| Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a strange | | | | illness was, and its causes! Inevitably more and |
| illness that a lot of GP's still don't recognise as an | | | | more research was carried out and this led to the |
| illness. | | | | medical definition and hence its name was |
| To this day nobody has pin pointed what causes | | | | invented. but a real cause for the illness still eluded |
| this disease. | | | | the medical world. |
| To start with the illness has had a complex | | | | The illness also known as Myalgic encephalitis can |
| history this is why the it has crept up on us under | | | | rear its ugly head from catching the flu to |
| the radar so to speak. In the past people held a | | | | something as small as an insect bite, Trauma or a |
| belief that the body contained four humours... | | | | death in the family, all these can cause the illness |
| | | | or an event that has extreme levels of stress, |
| 1. Blood. | | | | can trigger the symptoms. Also the illness is often |
| 2. Phlegm. | | | | diagnosed months after such causes as the ones |
| 3. Black bile | | | | above. Possible causes are diverse. |
| 4. Yellow Bile | | | | Recent research has uncovered that several |
| People believed that these four humours had to | | | | viruses could be the cause, however nothing has |
| be in balance to lead a healthy life. The interesting | | | | been confirmed as concrete evidence. |
| thing here is that if a person had too much black | | | | Epstein-Barr virus was thought to be a |
| bile then this would lead to a condition that was | | | | possible cause of the illness In the 1980's |
| described as melancholia, or a lack of energy and | | | | however the Epstein-Barr virus is not now |
| drive. This is very similar to the symptoms of the | | | | thought to be the cause |
| illness, if this was an early diagnosis then it has | | | | The bacteria behind pneumonia and some |
| been around a lot longer than first thought. Later | | | | other illnesses could be causing this condition in |
| on in the 1980's a lot of business men who | | | | some people. Some people are responding to |
| worked long hours were contracting, a flu like | | | | antibiotics when the illness.is connected to |
| illness... reporting to their doctor tiredness and lack | | | | C.Pneumoniae, they are prescribed antibiotics and |
| of drive, this was often labelled as, over working | | | | find their symptoms improve slightly. The main |
| or exhaustion, rest was prescribed but would | | | | antibiotics that are given will be Doxycycline. |
| often not have the desired effect, chronic fatigue | | | | The symptoms are often delayed in showing |
| syndrome was becoming recognised as a real | | | | themselves for up to six months. Interestingly this |
| disorder a name was given to the illness yuppie | | | | leads scientists to believe that it is an autoimmune |
| flu, the name gave the stereotypical image of | | | | disorder (the immune system is reacting to a |
| laziness when in fact, it was really CFS,so you can | | | | previous illness and is attacking healthy cells). |
| see why people were mystified as to what the | | | | |