S To Overcoming Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Naturally
Getting well requires undoing the things that contributed to your misery in the first place. Once you minimize or eliminate the root causes , amazing things happen. Cells are reenergized. Normal communication pathways become re-established. Immune system functions rebound. Adrenal and thyroid functions normalize. Nerves and neurotransmitters calm, and the brain starts functioning again.
Healing can take place, and symptoms, including fatigue, gradually resolve.
But to get well, you must want to be well more deeply than anything you have ever wanted. Ultimately, becoming well is your responsibility, and you alone must put the effort forward to make your recovery happen. This doesnt exclude having positive relationships with healthcare providers, family, and friends, which are all much to your benefit. But when you leave behind a total dependence on others to rescue you from misery, and take a stand to regain wellness that is rightfully yours to enjoy, you become a new person with a renewed purpose in life. That renewed purpose will carry you back to wellness and beyond.
Even with renewed spirit, however, youll need a plan to follow. The following guidelines provide the basic outline for the strategy I used personally to recover wellness, and that Ive since shared to successfully help thousands of others. You can follow in their footsteps.
What Are The Symptoms Of Me/cfs
The most common symptom is ongoing, unexplained overwhelming tiredness or fatigue which worsens after exercise or mental effort. This is known as post-exertional malaise . The level of activity that triggers PEM will vary from person to person and can depend on how severe their condition is. PEM is sometimes delayed and can last for a few days. A more serious relapse can last for weeks or months.
A common misconception is that people with ME/CFS have chronic fatigue and are just very tired. Persistent and profound fatigue is just one symptom of ME/CFS.
Other symptoms may include:
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Testing For Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Due To Mold
Some of the biomarkers for the different underlying causes of CIRS overlap, some are different. These are some of the biomarkers seen in mold patients which have been the most common forms of CIRS Ive found in my practice.
CIRS due to mold exposure has a couple of characteristic markers, including high levels of
- C4a An activation protein that can cause inflammation, free radical production, and damage to tissues if too high.
- TGFbeta1 A cytokine in the immune system that has both anti and proinflammatory effects.
- MMP9 An enzyme that helps with tissue repair and is a significant marker of CIRS.
- ACTH / Cortisol A hormone that can be elevated and lead to weight gain in CIRS patients.
- VEGF A protein that causes blood vessel formation.
CIRS due to mold exposure is characterized by low levels of:
- MSH A hormone that is anti-inflammatory and typically low in CIRS patients.
- ADH This hormone regulates the amount of water your body removes and is associated with dehydration, frequent urination, and excessive thirst.
- VIP A neuroregulatory hormone that is associated with inflammation
- Visual contrast ability You can take the VCS test, which is simple and can be done at home.
There are several tests that can help you identify if mold is the cause of your inflammation, and therefore your symptoms. These tests are useful If you suspect you have CIRS, I recommend the following:
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Home Remedies And Lifestyle Changes
Making some lifestyle changes may help reduce your symptoms.
Limiting or eliminating your caffeine intake can help you sleep better and ease your insomnia. You should limit or avoid nicotine and alcohol too.
Try to avoid napping during the day if its hurting your ability to sleep at night.
Create a sleep routine. Go to bed at the same time every night and aim to wake up around the same time every day.
What Can I Do For Myself
There are some things that you can do for yourself to help you manage the condition and still live your own life. Small changes can build and make a difference to your energy and mobility. This is called self-management.
To help with this, you might try:
- Planning your time record what you do so that you can build a picture of what uses more energy and what activities you can ask others to do for you. This will help you choose what is important to you and plan your day to achieve this. It will also show you if there are patterns of symptoms and when they appear during your day
- Rest and relaxation this is very important for managing CFS/ME. You may need some support and advice on what that might mean for you in terms of your physical, mental and emotional activities for resting
- Getting support being open with people and asking for help when you need it before you are exhausted is a key approach to managing your condition. Talking about how you are feeling is important for long term health conditions because of the impact your symptoms have on the way you live your life. While you are adjusting to the diagnosis and the change in your life, it may be helpful to get outside support such as counselling or CBT. Talk to your GP about emotional support available to you.
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How Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosed
CFS diagnosis depends on two criteria:
A specific treatment for CFS has yet to be proven effective. Vitamin supplements and medicines have some benefit. Many treatments just relieve the symptoms of CFS.
How Is Cfs Diagnosed
CFS is a very challenging condition to diagnose.
According to the Institute of Medicine, as of 2015, CFS occurs in about 836,000 to 2.5 million Americans. Its estimated, however, that 84 to 91 percent have yet to receive a diagnosis.
There are no medical tests to screen for CFS. Its symptoms are similar to many other conditions. Many people with CFS dont look sick, so doctors may not recognize that they indeed have a health condition.
