| Chronic fatigue, and its more severe counterpart, | | | | failure of medical tests, such as blood work-ups |
| chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), are not new | | | | and MRIs, to detect anything wrong has led to a |
| diseases. These conditions have been known | | | | wasteland of continued suffering. |
| under a multitude of other names for many | | | | The Specific Causes of All Forms of Fatigue |
| centuries. | | | | Remain a Mystery to Modern Medicine |
| In an effort to determine the causes of these | | | | The best that anyone can say about this whole |
| conditions, many causal-candidates have been | | | | syndrome of chronic fatigue is that it arises |
| discussed by doctors and the public alike. In the | | | | because of multiple agents acting at the same |
| late 1800's the name "neurasthenia" surfaced as | | | | time. Naturally, this befuddles medicine who is |
| the primary descriptive term. | | | | used to the idea of "one cause/one disease." |
| The first World War marked a time where | | | | With medicine frozen in its tracks, many people |
| chronic fatigue was a major complaint for millions | | | | turn to alternative ideas and alternative |
| of American and European citizens. It was such a | | | | treatments. This road is also fraught with danger |
| major problem that the medical community tried | | | | because the alternative arena is filled with |
| to find out why so many people were tired all the | | | | quick-buck artists and marketers. |
| time. | | | | That being said, the only hope for fighting chronic |
| The Late 1800's Name of Neurasthenia | | | | fatigue is in the arena of alternative medicine. This |
| Encompassed Many Diverse Symptoms | | | | includes the use of multiple plans of attack: |
| That gradually gave way to attempts to define | | | | * appropriate exercise |
| the condition more narrowly and provide specific | | | | * the judicious use of diet |
| names: | | | | * the most appropriate diet is low-carbohydrate |
| * Fibromyalgia | | | | * yet this diet is maligned by the medical |
| * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | | | | community |
| * Multiple Chemical Sensitivity | | | | * the use of selected vitamins, minerals, and |
| * Post-Viral Infectious Fatigue | | | | herbs |
| The Medical Establishment doesn't understand the | | | | * unfortunately, the public is not trained in |
| underlying causes of fatigue. Without a knowledge | | | | choosing these |
| of the causes, no effective therapies are | | | | * of course, medicine knows nothing of this due |
| provided to help people alleviate their suffering. | | | | to its reliance on drugs |
| All conditions of fatigue, however, consist of a | | | | Many people will tell you that they were able to |
| similar symptom picture that's remarkable in its | | | | beat chronic fatigue because of alternative |
| pattern: | | | | treatments. Medicine offers up nothing much |
| * fatigue | | | | more than some ineffective advice and it realizes |
| * muscle weakness | | | | that it has no effective therapies, a point made in |
| * inability to cope with stress | | | | all medical journal articles. |
| * gastrointestinal disturbances | | | | But because of medicine's need to squash any |
| * gastrointestinal disturbances | | | | competing methods to health care, it ridicules any |
| * balance difficulties | | | | alternatives to what it offers. The only hope, |
| * balance difficulties | | | | therefore, to the public is to find effective |
| * inflammation | | | | alternatives. They are out there but one needs to |
| * balance difficulties | | | | be careful in discovering what works and what |
| * and many other debilitating symptoms | | | | does not work. |
| The complexity of the symptom picture and the | | | | |