Dr Charlotte Mendes Da Costa shares how homeopathy can help patients suffering from a condition causing intense mental & physical exhaustion
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating illness with many sufferers in the UK. Over the years this condition has been called different names including among other things neurasthenia, post-viral fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalitis (ME). There are an estimated 250,000 people in Britain affected by this illness the cause of which is largely unknown. The main symptoms of CFS are severe and debilitating fatigue, both physical and mental. The fatigue can be persistent or come and go but will have lasted at least four months before a diagnosis can be made: it is not relieved by rest. The fatigue is accompanied by a myriad of physical and mental symptoms. Physical symptoms include painful muscles, joint pains, sore throat, headache, dizziness, flu-like symptoms or difficulty regulating ones temperature. Mental symptoms include poor short-term memory and concentration; depression is also common. Sufferers often complain of disturbed sleep and that the fatigue is usually worse a day or two after increased mental or physical activity and can then be prolonged. Infections or immunisations may also precipitate a worsening of the fatigue. Many people also become completely intolerant of alcohol. While no single cause of CFS has been identified there are known triggers. These are often infections particularly glandular fever caused by the Epstein Barr virus. A fatigue state may be brought on if a person has insufficient rest during an infection or sometimes if fever suppressant drugs are used. Less common triggers include major trauma and operations, vaccinations and organophosphate pesticides. There is wide debate as to the causes of CFS but as yet no laboratory tests exist to confirm the diagnosis. What is known is that it is commonly associated with a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection and is related to a resulting abnormality in the immune system, which is seen by some as being in a state of overactivity. There is some evidence that the mitochondria (parts of the cell which provide energy) in muscles of patients with CFS are also abnormal. CFS can have a huge impact on those suffering from the condition, as they are often severely limited in their ability to carry out normal activities of daily living including work, household duties, social and sporting pastimes. The severity of CFS is defined by the degree to which the condition affects a person’s functioning and daily life. This is quite simply mild, moderate or severe. With mild CFS people are mobile, can care for themselves and may be able to work, although they will often need a whole weekend to rest. At the severest end of the scale sufferers are unable to do any activity for themselves, may spend most of their time in bed, have severe cognitive problems and are often wheelchair dependent.
Difficult diagnosis
Diagnosis is not easy and should only be made by a healthcare professional or specialist (usually a neurologist). It is a diagnosis of exclusion, so other possible diagnoses must first be excluded and the symptoms should persist for at least four months in an adult or three months in a child, where a paediatrician should confirm the diagnosis. There are a multitude of illnesses causing severe and prolonged fatigue, and these need to be excluded by a doctor. The doctor should have taken a clinical history, examined the patient which characteristically in cases of CFS involves a thorough physical examination. Conditions that have symptoms very similar to CFS include: hormonal (diabetes, hypothyroidism), infection (glandular fever, hepatitis B or C), neurological (multiple sclerosis), rheumatological (rheumatoid arthritis), cancer (any type), gastrointestinal (coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease). The doctor of a patient presenting with CFS symptoms will request investigations, which will be mainly blood tests. These include checking for anaemia, specific infections – for example the Epstein Barr virus – liver and kidney function.