In order to receive a CFS diagnosis, your doctor will rule out other potential causes and review your medical history with you.
Theyll confirm that you at least have the core symptoms previously mentioned. Theyll also ask about the duration and severity of your unexplained fatigue.
Ruling out other potential causes of your fatigue is a key part of the diagnosis process. Some conditions with symptoms that resemble those of CFS include:
- severe obesity
- sleep disorders
The side effects of certain drugs, such as antihistamines and alcohol, can mimic symptoms of CFS as well.
Because of the similarities between symptoms of CFS and many other conditions, its important to not self-diagnose. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. They can work with you to get relief.
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How Is Me/cfs Treated
Right now, there is no cure or FDA-approved treatments for ME/CFS. But, there are things you and your doctor can do to help ease your symptoms. Because the symptoms of ME/CFS vary from person to person, the management plan you discuss with your doctor may look very different from the plan of another person with ME/CFS.
If You’re Tired All The Time With Extreme Fatigue That Can’t Be Explained By Lifestyle Or Any Underlying Medical Conditions You May Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Also Known As Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
We’ve all had days when we’re just plain tired. Maybe we hit the hay too late. Or we awoke early. Or we just had trouble falling or staying asleep.
But if you’re tired all the time, you may start to worry that something else is going on. You may have chronic fatigue syndrome , also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis and often referred to as ME/CFS. It’s a tough diagnosis to make because fatigue can be a symptom of many illnesses.
This complicated disorder is characterized by extreme fatigue that can’t be explained by any underlying medical conditions. It may worsen with mental or physical activity. But it doesn’t get better with rest. And it’s persistent and excessive.
Cause The cause of ME/CFS is unknown. Some theories range from stress to viral infections. Some believe it’s triggered by a combination of factors.
Symptoms Just because you’re tired all the time doesn’t mean you have ME/CFS. Fatigue can be associated with so many conditions. Plus, it’s often caused by lifestyle factors, not illness. With ME/CFS, the fatigue worsens even after mild exertion. You often have flu-like symptoms, brain fog and many other symptoms. It’s been described as coming down with the flu but not getting better.
If you have CFS, you may have:
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How To Prove To Your Doctor You’ve Got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Me/cfs And Are Not Just Depressed
by Cort Johnson | Apr 26, 2014 | Depression, Diagnosis, Homepage |
Wrong diagnoses hurt. They lead doctors to prescribe treatments that dont work and may even be harmful and they keep doctors from prescribing treatments that do work. They waste patients money and, given the fact that the earlier a person is diagnosed with ME/CFS the better chance they have of improving their health, they contribute to poor health.
Many people with ME/CFS and FM are mistakenly diagnosed with depression first
The fact that only from 15-20% of people in the U.S. with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have been diagnosed with it suggests wrong diagnoses run rampant in this disorder. Of all the wrong diagnoses, being diagnosed with depression is surely the most common.
Who has not been diagnosed with depression at some point? I was diagnosed with depression by my primary care provider only to have the psychologist I was sent to tell me, I know what depression is and youre not depressed.
I was lucky.
Fortunately, Dr. Lenny Jason has come up with a way to convince your doctor that youre not simply depressed. But first, a little history.
Take This Quiz To See If You Might Have Cfs Or Fibromyalgia
Wonder if you have CFS or fibromyalgia? If you have had severe fatigue or widespread pain lasting over three months without an obvious cause, and if you also have insomnia, then you might have chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia. The checklist below can help you assess the possibility of this. If your score indicates you might, then you should consult a physician to find out for sure.
The Checklist uses two sets of criteria to evaluate your posibility of having CFS or fibromyalgia. Questions 1-5 are based on criteria established by the CDC for evaluating a person’s possibility of having CFS. Questions 6-10 are based on criteria established by the ACR for evaluating a person’s possibility of having fibromyalgia.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome
For many people, the symptoms of ME/CFS resemble other diseases, like influenza. Symptoms may come and go over time and may increase or decrease in severity. ME/CFS symptoms vary widely from person to person.
Many of the symptoms of ME/CFS make daily life difficult. These symptoms include:
- Severe fatigue lasting at least 6 months that does not improve with rest or sleep
- Difficulty sleeping
- Flu-like symptoms, including swollen lymph nodes , headaches, and joint pain
- Cognitive difficulties, including attention and memory problems
- Muscle aches
Less common symptoms of ME/CFS include:
- Problems with vision
- Irritable bowel, an intestinal condition causing painful bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea
- Psychological issues, including mood swings, irritability and anxiety
- Tingling or numbness in the feet, hands or face
For many people, ME/CFS symptoms get worse following physical exercise or strenuous mental exertion. In some cases, orthostatic intolerance causes dizziness, weakness, and fainting.
