Treatment For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome In Leesburg Va
Individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome do not suffer from any sort of underlying medical condition, yet experience extreme tiredness after physical or mental activity that is not resolved with any amount of rest. This disorder is also often referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis or systemic exertion intolerance disease .
Dr. Seth Tuwiner provides comprehensive testing and treatment for chronic fatigue at his offices in Leesburg and Dulles, VA. Learn more about your treatment options and call the Virginia Center for Neuroscience today at.
What Causes Highlander Syndrome
The development of highlander syndrome in human patients suggests that humans might possess the genes that enable the property of eternal youth. The actualization of eternal youth is a long-held dream, and numerous studies have been performed to elucidate the mechanisms of aging and to achieve eternal youth.
British Columbia Specific Information
Many Canadians are affected by complex chronic diseases . CCDs are illnesses that last a long time, require treatment and management, and often do not get better on their own. Fibromyalgia , Myalgic Encephalomyelitis , which is also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , and Chronic Lyme Disease are examples of complex chronic diseases.
To learn more about fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic Lyme-like disease, visit HealthLinkBCs Complex Chronic Diseases health feature.
Read Also: Can A Tooth Infection Cause Fatigue
Find Ways To Relax And Reset Your Mind
For some people, taking 20 minutes during the afternoon to meditate can be enough to recharge. Maybe yoga or deep breathing is your thing. Whatever you do, find time to relax and reset your mind.
Chronic fatigue can impair your health and happiness, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. A chiropractor may help address any interference in your spine that may contribute to fatigue, as well as help manage the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. While it may take some time, and some behavior changes, you can get your energy back and reclaim your health and wellbeing.
Recommended Reading: Low Blood Pressure Extreme Fatigue
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome /myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Chronic fatigue syndrome , also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis , is a chronic , complex and disabling illness that causes extreme fatigue and other symptoms that cannot be explained by any other medical condition.
If you have ME/CFS, you are likely to feel very tired, very often, even if you have not been active. You may also have a host of other symptoms.
Doctors do not yet understand the cause of ME/CFS, and there is no simple cure. If you or your child has ME/CFS, your doctor can suggest treatments you may find helpful.
Read Also: Do Migraines Cause Extreme Fatigue
Guidelines For Diagnosing Me/cfs
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence say doctors should consider diagnosing ME/CFS if a patient has extreme tiredness that cannot be explained by other causes and the tiredness:
- started recently, has lasted a long time, or keeps coming back
- means you cannot do the things you used to do
- gets worse after activity or gentle exercise, such as a short walk
You must also have some of these symptoms:
- problems sleeping, such as insomnia
- muscle or joint pain
- fast or irregular heartbeats
- doing exercise or concentrating makes your symptoms worse
The GP should consult a specialist if they’re unsure about the diagnosis or if you have severe symptoms.
If a child or young person under 18 has symptoms of possible ME/CFS, they may be referred to a paediatrician.
As the symptoms of ME/CFS are similar to those of many common illnesses that usually get better on their own, a diagnosis of ME/CFS may be considered if you do not get better as quickly as expected.
The diagnosis should be confirmed by a doctor after other conditions have been ruled out, and if your symptoms have lasted at least 3 months.
Page last reviewed: 29 October 2021 Next review due: 29 October 2024
General Exercise Tips For People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Be guided by your doctor or specialist, but general suggestions include:
- Experiment to find the type of exercise that works best for you. Choose from a range of gentle activities such as stretching, yoga, tai chi, walking and light weight training.
- Keep an activity diary so you have a long-term picture of your performance levels and factors that might impact on your symptoms.
- Stop the physical activity well before you feel any symptom flare. Pacing yourself is very important.
- Remember that the amount of exercise you can do will change from one day to the next.
- Listen to your body if you dont feel up to exercising on a particular day, dont.
- Find out as much as you can about your ME/CFS. Make sure you consult with health professionals who fully understand ME/CFS as a real biomedical condition.
Don’t Miss: Causes Of Chronic Fatigue And Sleepiness
Get The Care You Need
Visit your doctor every few months to help track your symptoms and check for any need to change your treatment.
Get specialized care if you need it. For example:
- A rehabilitation specialist can help you treat pain and improve your ability to do your daily tasks.
- A pain management specialist can offer a number of pain treatments.
Sign “release of information” forms so that your doctors can work together as a team.
Mental Health Support And Me/cfs
ME/CFS is not a psychological disorder. However, living with a chronic illness is challenging, especially one that involves missing out on normal life activities, and this may lead to mental health problems like anxiety or depression.
Speaking with a qualified mental health professional who understands the challenges of living with ME/CFS can be very helpful. They can help with things such as coping with changes to schooling, employment or social activities, and symptoms such as difficulty with sleep or pain. With the availability of Medicare rebates for telehealth, many mental health practitioners now offer remote consultations which makes healthcare more accessible for those who are housebound or bedbound with ME/CFS.
You May Like: How To Test For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
How Is Cfs Treated
Theres currently no specific cure for CFS.
