Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a chronic illness characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for more than six months. This fatigue cannot be explained by an underlying medical condition. The process for diagnosis usually begins with ruling out possible underlying diseases and chronic conditions … until the only choice left is chronic fatigue syndrome. Currently, over 1 million Americans suffer from this debilitating condition, and women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with CFS than men.
In addition to the profound fatigue experienced, other serious symptoms often accompany CFS, such as:
- Feeling extremely exhausted for more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
- Not feeling refreshed after sleeping, or having trouble sleeping
- Having a hard time concentrating, or problems with attention and memory
- Muscle pain or aches
- Joint pain without swelling or redness
- Headaches of a new type, pattern, or strength
- Sore throat that is constant or goes away and comes back often
- Joint pain that moves from one spot to another
- Digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome
- Mood swings, panic attacks and depression
Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Sadly research has yet to identify a root cause of CFS. Chronic fatigue often starts after a stressful event in life like a divorce, loss of a loved one or an injury or illness. It is my belief that CFS is a multi-factorial syndrome because preliminary research findings show that viral and bacterial infections, toxicity, hormone imbalances, weakened immune system, chronic stress and nutritional deficiencies are all contributing factors.
Standard Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Conventional medical treatment treats the symptoms rather than the underlying causes. Often individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome are prescribed anti-depressants and sleeping pills. In many cases, the side effects from these drugs are actually worse than the original symptoms and they do not heal the condition.
Steps to Heal Your Chronic Fatigue
- Eliminate Food Sensitivities and Allergens. Remove any foods or allergens that could be causing you inflammation or reactions related to fatigue. The best way to do this is with an IgG test.
- Test for Your Specific Deficiencies. Vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies have been linked to suppressed immune function and contribute to chronic fatigue, inflammation, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and much more. Specialized blood testing can reveal what your body has absorbed from your food and/or supplements over the past 6 months and zero in on what is deficient. Micro-Nutrient Testing allows a person to know exactly what to eat and/or supplement in order to support their healing process. By correcting nutritional imbalances the body is given the building blocks it needs toheal from the inside out.
- Increase Magnesium and Potassium. Symptoms of magnesium and potassium deficiency include the common CFS symptoms: fatigue, irritability and muscle cramps. Eating a diet rich in magnesium and potassium can help to relieve these symptoms. Consider adding these magnesium and potassium–rich foods to your diet: spinach, chard, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sweet potatoes, black beans, avocados, figs, bananas, apricots and coconut water.
- Take Lemon Balm (also known as Melissa) for its antiviral and immune enhancing properties. A usual dose is 2000mg twice a day.
If you or someone you love is suffering from CFS you know that it is a stubborn, debilitating condition that drains the quality out of your life. Using a combination of science and nature we are able to determine your unique metabolic profile and then create a holistic protocol that will ignite the healing process and get your energy back.
Dr. Niele Maimone, DC is the owner of Align Healing Center in Danville, CA. For more information or to set up a complimentary consult call 925.362.8283 or visit www.alignhealingcenter.com.
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