The Common Ground ~ Fatique

Fatigue; widespread often debilitating muscular pain; impaired cognitive and memory functions; digestive complaints; headaches; sleep disturbances; anxiety; depression; numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, and feet; bowel disturbances; all revolving around changes in the weather, activity levels, and stress factors... these are the range of symptoms shared by those who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and/ or Fibromyalgia (FMS). . .

Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia

Remarkably similar, both CFS and FMS usually develop after a severe infection or physical or emotional shock. These conditions share a long list of potential causative factors including acquired toxicities, allergies, nutritional deficiencies, bowel dysbiosis, neurohumoral (nerve and hormonal) imbalance, insufficient stress coping abilities, inappropriate or excessive medication use, inadequate sugar control mechanisms, addiction to stimulants, overwork, poor posture and breathing dysfunction, current or past viral, parasitic, yeast or bacterial infections, impaired organs of digestion and elimination, emotional distress, and an overwhelmed immune system. Some researchers maintain that CFS and FMS are in fact the same condition with differing emphasis on either fatigue or muscular pain.

Perhaps the most significant similarity between these two conditions lies in their ability to bewilder the medical profession. There are no easy answers afforded to CFS and FMS sufferers and there are as yet no specific laboratory tests that can diagnose these conditions. By virtue of their puzzling attributes, CFS and FMS have become a refuge, and in many cases a dumping ground, for a host of undiagnosed and as yet undiagnosable health problems. A majority of medical practitioners seem either unaware of the complexities of treating such problems or are openly skeptical of their very existence. Some doctors insist that the psychological aspects of these conditions are the primary source of illness, a position strongly resented by those afflicted by CFS or FMS who see their emotional symptoms as the result of their fatigue, debilitating pain, general ill-health, and frustration with their inability to heal.

Conventional doctors most often treat these conditions as extensions of depression or anxiety, prescribing antidepressants with marginal success. In the alternative and complementary health fields a veritable industry has emerged to treat CFS and FMS using a wide range of approaches and methods. For most sufferers it becomes painfully clear that there are no magic bullets to remedy a complex condition that may have taken many years to evolve.

It is estimated that roughly six million Americans are affected by CFS and FMS, around 70% of them women. More than 25% of sufferers are as a result unable to work and effectively disabled. "These are a growing army of walking wounded, the 'vertically ill' who are too sick to function adequately but are commonly not quite sick enough to become 'horizontally ill', actually bed bound, although this is all too often an outcome in severe examples," says Leon Chaitow N.D., D.O., M.RO.

So how can we find or offer encouragement along the healing path? First, it is important for anyone afflicted with a chronic illness to understand that our bodies are self-healing. Cuts heal, bones mend, infections subside - as we discussed last month, our bodies "want" to heal. Our healing systems can become overwhelmed by too many demands and negative impacts, however, leaving the door open for disease and illness. At this point we can benefit from intervention. Generally we can take action towards healing on three fronts: reducing contributing factors, enhancing our healing systems, and treating our symptoms.

First we can reduce as many of the undesirable factors as possible that might contribute to CFS and FMS. We can avoid potential allergens; exposure to toxins; stressful situations; stimulants such as coffee, soft drinks, and black tea; and denatured, high sugar foods.

Next we can work to enhance our healing systems by moving toward a whole foods natural diet, improving posture and breathing, learning relaxation techniques, working to normalize sleep, getting regular aerobic exercise, and keeping our schedules and relationships manageable.

Finally we can treat our symptoms while making sure that our treatment choices do not further burden our body's defenses. Some forms of therapy that have proved helpful for individuals with CFS and FMS are: acupuncture; chiropractic; massage; vibrational therapy; homoeopathic remedies; hypnotherapy; osteopathic medicine; herbal medicines including: Ginko biloba (improves circulation to the brain), echinacea, astragalus and ginseng (boosts immune function), and capsaicin (reduces pain by depleting the nerve endings of Substance P, a chemical compound which increases the sensitivity of nerves to pain); and nutritional supplementation including: daily magnesium (300 - 600mg) and malic acid (1200 -1400mg) for pain, vitamin B3 and B6 which together with magnesium and tryptophan (obtainable from a good protein meal) are needed to manufacture serotonin which promotes restful sleep, and S-adenosyl-methionine, known simply as SAMe (100 -400 mg daily), a compound made from the amino acid methionine which improves neurological function.

We should discuss our options with a knowledgeable therapist or practitioner who can help us plot an appropriate course of action toward restored health.