Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Are you tired all the time? Are your daily living activities impacted by persistent fatigue?

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME*/CFS) is more than being tired all the time. People with ME/CFS are so fatigued that it interferes with daily lives and can make prevent them from functioning or caring for their families and maintaining a job, while others are severely disabled and even bedridden. Some people dealing with extreme fatigue also suffer from flu-like symptoms and chronic pain.

*CFS is also known as ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. Myalgia means muscle pain and encephalomyelitis means inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a “real” condition?

The healthcare practitioners at Serenity Health Center are often asked, is  chronic fatigue syndrome real?  The answer is a definite Yes! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the first credible evidence of a biological basis for ME/CFS came in 2006, when 20 researchers from different specialties linked the illness with genes involving the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis. These genes control how your body responds to things like injuries and stress.

Many other researchers believe that some cases of ME/CFS are caused by an abnormal reaction to common infectious agents. The condition is tentatively linked the Epstein-Barr virus, enteroviruses, human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) and Lyme disease.

Multiple studies suggest that the immune system may be chronically active in people with ME/CFS, which could make your body think it’s fighting an infection, whether it is or not, and that causes an chronic inflammatory response eventually depleting the body from its ability to fight, depleting hormone production and causing severe fatigue.

Who is at risk for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

While many questions remain and researchers continue to explore possible causes and risk factors for CFS, there are some agreed upon characteristics that suggest who most are at risk for CFS:

• CFS affects women four times more frequently than men. But men can develop CFS.
• CFS primarily occurs in people in their 40s and 50s.
• CFS occurs in all ethnic and racial groups and in countries around the world.
• CFS may have a genetic link.

How is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome treated?

At Serenity Health Center we employ various treatment options for treating CFS. These therapies include:

• Evaluating infectious processes
• Using biofeedback to determine if there are organ deficiencies, genetic mutations, and metabolic conditions.