Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - CFS

Description of CFS

Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME) is a very complex disorder. Its main characteristic is long-term disabling tiredness that doesn't improve by rest. Although CFS is now recognized as a medical condition, nobody really knows what might be causing it. Some suspect physiologic and mental causes, other are blaming various viruses.

Symptoms

The main symptom of CFS is, as the name implies, fatigue – severe persistent fatigue that lasts for at least six months and isn't caused by any other medical condition. But fatigue isn't the only symptom. Here are 8 other primary symptoms:

• Impaired memory or concentration
• Sore throat
• Tenderness in the neck or armpits (in the area of the lymph nodes)
• Unexplained soreness of the muscles
• Unexplained headaches
• Pain that moves from one joint to another
• Extreme and long-lasting exhaustion after exercise or exertion (it lasts for more than 24 hours)
• Sleep disturbances and/or insomnia

These are the most common symptoms, but as I already said, chronic fatigue is a very complex disorder. That is why different patients report different symptoms. These can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, weight loss, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, chronic coughing, dizziness, dry eyes or mouth, earaches, jaw pain, morning stiffness, psychological problems, alcohol intolerance, shortness of breath and various skin sensations.

Tests & Diagnosis

Since nobody really knows what's causing chronic fatigue syndrome, there's no way to make a definite diagnosis. Because of that, diagnosis of chronic fatigue is usually based on exclusion. What that means, basically, is that your doctor will check you for all other known conditions that may be causing your fatigue and other symptoms. If he cannot find anything else wrong with you then you most likely have CFS.

Treatment

There is no known cure for chronic fatigue. Because of that, most doctors won't even attempt to treat this condition. Some doctors, however, do recommend various treatments that are aimed to reducing severity of the symptoms and improving overall functioning of the individual. The most common treatments are:

• Supervised graded exercise therapy – here, patient will try to increase his stamina, by gradually increasing the amount of physical activity. So this treatment is, basically, exercise. But because most CFS patients suffer extreme exhaustion after exercise, they have to start very slowly and then do a little bit more each day.
• Cognitive behavior therapy – a psychological therapy that helps the patients cope with the condition and change their unhelpful thinking patterns.

Even though these 2 therapies are generally accepted as treatments for CFS, they only have limited success. Some patients' condition improves with time, while others are faced with unchanged or even deteriorating condition.

If we want to treat this condition effectively, we have to find out which factors are responsible for it (usually, there's more than one). Once we know what's keeping the CFS going, we are able to treat these factors. Only then will the condition improve.

Conclusion

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS is just one of many medical conditions that could be causing you to feel tired. Other medical conditions that cause tiredness include:

• Overactive Thyroid Gland - Hyperthyroid

• Underactive Thyroid Gland - Hypothyroidism

• Iron Deficiency Anemia

• Sleep Disorders / Sleep Apnea

• Fibromyalgia
  

Important!

Usually, however, the causes of tiredness are not medical. By far the most likely cause of tiredness is, quite simply, the way you live your life - the way you eat, sleep, work and spend your free time. If you're asking yourself, why do I feel tired all the time, then you really should check out the End Tiredness Program, where you will discover not only why you feel tired, but also what you can do about it.