Long COVID: what are the scientific facts? (with Carmen Scheibenbogen)

What this episode covers

Read the full transcript here. • If you enjoy our podcast, we have some exciting news – we’ve just launched a new membership called Clearer Thinking Plus. • Members get this podcast completely ad-free, as well as two professional coaching sessions every month, access to our advanced cognitive assessment, and seven other exclusive perks. • Clearer Thinking Plus is one of the most affordable ways to get access to a high-quality coach - whether you want to improve your habits, find more effective ways to work towards your goals, or get assistance making difficult decisions. It is also a more affordable and convenient way to get all the perks we offer. • If you're not interested in coaching, you can still get ad-free access to this podcast and the other perks with our explorer plan. • Access www.clearerthinking.org/plus (https://www.clearerthinking.org/plus) to become a member today. We hope to see you there! • Is Long COVID one illness or many? What turns a short infection into years of symptoms? When does “post viral” become a new chronic disease? Is viral persistence driving symptoms in some people? Could EBV reactivation be the hidden trigger? How might immune overreaction turn into autoimmunity? What do autoantibodies actually do to the body? Why do fatigue and exertion intolerance cluster together? Can we define subtypes with biomarkers, not guesswork? How much of long COVID is misdiagnosis versus missed mechanisms? What does pacing really mean in daily life? What would a mechanism first trial design look like? Are there early warning signs for who will stay sick? Is long COVID becoming a stable percentage of society? What would it take to build care systems that learn fast? • Carmen Scheibenbogen is a German immunologist who is the acting director of the Institute for Medical Immunology of the Charité university hospital in Berlin. She specialises in hematology (blood and blood diseases), oncology and immunology. She leads the Outpatient Clinic for Immunodeficiency and the Fatigue Centre at the Charité hospital. She is one of the few doctors specialised in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in Germany, and also researches long COVID. • To explore a different perspective on these issues, we have an excellent episode with Suzanne O'Sullivan, "What is psychosomatic illness?" (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/?ep=288) • Links: • Resources on ME/CFS and Long COVID (https://cfc.charite.de/en/for_patients/literature_and_recommendations_for_patients) • Guidelines for Long COVID Patients (Ger) (https://www.bmg-longcovid.de/zeitstrahl/patientenleitlinie-long-post-covid-syndrom-ueberarbeitet) • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host + Director • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Producer + Technical Lead • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Igor Scaldini (https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorscaldini/) — Marketing Consultant • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/)