Chronic fatigue syndrome

Expert:Frank Jenner
Date:12/9/2000
Subject:cronic upset stomach & mouth injuries

Question

I occassionaly suffer from unexplained fatigue.At the same time I suffer from unexplained
cut near the lips ( on inside of the mouth )by my teeth. Last time this happened I caught malaria .

Answer
I regret that I am not familiar with the details of malaria as it is quite rare in the United States where I live.

Have you seen a doctor to see if it my have recurred? You should always see a doctor to find out if you have a recognized condition. Many conditions can cause fatigue. Some are serious. Some are not.

If you have seen a doctor and still don't have an answer, then I need to ask a few questions about your fatigue. Chronic fatigue can have many causes.

Do you have gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, soft stools, gas and bloating? According to alternative medicine, chronic fatigue is often caused by undiagnosed Candida, helicobacter pylori, or parasitic infections of the colon. Helicobacter pylori is the bacteria that was recently discovered to cause stomach ulcers. It is also strongly suspected of causing other gastrointestinal problems and fatigue.

Are you consuming nutrasweet? Nutrasweet contains formaldehyde, methanol and many other toxins. The Center for Disease Control now recognizes that Nutrasweet (aspartame) can contribute to chronic fatigue.

There are two tests that I highly recommend to everyone. The first is a food allergy blood test. The second is an adrenal test. The adrenal test is available from the Great Smokies Lab (www.gsdl.com) and the food allergy test is available from Meridian Valley Lab (http://www.meridianvalleylab.com/). They are both controversial and your doctor may not be willing to order them. To find one that will, contact the lab for a referral.

If you have gastrointestinal problems, be sure to emphasize these to your doctor even if they are only inconvenient and don't seem that important. Mainstream MDs don't believe in certain conditions such as Candida infections of the GI tract, but they can often find and treat other problems. It is worth seeing one to test for other problems.

Diet can help. I found that the Zone diet helped me. The Zone diet is 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat at every meal. For more info, see the book "Enter the Zone" by Dr. Barry Sears.

Try to determine if you have any food allergies and avoid these foods. This can be a big cause of fatigue.

Another cause of chronic fatigue is something called "Wilson's Syndrome". This is a problem in which the person has a perfectly normal thyroid test and yet still has low levels of thyroid hormone. Recent studies have confirmed that this condition exists. Unfortunately, most mainstream doctors do not know about it and Wilson is a very controversial figure. To find out more, see www.wilsonssyndrome.com. The site has a list of doctors that treat the condition.

In my own case, the primary causes of my were Candida, aspartame (Nutrasweet), dust mite and food allergies. At one time, I had full-fledged chronic fatigue syndrome and was strongly considering disability. Today, I am not perfect, but I feel far better and am no longer considering disability as an option.

Many people who have CFS also have fibromyalgia. At least one doctor believes they are actually two variations of the same conditon. He also has an inexpensive treatment which many people find very effective. See www.guaidoc.com for more information and check out some of the other fibromyalgia web-sites.

There is one final condition that I would recommend checking out. It is called, "Chiari's Syndrome". This is a genetic condition in which a malformation at the base of the skull puts pressure on the base of the brain causing chronic fatigue. It is responsible for about 10% of all chronic fatigue and almost always shows up by the late teen years. If you suspect it, see a neurologist and ask about an MRI.

For more info, see my web page at www.cfs-recovery.org.


Frank
www.cfs-recovery.org


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