Ask the Doctor: COVID update, treating brain fog, drinking milk

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – Dr. Bob Cassady from the South Bend Clinic joins us every Tuesday on 16 News Now at Noon to answer your medical questions.

Question #1: “A couple of viewers reached out to us about colds and COVID. Can you give us an update?”

DR. BOB: It seems like we have more people getting ill, including with COVID. Going back to school probably has a part to play in this.

Unfortunately, our common refrain of not having enough information to make definitive statements about COVID persists here.

There is a good chance the infections are caused by a new variant. I have not noticed a drastic change in the severity of these infections.

The trend over the last few years has been for COVID infections to become less severe, and we can hope that will continue.

Question #2 (from Debra): “Has there been any trials done, or do you have an opinion on the use of ADHD medications to treat brain fog caused by COVID?”

DR. BOB: This is a question about the so-called Long COVID. I am very hesitant to make statements about Long COVID because it is a very confusing subject.

We do not have a clear diagnosis or understanding of why some people seem to have persistent problems with fatigue or brain fog or shortness of breath after a COVID infection.

My approach to patients who are concerned about Long COVID is to take their symptoms and try to help them whether they are caused by COVID or not.

I am not aware of any studies using stimulants to treat brain fog for COVID. I would want to make sure that patients with brain fog are exercising, eating a healthy diet, and getting adequate sleep to see if they improve.

Question #3: Dr. Cassady, you said you wanted to talk a little bit about milk. What do you have to say?

DR. BOB: I have been running into a situation a lot when talking to people about diabetes or weight loss, and there seems to be a lot of confusion about milk.

When I am trying to help people cut calories and carbohydrates to improve their help, we spend a lot of time going through their diet. Surprisingly, many people who are trying to lose weight or control their diabetes are drinking milk.

Milk is a high calorie drink and has a lot of sugar. Some people think it is okay if they drink skim or 2% milk. This label only refers to the fat content of the milk. Even skim milk contains a lot of sugar and sodium.

So, adults trying to lose weight need to avoid drinks with calories such as milk, juice, sweet tea, or soda.

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