, burn everything, yet I love cooking. That was when under medicated on levo. am now on natural thyroid and take what I need not what someone else says i need and back to baking, making all sorts of different meals and not forgetting its on. I also used to think I had dementia as I would forget lots of things like the time i left the hose on and it twisted into the door and flooded our home it was like it for hours we had puddles inside. It's terrifying I am sure it is a chemical problem, and not cognitive as some doctors seem to think.
I quite agree. Mine was at its very worse before thyroid hormone treatment and it only really improved to something acceptable on NDT. For sure mine was down to lack of T3 and in my case NDT wins hands down over CBT any day. I’m sure CBT has it’s place but it’s being suggested for inappropriate situations like ours which is down to a chemical imbalance due to an autoimmune condition (or in my case anyway) and CBT isn’t exactly readily available even then. Sadly NDT is rarely prescribed on the NHS and is becoming harder to come by. It’s a great big mess and utterly scandalous.
God knows I have had my share of mental health problems and years of psychotherapy. The brain fog that I had last month was completely different. It was definitely chemical, it felt like gaps in my brain, synapses that weren't connecting. It felt like I imagine dementia would feel. It was terrifying. It was not depression, not in any shape or form.
My big one is to get all the timings wrong so nothings ready at the right time but I everything is ready at the wrong time. It must be a sequencing malfunction in my brain. Makes for some mightily strange meals
Unfortunately I interpret "scientific community is paying much more attention to it" as drugs companies are getting interested......kerching! Personally I believe naturopathic approaches would be best.
Wish I could post a specific reference - however I have read on more than one occasion about inflammation and in particular gut inflammation affecting brain performance.
So many connections with the gut - including thyroid and the C virus .... our immunity mostly lies within the gut. Inflammation responsible for so many conditions as many of us know first hand 🌻
I am discovering that sulphite intolerance (I mean, seriously?! It impacts about 1 in 100, apparently) is likely behind some of my brain fog. I can't imagine a medic within the NHS *ever* thinking about looking for that. As usual, for me, it's the allied health professions to the rescue; when the dentist told me to tell my GP about my persistently odd reactions to local anaesthetic, we realised that it was likely the sulphites... Now to convince the NHS as it seems like a sensible thing to have on one's medical record.... !
I just got told by my gp to stop eating raisins....but I'm sure she was smirking when she said it.
Absolutely no help whatsoever from the doctor when I told them how ill I'd been after eating too much sulphited products. I was also worried about having an anaphylactic type reaction but I wasn't taken seriously at all.
So I did my own research and I know what to avoid now and always read ingredient lists anyway but now even more thorough than before.
Literally just had a call with a GP at the local surgery about my reaction to the local anaesthetic and, maaaaaan, I was desperate to tell someone about it, Hedgeree, so I'm pleased you responded! She managed to perform below my expectations, which is pretty impressive, given that my expectations of the medical community are generally lower than a snake's belly by now!
So, she said "tell the dentist to try a different anaesthetic"! Seriously. You couldn't make it up!!! We had a bit of an argument after that as I patiently explained that if I'm lucky enough to make it to my 3 score and 10, the local dentist is unlikely to be the only person who gives me a local anaesthetic, so maybe we need to take it a little more seriously. Her response to this was a food diary and a coeliac test, which is an improvement, but I really don't see why I have to point out their stupidity to get half way decent treatment!
I've just spent the last 30 minutes trying to calm myself down!
Thank you for raising this point about sulphites in dental local anaesthetics. I have become increasingly aware of feeling unwell after these. I would like to know whether there is an easily accessible alternatives.
Oh no! I was about to say that was great that the gp rang you about it but not such a helpful response.
Also the fact that you had to argue with them to get any further 'help' is terrible. It does make you feel despairing.
It was pre-covid when I saw my GP about my problems with sulphites. I waited over an hour to see her as there was a delay and lots of other patients before me. I then saw her for probably no more than two minutes and felt really stupid when she appeared to mock my problem. I can understand your frustration.
I don't eat any sulphited dried fruit now after being so ill. The sulphurous belching was awful but at least it gave me a clue and something to look up online to try and find out what was wrong. I won't go into the rest of my symptoms...very horrible.
Lotika, 'the dentist told me to tell my GP about my persistently odd reactions to local anaesthetic'
Letter Published: 14 May 2021
Multidisciplinary care
Thyroids and dentistry
For patients with thyroid disease, local anaesthesia with epinephrine is contra-indicated but felypressin is not safer. Levothyroxine has a narrow therapeutic index. Maintaining a biochemical and clinical euthyroid state is complex; careful consideration is needed before using local anaesthetic or any drug.
Great article, RedApple - I am sending it straight to my dentist. That is so helpful, although it is unfortunate that it basically says that no local is safe for us... ugh.
My previous dentist knew all about the anaesthetic issue for thyroid people. But I'm seeing a new one next week, so will be showing him this too in case he's not aware!
My hope (and this is very much divorced from expectation) is that the mechanisms by which Covid has its brain fog impacts are seen to be the same, or have obvious parallels to those by which thyroid causes brain fog. Such that there is seen to be an overlap of treatment to the benefit of both groups.
(Possibly needs pointing out that people can be members of either one or both groups. Which might also help in understanding if those researching are sufficiently astute.)
Hi All who would like to read the "Lift the Fog" article helvella flagged up.
The discussion is broader than just COVID. Brain inflammation, nutrient and O2 supply to the brain, helpful suggestions of "remedies", etc, are included. Indeed worth a read, even just to catch the names of the scientists thinking about this problem. Some are "local" for the UK members, in Cambridge and Oxford.
By all means, ping the scientists messages, so that brains in this community can get scanned, and data published.
I just scanned the copy of New Scientist in our library. I need to reduce the resolution to fit file size within the 10 MB limit here.
Unfortunately, we cannot post complete articles. There's this thing called copyright.
The 10 MB limit (or whatever the number is - I certainly can't remember) will be for a single image. And, for storage and display purposes, it will have been shrunk - possibly by a considerable amount. The image you attached is only barely readable and zooming in just makes it bigger without actually increasing the readability by much.
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How do you know what brain fog is and that hypothyroidism causes it?
