There is no specific treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome but a combination of treatments is being used by the doctors to alleviate the symptoms and signs. Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is characterized by neurological problems, having flu-like symptoms, and debilitating fatigue, often experienced as poor stamina and extreme exhaustion. There are various core symptoms such as general pain, mental fogginess, excessive fatigue and gastro-intestinal problems, headaches, sleep disorder, sore throat, and abnormal temperature.
Display of symptoms varies among the patients. The degree of their severity varies, which can be between getting easily fatigued after stressful activity, being completely bedridden, and totally disabled. Should the symptoms not indicative of other serious health problems they should wane and disappear over time. For some patients, the chronic fatigue illness starts suddenly with a flu that does not go away completely while for other patients it gradually appears over a period of time. For many patients, the illness is often triggered after involving in high stress circumstance.
The combination is taken from the following treatments:
• Cognitive behavior treatment. This is a therapy combined with the gradual exercise and wherein the patient is treated by dealing with their mental health. The aim is to classify behaviors and negative beliefs that cause delay of recovery and eventually replace with positive, healthy behaviors.
• Moderating daily activities. The patient is encouraged to avoid or reduce excessive psychological and physical stress; however, it is not encouraged to take too much rest. In this treatment, the objective is to gently enhance the stamina and maintain moderate activity level.
• Gradual/steady exercise. This is a kind of exercise program where the patient relies on the help of physical therapist. It aims to increase gradually the level of exercise to improve chronic fatigue symptoms.
• Depression treatment. Depression is treated with serotonin re-uptake inhibitor and tricyclic anti-depressants. The anti-depressant does not only help treat depression but it can also relieve pain and improve sleep.
• Pain treatment. Like depression, pain is medically treated by administering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, like ibuprofen or aspirin, or acetaminophen. These medicines can also aid in lowering the fever and pain.
• Allergy-like treatment. Medical treatment used is antihistamines, like cetirizine, decongestants, and fexofenadine. These drugs help relieve allergy symptoms like runny nose.
• Hypotension treatment. The low blood pressure is treated with drugs like atenolol, midodrine, and fludrocortisones. These are useful when people suffer from chronic fatigue.
• Poor nervous system treatment. Clonazepam is used to treat symptoms like skin tenderness and dizziness while anxiety is treated with alprazolam and lorazepam.
There are experimental therapies that experts continue to research with the aim of finding treatments for the syndrome. These therapies include the following:
• Acupuncture
• Anti-viral drugs
• D-ribose
• Methylphenidate
• Immune globulins
• Cholinesterase inhibitors
• Corticosteroids
The Food Diet
In addition to the above mentioned treatments, health experts advise patients to be careful with their diet. They recommend avoiding diet rich in toxins or those unhealthy foods. Patients should be careful with foods containing carcinogens, aspartame, additives, mono sodium glutamate, amalgam, fluoride, sugar, among others.
Unhealthy foods such as table or refined salt, margarine, hydrogenated fats, chlorinated water, refined oils, junk foods, fried and smoked foods, soft drinks, baking powder, and alcohol drinks can aggravate chronic fatigue symptoms so they must be avoided at most times.
