Best Exercise For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor

• Take along a list of all the symptoms you are experiencing in case you forget some of them during your talk with the doctor or nurse.
• Talk about how much you can do at work or school and around the house.
• Ask if there are any financial supports or services you could apply for.
• Ask for help with pain, sleep and remaining active if these are problems for you.
• Ask about what you should be eating.

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Best Foods To Reduce Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

A balanced diet is themain source of energy that is much needed to a person who is already feeling weak and tired. Studies showed that eating small frequent meals assist CFS patients as it fuels them up throughout the day without over-indulging them.

The truth is eating larger amounts can tire anyone sick or healthy because blood get directed away from the brain and limbs but to your stomach and intestines.

So how to adapt your nutrition routineto reduce your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ?

Here are the 10 Healthy superfoods to add to your diet to beat CFS :

Contents

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Exercise: Helpful Or Harmful

In general, we know that the human body benefits from exercise. It makes our hearts healthier, helps control blood sugar, burns excess fat, etc. However, we also know that for people with FMS and ME/CFS, it poses real problems.

There’s no easy answer to whether exercise will help or hurt you. The answer may, in fact, be both, depending on how you approach exercise. You have several things to consider before jumping into it.

Try not to buy into the typical idea of exercise. It’s the rare person with FMS or ME/CFS who can go to the gym and put in a strenuous workout. Most are better off thinking of exercise in terms of intentional movement aimed at increasing their level of fitness.

One thing that’s pretty consistent for those with these conditions is that exercise must be moderate and stay within your limits. Determining what those things mean for you may not be easy, but it’s the first step toward increasing your exercise/activity level. It’s also important to increase the length and intensity of your exercise extremely slowly.

First, look at your fitness level. What constitutes moderate exercise is different for all of us. Someone who’s in good shape and hasn’t been sick for long may be able to tolerate 30 minutes on a treadmill. The sickest among us may not be able to tolerate more than a couple of gentle stretches while lying in bed.

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What Is Graded Exercise

Graded exercise therapy works to correct the negative cycle of inactivity and deconditioning and gets the body used to physical activity again without the crash and burn effect that can occur with overexertion.

The first step is to establish a baseline of achievable aerobic activity, such as walking, cycling, or swimming. This can be different for everyone and depends on the severity of symptoms and other factors. Some people may find it difficult to walk from the kitchen to the bedroom, while others may find it tolerable to go on a 15-minute walk.

Next, plan incremental increases in the time or intensity of the activity. For example, if you can tolerate a 5-minute walk, you may plan to do that every day for two weeks, then increase the duration to 8 minutes per day for the next few weeks. The ultimate goal should be to achieve 30 minutes of light exercise five days a week.

Perform Exercises Sitting Down Or Leaning Back

People with ME/CFS tend to do better when they exercise while in a seated or recumbent position. “By sitting or reclining, they are reducing the strain from reduced blood flow so that their bodies can better tolerate limited exercise,” Dr. Holladay explains.

For some people with ME/CFS, he recommends starting an exercise routine with stationary pedals or a recumbent bike, depending on what the person can tolerate.

Pedaling for five minutes with no or low resistance on a recumbent bike could be a good starting point. If you want to incorporate your upper body, he suggests lifting some light weights, such as 1- or 2-pound dumbbells, and doing only one set of just a few reps.

If you purchase a set of stationary pedals, you could sit on a chair or even lie on the floor while pedaling. “I generally prefer the stationary pedals or recumbent bike to a regular upright stationary bicycle because the regular bicycle puts them in a more upright position,” Dr. Holladay says, and staying upright for long periods can lead to crashing.

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• You Can Do This Entire 20-Minute Dumbbell Workout Lying Down

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Before Getting Started On An Exercise Plan

Before you jump in and start exercising, talk to your medical team about your plans to exercise, suggests Abaci. Let your doctor know what you have in mind and get his or her input on where to start. You may need a fitness assessment to see where you should focus your efforts first, or a visit to a physical therapist to guide you through exercises or get you past an old injury.

Go at your own pace and dont get discouraged, Abaci says. One size fits all doesnt apply with one form of exercise. It doesnt matter if you start with a personal trainer, occupational therapist, a group yoga class or pilates teacher just find somebody who really gets the big picture .

Do I Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Or Long

Long-haul COVID-19 symptoms, such as severe fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and even PEM, can mimic those found in CFS.

If youve recently had COVID-19 and noticed persistent symptoms even after recovering, talk with a doctor. They can help narrow down whether you have long COVID, CFS, or something else.

