Long Covid

Dave Clarke, MD

“Long Covid affects about 10% of patients who contract Covid-19 infection, causing fatigue, insomnia, shortness of breath, cough, headache, muscle aches, “brain fog,” and other symptoms. that may include fatigue, exercise intolerance, insomnia, shortness of breath, cough, headaches, sleep disturbances, diarrhea, muscle aches, and "brain fog" (issues with memory, focus, and other cognitive skills). Additional symptoms can also occur.

The exact cause of Long Covid is unclear, but it may involve a combination of delayed healing from Covid, autoimmune inflammation, or lingering injury from the virus.

Once other medical conditions are ruled out, it is worth considering whether the brain, which can generate physical symptoms, might be playing a role, even to a small extent, in the condition.”

  • Why would the brain do this? Nearly always, one or more types of stress is involved even if this is not fully recognized at first.

    Press the arrows!

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

    Experiences that would make you sad or angry if they happened to a child for whom you care.

  • Stressful Personality Traits

    Such as focusing too much on the needs of others, excessive self-criticism, perfectionism, lack of assertiveness, and many others.

  • Unrecognized Negative Emotions

    Such as anger, fear, shame, grief, or guilt.

  • Triggers

    Including people, situations, or events that remind you of stressful situations.

  • Current Life Stresses

    Such as work, parenting, pressure from loved ones, or major life changes.

  • Mental Health Challenges

    Such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress.

The good news is that all these sources of stress can be successfully diagnosed and treated.

To explore whether this applies to you, take the self-diagnostic quiz below. It consists of 12 simple 'Yes or No' questions. The more 'Yes' answers you provide, the more likely it is that the resources on this website can help.