Each person has different symptoms and therefore may require different types of treatment to manage the disorder and relieve their symptoms.
Work with your team of healthcare providers to create the best treatment plan for you. They can go over the possible benefits and side effects of the therapies with you.
You May Like: How To Overcome Compassion Fatigue
What Do Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms Look Like
Chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms feel very different to the period of recovery after an illness, or even the tiredness experienced by sufferers of depression. Chronic fatigue syndrome makes you feel so tired that you cant do anything. If you have CFS, you may struggle to read to the end of this webpage.
Do you:
- Feel permanently exhausted not just down to a busy lifestyle, but exhausted even after a period of rest?
- Have trouble sleeping or staying asleep?
- Suffer from brain fog or have difficulty focusing?
- Feel fatigue even upon waking up?
- Constantly suffer from headaches?
- Feel completely floored for a few days after exercising or thinking hard?
- Suffer from joint or muscle pain?
- Have enlarged lymph nodes in your armpits or neck?
- Have a sore throat?
If so, then you may have chronic fatigue syndrome.
Your doctor may wish to rule out other conditions before diagnosing CFS. These conditions include, but are not limited to: lupus, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, mono, and thyroid disease.
Read Also: What Are The Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue
How Do I Know If Im At Risk
While there is no explanation as to why a particular person may experience chronic fatigue syndrome, there are several factors that play an important role in influencing someones likelihood of being diagnosed with CFS. These risk factors include:
- Age: Most individuals with CFS will receive an official diagnosis when they are between 40 and 50 years old.
- Gender: Women are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome two to four times more often than men.
- Genetics: It is commonly accepted that certain individuals are born with a predisposition to CFS.
- Stress levels: Inability to effectively manage stress can contribute to the development of CFS.
- Prior health concerns: While there is no clear link, evidence suggests that individuals who suffer from a compromised immune system, abnormal hormone levels, human herpes virus 6, Epstein-Barr virus, or mouse leukemia viruses may be more likely to become affected by CFS.
Donât Miss: Timberland Pro Anti Fatigue Footbed Powered By Fcx Technology Insole
What Are The Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Symptoms of CFS often mimic the flu. The following are the most common symptoms of CFS. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
- Sensitivity to light
- Low-grade fever
The symptoms of CFS may look like other medical conditions. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Recommended Reading: Reasons For Fatigue In Women
Whats The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that there is no cure available from standard medicine for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Any treatment your doctor can give you is limited to symptom reduction with medications like antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, painkillers and sleeping pills.
If you want to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome you are going to have to take the responsibility for getting better into your own hands and become your own health advocate.
You may think that alternative health practitioners such as naturopaths and functional medicine practitioners carry out some type of weird mumbo jumbo herbal hocus pocus. And, of course as in any profession there are good ones and bad ones.
However, I recovered from 8 years of chronic fatigue syndrome with the help of a skilled naturopath experienced in treating chronic fatigue syndrome patients with all levels of this debilitating illness.
I hope you were paying attention to that last sentence, the clue to getting better is there. You need to find a naturopath experienced in treating chronic fatigue syndrome.
Think of it like finding a specialist in standard medicine. You need to find, not just any naturopath, but one who knows about and has experience treating chronic fatigue syndrome patients.
Recommended Reading: Fast Heart Rate And Fatigue
Biomarker For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Identified
Stanford scientists devised a blood-based test that accurately identified people with chronic fatigue syndrome, a new study reports.
Ron Davis is the senior author of a paper that describes a blood test that may be able to identify chronic fatigue syndrome.Steve Fisch
People suffering from a debilitating and often discounted disease known as chronic fatigue syndrome may soon have something theyve been seeking for decades: scientific proof of their ailment.
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have created a blood test that can flag the disease, which currently lacks a standard, reliable diagnostic test.
Too often, this disease is categorized as imaginary, said Ron Davis, PhD, professor of biochemistry and of genetics. When individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome seek help from a doctor, they may undergo a series of tests that check liver, kidney and heart function, as well as blood and immune cell counts, Davis said. All these different tests would normally guide the doctor toward one illness or another, but for chronic fatigue syndrome patients, the results all come back normal, he said.
A paper describing the research findings was published online April 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Davis is the senior author. Esfandyarpour, who is now on the faculty of the University of California-Irvine, is the lead author.
Recommended Reading: How To Fight Lupus Fatigue
Nausea And Eating Disorders
Approximately 40% of children with CFS experience significant nausea and many develop subsequent problems with eating. CFS and eating difficulties can develop into a vicious cycle where not eating makes the fatigue worse and the fatigue and nausea make eating difficult. Adolescents say that their eating difficulties are caused by abdominal pain, being tired, and changes in their sense of taste and smell. There are no trials for investigating what treatments are effective, but current guidance suggests that eating little and often can be helpful.
While some children struggle to eat because of nausea, in others, increasing weight is a problem. Children with CFS assessed in a specialist clinic were found to be at a greater risk of developing obesity compared with healthy children . No increased risk was found in those identified as having chronic disabling fatigue in a birth cohort, suggesting the risk of developing obesity is only present for children and adolescents with CFS that require specialist care.