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Fibromyalgia Vs Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The exercise experience is different depending on which of these conditions you have. They both involve exercise intolerance, but a defining symptom of ME/CFS is post-exertional malaise . That means there’s a sharp up-turn of symptoms, especially flu-like symptoms, following exercise. And, importantly, there’s an inability to physically repeat the performance the following day.

In one study, people with ME/CFS and a healthy control group rode an exercise bike one day, then came back the next day to see if they could repeat their performance. The healthy people could, while those with ME/CFS couldn’t even come close before they were exhausted.

While too much exercise can exacerbate symptoms of FMS, we have a growing body of research suggesting that regular exercise helps to ease symptoms.

While it’s important to be careful with either condition, those with ME/CFS may need to be even more cautious when it comes to starting or increasing exertion.

Physiological Effects Of Exercise

Exercise causes a variety of temporary physiological changes in healthy people. This includes an increase in respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure in order to keep up with higher energy demands. The chemical reactions that break down nutrients — glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain — move more rapidly to liberate energy, and blood flow to muscles should increase. In healthy individuals, the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide present in the blood should not alter significantly.

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Herbal Remedies For Fatigue Syndrome

Best herbal remedies for fatigue syndrome

The most common problem that doctors have to treat every day in the modern world is exhaustion. Overworking or not getting enough sleep can lead to a serious health problem that can be made worse by being tired.

Before you can treat exhaustion effectively, you need to figure out what it is that makes you tired in the first place.

Some of the things that could be causing this condition are a

• liver overload,
• hidden infections like yeast, viral, or parasitic infections,
• and food allergies.

caffeine,

and other stimulants can hurt the nervous and hormonal systems.

Using herbal treatments to treat fatigue syndrome is the best way to supplement your treatment over the long term.

Even though tonic and herbs work better for treating simple exhaustion, herbal medicine should focus on treatments for the deeper causes of the condition.

They can improve overall health and vitality by bringing the

hormonal,

immune,

and neural systems back into balance and improving how well they work.

Because of this, they are especially good for treating the effects of long-term stress, which can show up in both the body and the mind.

Herbal remedies in this group can help restore balance and deal with the effects of overwork, depression, long-term illness, and getting better after being sick.

Discussing Treatment Options With A Doctor

The medical community differs over the exact treatment courses for those living with CFS. Youll need to work closely with a healthcare team to determine which symptoms are impacting your quality of life the most.

You may start with treatment of these issues and progress to others in time. Many treatment options are available, ranging from over-the-counter drugs to alternative therapies.

The most effective treatment for CFS is the one thats catered to you and your specific symptoms. A doctor may suggest a variety of treatments depending on what youre experiencing and what your treatment goals are.

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How Is It Diagnosed

CFS is diagnosed by ruling out other health problems that could cause long lasting fatigue. It also is based on what symptoms you report. Your doctor or physical therapist may order medical tests to rule out other conditions. There are currently no diagnostic tests that can confirm CFS.

A physical therapist may be the first to recognize the onset of CFS. Your physical therapist may ask you questions such as:

• When do you feel fatigued?
• How long has your fatigue lasted?
• Do you experience any widespread pain or discomfort?
• Have you noticed any big changes in your ability to do physical tasks?
• Do you have problems sleeping?
• Have you noticed any recent changes in your ability to think clearly?

Your physical therapist also may ask you to fill out form with questions. Your answers will help them better understand your physical state and screen for other conditions. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing may help determine how much function you have lost. It includes two tests arranged 24 hours apart.

Why Exercise Is Essential For Reaching Your Optimum Health

According to the great pioneer of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia self-help techniques, Bruce Campbell, PH.D., exercise can counteract many of the negative factors that come from having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia.

While being ill reduces activity levels and can produce deconditioning, fatigue, pain, stiffness, anxiety, and depression, exercising can help you reverse that downward spiral by increasing your levels of fitness reducing fatigue, pain, and stiffness and improving mood.

Think about it: Your body is made up of many muscles. You have muscles in your legs, core-muscles, and even your most-central organ, your heart, is a muscle. These muscles need to be exercised in order to prevent them from deconditioning.

Campbell shares in this article how exercise played an important role in his own recovery from ME/CFS. I, too, have benefited greatly from exercise after some initial struggles. I will discuss my initial mistakes later in this article, and you can read about my successes in this blog.

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Key Points About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by profound tiredness.
• Symptoms often worsen with physical or mental activity.
• In addition to severe fatigue, symptoms include light sensitivity, headache, muscle and joint pain, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, and depression.
• Treatments may include medicines, exercise, supplements, and counseling.

