Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

CFS Solutions: Treatment, Research and Training

We Know Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

If you have a broken arm you get everyone’s sympathy because it is obvious and there is something to see. For CFS patients, there is nothing for anyone to see. Nor is there any pathology to find with conventional medical tests (with a few exceptions). Thus, CFS patients may not be taken seriously, may be accused of being ‘hysterical’, and so on. This of course means that finding appropriate treatment is all the more difficult, since convincing others and deriving support from family can at times be lacking.

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?

In order for a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) to be made, the patient must have at least three of the following symptoms for several months:

• Extreme fatigue generally not improved by rest (unrefreshing sleep)
• Post-exertion malaise
• Fibromyalgia
• Muscle weakness
• Impaired memory and concentration
• Insomnia
• Ongoing sore throat and tender lymph nodes
• Joint pain without inflammation
• Chronic headaches
• Dizziness.

Other symptoms associated with chronic fatigue are:  Irritable Bowel Syndrome, multiple food intolerances and chemical sensitivities. A small number of patients have cold intolerance; Restless Leg Syndrome and Irritable Bladder Syndrome.

Diagnosis

Chronic tiredness without any other of the above symptoms should not be diagnosed as CFS. There are other causes of tiredness which should be investigated. Some red flag symptoms may suggest a more sinister diagnosis. These are: weight loss; fever; persistent malaise; night pain; focal pain and neurological signs.

The following conditions are not CFS and must always be differentiated: anaemia, hepatic disease, diabetes, hypoglycaemia, malnutrition, malignancy, mental illness, sleep apnoea, thyroid disease.

                  Fibromyalgia

Some CFS patients also have fibromyalgia. Symptoms include:

• Generalised muscle pain in all four quadrants with tender points
• Paresthesia
• Skin sensitivity
• Temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction.

Although fibromyalgia is a separate syndrome from CFS, it is included here because it may be associated with CFS. Some patients with fibromyalgia have an undiagnosed chronic infection, whether bacterial or viral. If the former, it may be Lyme Disease.

Is CFS a ‘real’ condition?

Yes. The problems is that one title is used to describe many different syndromes. CFS is more than one illness and has a variety of different causes. In simple cases of CFS, there may be a single cause, and these are the most straight forward cases to treat. Where there are a number of causes which have merged together, the treatment plan is far more complex.

Is CFS all in my mind?

No. Stress does make CFS worse and so it is correct that stress can trigger CFS symptoms, or make them worse, but we find that there is usually an underlying physiological cause.

Many CFS sufferers are told that their CFS is caused by stress and are recommended to use some relaxation therapies. Reducing stress levels by using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or a similar therapy may reduce the symptoms, but does not address the underlying cause. In most people there is a definite physical cause of their CFS. 

What causes CFS?

We have identified a number of causes of CFS. Here are the common ones:

• Post viral
• Systemic Candidiasis
• Post infective (bacterial or viral)
• Heavy metal accumulation (cadmium, lead or mercury, or a combination)
• Chemical exposure (pesticides or hydrocarbons)
• Emotional shock

These categories are discussed on the Causes of CFS page.

Do vitamins help?

The answer is not black and white, since CFS is many illnesses under one title. However, many CFS patients find great benefit from Vitamin B12 injections; while those with adrenal exhaustion find benefit from all the B-group vitamins, as well as potassium and magnesium phosphate. However, often once these vitamins and minerals are withdrawn, the condition relapses.

What tests do you do?

We may use the tests below, however we prefer to use our own in house testing procedure, by challenging the patient against our own test kit vials.

Sometimes we request these specialized pathology tests:

• Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis.
• Blood tests – may reveal eosinophils.
• Urinary Indicans Test – may reveal pathogenic bacteria overgrowth.
• Hair Mineral Analysis – may reveal other toxicities. 
• TESSOL or Osumex urinalysis for heavy metal presence.

How Do You Treat CFS?

Once we understand the causes behind the symptoms, a clear treatment plan is formulated. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in our clinic. Because there is a range of causes of CFS, there are a variety of different medicines that we prescribe.. All treatment plans are made for each patient individually. We do not provide treatment without a consultation. Please note that we do not sell any products for the treatment of CFS

Treatment consists of:

• Homeopathic medicines
• Herbal medicines
• Dietary modification
• Mineral supplementation
• Chelation therapy

90 per cent of our treatment tools are the use of homeopathy

Can my CFS treatment be done quickly?

Yes and No.

Yes if recent post-viral:

If

• your CFS has occurred in the past 12 months and it follows a viral illness, such as influenza or glandular fever; and
• your health before that time was completely normal, with no allergies or fatigue,

then in most cases you will require one treatment plan, and it will take approximately three months to return you to full health.

No:

All other cases of CFS, if multi-causative, we cannot give you a definite treatment time. Your treatment plan may be one to five years, depending on how long you have been sick, and how many causative factors have combined to cause your illness.

For example, if you have a long term accumulation of mercury , lead or cadmium, that will take at least 12 months of gentle treatment to restore you to health. If you also have a history of chemical exposure (pesticide or hydrocarbon, as an example), that will take a further 6 to 12 months. If you also have an old infection, such as Lyme disease, that will also take approximately six more months.

In all cases, we outline the treatment plan for you at the beginning, based on our own investigations, so you can see the map before you of where you need to go to restore your health. You can see that unravelling CFS can be a complex process.

How Successful Is This Treatment?

We expect the majority of patients to become symptom-free by the conclusion of treatment.  

Distance Consultations

We will need to see you for your first consultation. After that, if you are unable to travel, we can conduct subsequent consultations via skype. See the Distance Consultations page.