Causes Of Extreme Fatigue
Many people struggle with fatigue, which has many causes some obvious, others not so much. Causes of chronic fatigue include poor quality or not enough sleep, a bad diet, not exercising, and metabolic and hormonal imbalances. It becomes a vicious cycle when fatigue sets in and worsens your fatigue.
But you can manage your fatigue when you first figure out the root causeor causes of feeling tired all the time. Some reasons why you might feel extreme fatigue include:
- Adrenal burnout
- Toxicity including things like environmental pollutants, but also less-obvious toxins, including mold, mercury from amalgams, and electromagnetic fields from electronics.
This list goes on, and oftentimes multiple factors create or worsen fatigue. On the other hand, chronic fatigue might result from one primary reason, like poor sleep, stress, a bad diet, or not getting the right nutrients. These five strategies may help you boost your energy.
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Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- Im always tired. Is there something wrong with me?
- Do I need any tests to help determine why Im so tired all the time?
- What is the likely cause of my fatigue?
- Will alternative therapies such as yoga or acupuncture help?
- Do I need to make any diet or lifestyle changes?
- Is it safe for me to exercise? What kind of exercise should I do?
- How do I convince people that my fatigue is real?
What Else Should I Know
- Strong emotions can be a part of the illness, so it’s important to recognize and express your feelings. Feelings like sadness, anger, and frustration are completely normal and it’s important to acknowledge how you feel and recognize that it’s not your fault. Recognizing emotions can help you figure out what’s behind your feelings and help you manage problems.
- It can help to keep a daily diary of feelings and energy highs and lows. This also can let you share information that might help your doctor. You can also track trends for example, if your energy is high at one time of day and low at another that will help you figure out when to exercise or do other activities.
- Give yourself more time to do things, especially activities that take concentration or physical exertion.
- Get support from family, teachers, and friends.
- Get information about CFS from reliable sources. There’s a lot of misinformation and confusion about this disease. So it’s important to know and trust your sources.
Most important, don’t give up. Having chronic fatigue syndrome can be hard. But for most people, the symptoms are most severe in the beginning. Later, they may come and go. Teens with CFS generally get better faster and recover more completely than adults do. Most teens get partial or full recovery within 5 years after symptoms began.
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What Is The Treatment For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There is no known cure for chronic fatigue syndrome, although symptoms can be self-managed with support and advice. When CFS/ME is suspected, you should be given individual advice about managing your symptoms. This advice will include:
- Not to use more energy than you feel you have. Try to manage your daily activity and do not ‘push through’ your symptoms.
- Rest and convalesce as you need to. This might mean making changes to your daily routine, including work, school and other activities.
- Maintain a healthy balanced diet, with adequate fluid intake.
You should be referred to an CFS/ME specialist team to confirm your diagnosis and develop a care and support plan.
Children and young people with suspected CFS/ME should be referred to a paediatrician for further assessment and investigation before referral to a paediatric CFS specialist team to confirm the diagnosis and develop a care and support plan.
You should be referred to a physiotherapist or occupational therapist working in an CFS specialist team if you:
- Have difficulties caused by reduced physical activity or mobility.
- Feel ready to progress your physical activity beyond your current activities of daily living.
- Would like to incorporate a physical activity or exercise programme into managing your CFS/ME.
Diagnosis Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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Laboratory tests to exclude other causes of symptoms
At least one of the following manifestations is also required:
-
Difficulty thinking
-
Feeling of light-headedness or dizziness when standing up that is relieved by lying down
The frequency and severity of the symptoms should be assessed by a doctor. If people do not have these symptoms at least half of the time with moderate, substantial, or severe intensity, doctors reconsider the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome .
Criteria for diagnosis are important mainly because they help doctors communicate clearly with each other when they study a problem. However, when treating a specific individual, doctors focus more on that persons symptoms rather than the criteria.
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Living With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There are strategies for dealing with the daily challenges of CFS. These may work for you, especially in combination with medications prescribed by your doctor.
- Keep a daily diary to identify times when you have the most energy. Plan your activities for these times.
- Keep up some level of activity and exercise, within your abilities. Your doctor can help you plan an exercise program to maintain your strength at whatever level is possible. Exercise can help your body and mind.
- Give yourself permission to recognize and express your feelings, such as sadness, anger, and frustration.
- Ask for support from family and friends. Look for support groups or counseling in your community. Your doctor is another important source of help. Emotional support is important in coping with a chronic health problem.
- If your memory and concentration are affected by chronic fatigue, keep lists and make notes to remind yourself of important things. Also, give yourself more time for activities that take concentration. Medicine may also help you sleep better, which might improve your memory and concentration.
