CFS is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and "it is an illness of continual dog-tiredness, achy muscles, fever, drowsiness and the blahs that last for months and even years."
Although scientist do not yet have a known cause of this disease, there is some new hope for dealing with it.
According to Medical experts, CFS is not a fatal disease and can be conquered if the sufferers learn how to fight it.
How do you know who has it and who doesn't
About 6 in 10 people you see on the streets complains that fatigue is disrupting their lives; but out of this number, less than 3 will truly have symptoms as devised by more than a dozen experts, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Below are the symptoms of CFS
- Sore throat
- Muscle discomfort
- Disturbed sleep
- General muscle weakness that can't be explained
- Headache that increases in pains as it occurs
- Fatigue for a period no less than 24 hours
- Swollen or painful lymph glands
- Chills or fever
- Confusion, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, depression etc
Although the above symptoms are common to any other kind of disease, it cannot be completely rule out. When someone is known to be exhibiting these symptoms, you trace these to the availability of CFS in the live of the individual.
Given the life we lead and with the way things are, everyone should be tired.
A man who works through the day and gets only 4 hours of sleep at night should naturally be exhausted. psychological stress can also make you tired.
To identify persons with CFS can be really tricky given that the symptoms are not unique, but some specific criteria exists for it. CFS can be triggered in persons with with high levels antibodies in their blood after experiencing some kind of change in routine.
CFS often begins during a stressful time such as during a career change, a divorce, or a death in the family or of friends. Depression has a role to play in CFS but in most cases, that isn't the case, as it takes more than depression to be struck by it.
As it is with the body being able to overcome various allergies or not, a CFS sufferer may lack the defensive mechanism needed to regulate the body's defensive responses to diseases.
In Search of a cause
Over the years, scientist and medical experst have been on the search for the cause of CFS as the symptoms are said to overlap with the disorder called fibromyalgia, which is also associated with fatigue and muscle pain.
Some research shows that CFS and Fibromyalgia may be the same condition in some cases and because it is similar in symptoms, it may be represented in the lives of the sufferer. According to research carried out by scientist and the CDC, CFS can be contagious because of the retroviruses it comes with which are capable of disrupting the immune system.
Anaemia, Hypoglycemia or candidiasis have been some unproven explanation for the disease. No one can clearly tell why it occurs and how, there are just speculations and hope that these symptoms are what causes it.
Getting a diagnosis
Because CFS is not a sickness that can be easily identified, some doctors over-diagnose it and cause many who do not have it to believe that they do; and those who do not know what it is, also under-diagnose it thereby putting genuine sufferers in harms way.
CFS is not all in your head, so do not go out thinking you are imagining stuffs. It is real and when you feel like you are down with it, you must do what needs to be done to make sure you overcome it. Out of 10 patient diagnosed with CFS, only 3 may actually have it.
It is a complicated sickness because it requires a sophisticated medical workup, which includes immune studies and all necessary tests needed to rule out other diseases.
For many who are unsure of the diagnosis given them, it is best to consult and immunologist if you are in doubt to get a second opinion.
Beating CFS
Since there is no proven cure for CFS, it is important that you have some understanding of how you can tackle it or what seems like it. The below are some recommendations by experts and the CDC.
*. Eat right. Eating meals with adequate amounts of nutrients including calories will help make a difference in how you can cope with CFS. Although, CFS is not associated with vitamin or mineral deficiencies, you may need some addition or subtraction of sugar to be able to get yourself.
*. Get emotional help. Illness of any kind can take a toll on your emotions. You need to learn and know how to deal emotionally with your mind whenever you find yourself ill.
You can seek counselling or support form support groups that are in your neighborhood or online. It is proven that, those patient who know how to maintain a positive attitude can cope well in whatever situation they find themselves.
Being in the company of others will help you move beyond the stage you find yourself.
*. Get enough rest. Humans are fond of working their body like there is no tomorrow. You must adopt a lifestyle of taking it easy and learning to rest so that, you can alleviate some of the known symptoms of CFS or any other sickness that you be plagued with.
Get some quality sleep time as often as you can.
*. Get an exercise routine to get you going. You can talk a walk on the treadmill, stretch, do sit ups, jog for some minutes daily etc and this will help you have a refreshed state of ind and body daily. You cannot get better faster by staying in bed when you are ill, you must make an effort to scare the pains away and exercising is a good way to start.
*. Take medication for your pain and boost your immune system. There is n need to play macho when you are down. Pain is associated with illness and when it comes, it comes with a lot of discomfort. Tell your doctor about the pain you feel and ask for medication that will help you get better.
Antidepressants are also needed to help boost the immune system, because depressive symptoms are part of the illness.
*. Avoid fake treatments peddlers. Because there is not yet a known cure for CFS, some individuals go about peddling some treatments that are not proven and cannot be trusted. Everyone who finds themselves ill will do anything to get better and some dubious persons will always take advantage of the situation.
Focus on the simple yet effective treatment circle as mentioned here and do not go about seeking treatments that will make it more difficult and complicated.
Additional reading. Wikipedia- CFS or ME
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