Dont Miss: Extreme Fatigue And Muscle Weakness
Impact And Prognosis Of Me/cfs
Pharmacoecon Open.
BMC Public Health.J Chronic Fatigue Syndr.
Br J Occup Ther.
- Mild: mobile and self-caring may continue working but will have reduced other activities
- Moderate: reduced mobility, restricted in instrumental activities of daily living, needs frequent periods of rest usually not working
- Severe: mostly housebound limited to minimal activities of daily living severe cognitive difficulties may be wheelchair dependent
- Very severe: mostly bedridden unable to independently carry out most activities of daily living often experience extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and other sensory input
Am J Epidemiol.Chronic Illn.
Qual Life Res.Disabil Rehabil.Occup Med .
Rehabil Psychol.Front Pediatr.Fatigue.
Don’t Miss: Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Headache Dizziness Fatigue
Diagnosis And Treatment For Me/cfs
Currently, there is no single test to diagnose ME/CFS. Doctors make a diagnosis by excluding all other illnesses that might be causing symptoms and following accepted diagnostic criteria. The persons results from routine medical tests will often be normal, but additional tests may show abnormalities.
Who Can Diagnose Cfs
It is usual for people with symptoms of CFS to seek help from their GP. In many cases, your GP will refer you to a specialist to eliminate other causes if they are unsure about the diagnosis. Specialists such as rheumatologists can test to see if there are any other illness-causing your symptoms because the symptoms of CFS can be similar to many other illnesses. If your symptoms have been lingering for longer than expected, a rheumatologist can rule out other health conditions and will diagnose CFS.
Don’t Miss: What Vitamins To Take For Fatigue
Articles On Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Thereâs no simple blood test or X-ray to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome â also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis . And many of the symptoms of the illness — deep tiredness, unrelieved by rest or sleep, feeling worse after physical or mental exertion, trouble concentrating, feeling worse after standing and remaining on oneâs feet and other symptoms– are also seen in other conditions, too, making the diagnosis of ME/CFS more difficult.
Alternative Or Complementary Medicine
Since there is no standard treatment for CFS/ME, people often consider alternatives to traditional medicine or use non-traditional treatments to complement their other medications. Commonly used alternative and complementary treatments include:
- Mind-body treatments, like qigong, tai chi, and meditation
- Trigger point therapy, called myofascial release
- Chiropractic treatments
Complementary therapies have received mixed results when scientifically studied. Before beginning an alternative or complementary treatment, talk with your doctor to ensure that you arent trying something potentially dangerous.
You May Like: Timberland Boots With Anti Fatigue
Don’t Miss: Sore Throat And Chronic Fatigue
Caring For Someone With Me/cfs
Having a supportive community of family, friends, school, work, employers and health workers, who understand the potential seriousness of ME/CFS, can also help improve the quality of life of people living with ME/CFS.
Everyone involved in supporting someone with ME/CFS needs to understand Post Exertional Malaise, which is an abnormal, biological response to exercise or activity. This means the patient will not be able to do all of the activities they used to be able to do, and will benefit from practical and emotional support. People with ME/CFS will each have different needs and preferences, so it is important to talk with them about how best to provide support. This may include help with daily routines, family life, accessing healthcare and other personal priorities.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Gradually Figuring Out Whats Wrong
In 1983, a health professional in her 30s walked into my office and said, Ive been healthy all of my life. A year ago, I came down with some kind of virus sore throat, aching muscles, swollen lymph glands, fever. My fatigue was so bad I was in bed for nearly a week. Many of the symptoms gradually improved, but the terrible fatigue and difficulty thinking have not gotten better. Theyre so bad I cant fulfill my responsibilities at home or at work. This illness is affecting my brain, stealing my energy, and affecting my immune system. Its keeping me from realizing my dreams.
Theres a piece of advice attributed to a famous physician, William Osler, that every medical student probably has heard: Listen to your patient. The patient is telling you the diagnosis. But I wasnt sure it applied in this case.
You May Like: How Can You Tell If You Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
What Does Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment Look Like
We recommend a treatment plan tailored to your needs and concerns, with the caveat that progress while living with CFS is slow work, but very rewarding.
We believe in the functional medicine approach, and we try to heal your body as a whole, not concentrating on just one area.
Treatments include:
- An anti-inflammatory diet, specific to you and your needs to help alleviate your aches and pains.
- Investigate the possibility of allergies, or an additional undiagnosed autoimmune disease.
- Integrative therapies such as acupuncture and nutritional therapy
These treatments are intended as a long-term solution to reduce your symptoms and help you lead a more functional life.
Which Doctor Should I See For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
If a person suspects having CFS, it is best to see a GP. The GP will recommend having physical and blood tests done. He or she will also ask about the patients medical history. It is also important to be aware that not all GPs and health care providers have CFS programs in place. It will be best to do some research to find the health care practitioner who can alleviate the CFS symptoms.
Recommended Reading: Does Lack Of Vitamin D Cause Fatigue
You May Like: Low White Blood Cell Count Symptoms Fatigue
