Hi All,

I have CFS of 12 years and I wondered if any of you have CFS or have had it and if there was anything that helped you regain your health.

Many thanks xx

Hey healthgirl,

Sorry to hear of your current health problems, i also went through Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and other related health issues.

Unfortunately there is no one cause of CFS, so it can make getting to the root of the problem very difficult and costly. What is your doctors current opinion ? Most doctors seem to just fob CFS'ers off with anti-depressants and cognitive behavioural therapies still in the belief that its a psycho-somatic condition, i don't agree with them here, whilst severe psychological stress can trigger these type of health problems, most often than not these CFS'ers have significant physical dysfunctions going on and even genetic problems, which can be proved via testing.

Some of the areas i would look at researching with your doctor if you haven't already.

Adrenal Gland Function & Endocrine Hormones - Sub-optimal adrenal gland function is a common cause of CFS. A urine adrenal stress test can be helpful. Especially worth doing if you have the symptoms of low cortisol and adrenal fatigue.

Kryptopyrrole disorder also known as pyroluria. Especially if you have symptoms of poor stress tolerance, severe anxiety, panic attacks, depression, social withdrawal etc i.e the common severe zinc and vitamin b6 deficiency symptoms. A simple urine kryptopyrrole test can test for this.

Leaky Gut Syndrome(increased intestinal permeability) is a very common factor in chronic fatigue syndrome. There are newer simple fairly inexpensive tests for diagnosing leaky gut now.

Heavy Metal Toxicity and other common bio-chemical imbalances such as copper toxicity. These are a very common cause of CFS and similar health problems, hard to test for also. A hair mineral analysis can be helpful if from a proper lab which doesn't wash the hair such as ARL.

Gut Flora Alterations & Opportunistic Infections such as candida overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth and parasites can be a common cause of CFS type symptoms. There are various stool tests and hydrogen breath tests which can be done to test for these microbial imbalances. Supporting the gut flora generally can't hurt with prebiotics and probiotics anyway and watching your diet isn't too high in sugar.

Autonomic Nervous System Imbalances & Dysfunctions such as sympathethic "fight or flight" system dominance. Being stuck in fight or flight mode, means that the sympathetic nervous system is constantly demanding adrenal hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, eventually the adrenals can't keep up with the constant demand and one burns out. So activating the parasympathetic nervous system and shutting off the stress response can be very helpful for health, meditation and deep breathing exercises are some of the best tools for this. The body must be in a parasympathetic "rest and digest" state in order to heal and to keep the body in a anabolic state of recovery. It can be severe nutrient deficiencies in B vitamins, magnesium, zinc etc which cause autonomic dysfunction and hypersensitivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Methylation Issues - Many with CFS find they have issues with the methylation process, which impairs detoxification, homocysteine metabolism, neurotransmitter/hormone synthesis, liver health and so on. Methylation shouldn't be played about with self diagnosing, a professional practitioner is essential. TMG also known as tri-methyl-glycine ive found very helpful, as a safe methyl-donor to support the methylation process.

Nutrient Deficiencies - Research has proven that those with chronic fatigue syndrome are often deficient in many vital nutrients. Some of these include the minerals Magnesium and Zinc. The B vitamins, especially Vitamin B6(Pyridoxine) has been found to be lower in those with CFS also.

I suggest you look into Dr Lawrence Wilsons Nutritional Balancing Program and some of his articles, his program is amazing for adrenal fatigue, endocrine issues, common mineral imbalances such as copper toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, hormonal imbalances and so on.

Always consult a professional before making any significant diet or lifestyle changes.

Hopefully maybe some of these areas of research, will yield something beneficial for you.

Superfoods



Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2014 02:39PM by powerlifter.

I just re-read my post back, that was meant to say saliva adrenal stress test not urine, for the adrenal gland testing bit.

That is what i get for typing posts too quickly lol, when im at work.

Superfoods

chocolate (phytonutrients) or cocoa powder blended with berries

[nutritionfacts.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2014 03:25PM by Panchito.

the longest lived person ever recorded ate chocolate every day

Panchito Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the longest lived person ever recorded ate
> chocolate every day


Jeanne Clement, who lived to 122, smoked for 96 years of her life. Are you suggesting we all start smoking cigarettes?

I wouldn't touch chocolate with a ten-foot pole if I had chronic fatigue, because you may be allergic to caffeine. I went through that years ago and it took me about a year to figure out it was the chocolate. If I just walked upstairs, my heart would be pounding and I would be out of breath, and I had to go to the nearest bedroom to lay down until I was OK again. It took two months of going without chocolate before it finally stopped.

I'm a 40 year-old male with CFS for over 20 years. I just started a plant based diet.

I went to the doctor about a year ago to get blood tests done because I thought I was really sick like cancer or something. My CFS had got really bad. My blood work said I was healthy. My doctor said I might have a sleeping disorder. She said I needed to go to a sleep specialist for that. I could do that because I don't have the money to pay for the tests. (I was in LA at the time. And getting free health insurance through the city. Which is pretty good.)
I did notice that when I ate a lot of fatty meats and eggs I would be much more lathargic. Which is what lead me to raw foods. Recently I went to thailand and ate nothing but fresh fruits and juice(they are so cheap there!). I noticed a huge change in my CFS as well as my depression. I was so much happier.
* A few things that have helped me
-Eliminating daily sugars from my diet
Breads, wheats, starches, soda, processed junk sugars, alcohol, milk
-Yoga/stretching seems to help

I was diagnosed back in the 80s and told I would have this for the rest of my life.
I am not suffering anymore, unless I eat what does not support me.

So what does support my wellbeing is
leafy greens
vegetables
sprouts
some fruits (not sweet)
seeds
some nuts
some beans
fresh air and sunshine and exercise.


What does not support me is cacao, chocolate, anything too sweet, any animal product, or grains unless sprouted.

KidRaw Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wouldn't touch chocolate with a ten-foot pole if
> I had chronic fatigue, because you may be allergic
> to caffeine. I went through that years ago and it
> took me about a year to figure out it was the
> chocolate. If I just walked upstairs, my heart
> would be pounding and I would be out of breath,
> and I had to go to the nearest bedroom to lay down
> until I was OK again. It took two months of going
> without chocolate before it finally stopped.


Chocolate or caffeine in general? I am about to quit coffee and other caffeine/theobromine/theophylline sources. I just figured that the overstimulation was making me tired. I never considered it was some allergy.