Brain Fog: A Symptom to Route, Not a Pill to Buy

Summary

"Brain fog" is a lay symptom-label, not a diagnosis — slowed thinking, poor concentration, word-finding and memory lapses — and the correct response is a **triage order, not a purchase**: check sleep first (deprivation, fragmentation, undiagnosed apnea), then a short reversible-cause workup (thyroid, B12, ferritin, vitamin D, glucose), then mood and stress, then context flags like long-COVID or perimenopause; the "brain-health / nootropic" supplement you were about to buy is the market monetising the step you skipped. ---