How Me/cfs Might Affect Your Ability To Exercise

“One of the key features of ME/CFS is what we call post-exertional malaise ,” Dr. Holladay says. “That usually means when people with ME/CFS overdo it, they ‘crash,’ or in other words, their symptoms get worse the next day or over the next several days.”

Some of the early signs of crashing are increased brain fog, fatigue, pain and sensitivity to light and sound. “Sometimes if patients pay attention to early signs of crashing, they can lie down and avoid making themselves worse, but they don’t necessarily always have warning signs that will tell them before they’ve gone too far,” Dr. Holladay explains.

That’s why it’s so important for people with ME/CFS to learn their own boundaries and work with a doctor who can help them develop goals based on their specific needs and limitations.

“Although people with ME/CFS have notable limitations, there is a huge range of severity in illness,” Dr. Holladay explains. “People at the better end may be able to work part-time or even full-time, albeit with limitations. On the other end, a patient may be so ill that they cannot leave their bed and must be isolated from excessive light, interactions with other people, etc.”

Working out with ME/CFS is a delicate balance of doing the appropriate kind of exercise and doing it only when you’re feeling healthy enough.

“Those who are severely ill may not be able to safely do any regular exercise,” Dr. Holladay says.

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Drug And Alternative Therapies

Specific chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms such as pain, depression, and poor sleep are treated.

Many different drugs and alternative therapies have been tried to relieve the chronic fatigue itself. Although many treatments, such as antidepressants and corticosteroids, seem to make a few people feel better, none are clearly effective for all. It can be hard for people and doctors to tell which treatments work because symptoms are different in different people and because symptoms may come and go on their own.

Controlled clinical trials The Science of Medicine Doctors have been treating people for many thousands of years. The earliest written description of medical treatment is from ancient Egypt and is over 3,500 years old. Even before that, healers⦠read more , which compare the benefits of a drug to those of a placebo , are the best way to test therapies, and no drug therapy has been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome in controlled trials. A number of treatments directed at possible causes, including use of interferons, intravenous injections of immune globulin, and antiviral drugs, have been mostly disappointing and potentially dangerous. Dietary supplements, such as evening primrose oil, fish oil supplements, and high-dose vitamins, are commonly used, but their benefits remain unproved. Other alternative treatments have also been ineffective. Treatments that have no proven benefits are best avoided because they can have side effects.

Moving Helps Lessen Fibromyalgia Pain And Improves Function

For people who are dealing with this persistent, at times all-consuming pain, exercise could be a way to make you feel better. Aerobic exercises, strength-training, stretching, and balance training, for instance, have all been shown to help reduce the pain and disability associated with the condition.

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How Can A Physical Therapist Help

Your physical therapist will work with you to develop a treatment plan for your specific condition. The goal will be to help ease your discomfort and improve your ability to perform daily activities.

Because people with CFS have fatigue, pain, and weakness, treatment may focus on improving short-term endurance and strength. Your physical therapist also may check for other conditions, like depression. They may refer you to other specialists to help manage your symptoms.

Physical therapy treatments may include:

Education. Your physical therapist may design a program to help you save energy while doing daily activities. They also may teach you sleep-health promotion techniques.

Movement and strengthening exercises. Moving and exercising can improve your short-term endurance and strength. Movement also can help reduce your pain. Your physical therapist will identify and teach you specific movements to help reduce your symptoms.

Manual therapy. Your physical therapist may use manual therapy to help ease your symptoms. This treatment is used to mobilize your skin, bones, and soft tissues, to help reduce pain and improve movement.

How To Sidestep My Exercise Mistakes

Up until 2010, I held a rock-solid conviction that any exercise would harm my body. Having read in forums about peoples bad experience with exercise had led me to the false conclusion that any exercise would be bad for me.

This changed when my wife finally succeeded in getting me to join her gentle yoga class. During the class, I was still freaking out at first when I noticed myself sweating for the first time in years.

I expected my symptoms to worsen after the classbut they didnt. Instead I felt good! As you can imagine, I was very excited t hat my body was healthy enough to engage in light physical activities again.

For the past three years, from early 2010 until early 2013, even though I knew that a certain level of exercise was safe for me, I didnt give it the attention it deserved. Yes, I would exercise sporadically, but I never dedicated a daily time slot just to exercise. I didnt because, first, I saw exercise as a struggle and, second, was unaware of its great potential to propel me to the next level of my recovery.

Once I saw the importance of exercise and started to exercise regularly, I noticed many benefits, such as decreased fatigue during the day and better sleep at night. Now I wish that I had introduced exercise into my recovery regime two or three years earlier.

To avoid my mistake, I urge you to get started with a safe level of exercise immediately. Read this next part to learn how to get started with exercise in just a few simple steps.

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