The Facts You Should Know About Chronic Fatigue

There is significant concern about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as CFS. In fact, there are criteria patients must meet in order to be diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Receiving the diagnosis may be difficult for some patients because the guidelines for diagnosing are very specific. The fatigue must have been present at least six consecutive months and the corresponding symptoms must have developed after the fatigue. A clear definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, its symptoms, and treatment options will help sufferers get a clearer understanding of the syndrome.

What is Chronic Fatigue? The basic definition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome does not make sufferers feel much better. The syndrome is unexplained and is marked by weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, lethargy, trouble sleeping, and even fever and swollen lymph nodes. There is no known cause for the fatigue that is present in an individual that has no relation to over-exertion and is not rectified by rest.

Symptoms Some of the symptoms associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have been discussed. However, there is a very long list. There are a variety of symptoms that patients are very aware of and then there are other symptoms only doctors seem to notice. Regardless, when the symptoms are present for a period of time for no apparent cause and seem to have no remedy then Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a frequent diagnosis.

Some of the frequent symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include:

• Muscle Aches
• Persistent Fatigue
• Intermittent Fatigue
• Depression
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Swollen Lymph nodes
• Depression
• Memory Loss
• Weakness
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Achy Joints

Frequently Chronic Fatigue Syndrome begins during periods when individuals have been sick, under a tremendous amount of stress, or for no apparent reason at all. Many individuals have noted that after bouts with the flu, mono, a cold, bronchitis, hepatitis, and other similar illnesses CFS arises. Unfortunately, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome persists for months, sometimes coming and going and other times constantly affecting the patient. Other illnesses begin to clear up after a few days or weeks, but Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sticks around with no clear cause.

Diagnosing Chronic Fatigue Doctors find it very difficult to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The reason why is because so many of its symptoms are symptoms of other illnesses. This is why many doctors like to see patients with the same symptoms that began after the fatigue for at least six months before giving a diagnosis. Obviously, sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome find the lack of an early diagnosis difficult to bear on top of their symptoms. However, doctors like to rule out diseases like Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis, as well as other diseases, before diagnosing Chronic Fatigue.

Additionally, researchers and doctors are becoming more aware of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and are more likely to make an earlier diagnosis based on fewer symptoms than ever before. That is not to say that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is easy to diagnose, because it is not. However increased awareness and new definitions are helping doctors and patients of Chronic Fatigue each and every day.

Treatment Options The treatment options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are varied and include alternative as well as prescription alternatives.

Some of the alternative care management options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include avoiding stress and undertaking light exercise. Other treatment options that work for some individuals include massage, aquatic therapy, chiropractic therapy, yoga, self hypnosis, tai chi, and even acupuncture. Psychotherapy has also proven helpful to sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because it helps sufferers learn to cope with their symptoms.

Prescription treatment options for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have not been approved by the FDA. There are however other prescription medications that are used to treat the symptoms presented with Chronic Fatigue. Frequently, the primary use of the medicine is secondary and its side effects are what benefit Chronic Fatigue sufferers. Medicines like antifungals, antidepressants, antivirals, cardiac drugs, antihistamines, immunoglobulins, corticoids, anti-inflammatories, and anti-convulsants among others are frequently prescribed to CFS sufferers.

Do You Have CFS?

If you are worried you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or have some of the above stated symptoms for months on end then you should make an appointment with your physician. It is a good idea to keep a journal of your symptoms, when they began, and if new ones appear. This will help your doctor make the proper diagnosis and help receive some relief from your symptoms sooner.

Disclaimer - The information presented here should not be interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk to a qualified professional for more information about Chronic Fatigue.

[Copyright © 2007, Heather Colman. Find more of Heather's articles at eBook Palace. Her articles are available for syndication. Reprinting individual articles is permissible provided no changes are made.]

Chronic Back Pain - Paying For Past Mistakes

When we are young, we never think about how the way we treat our bodies may come back to haunt us as we age. Little injuries, refusing to stand up straight, lack of exercise--there are so many things we do, or fail to do, which can lead to chronic back pain later on, simply because each one of them causes our spines to go a little more out of alignment.

If we were only taught when young about how important of having our spines correctly aligned is to our health, we would not be seeing an epidemic of chronic back pain in America. Untreated spinal misalignment leads to chronic back pain, of three months or more in duration. Chronic back pain is not the acute sudden pain of back spasms: it is a deeper soreness that may occur in more than one part of your back, and can be accompanied by tingling or numbness.

Chronic back pain is so prevalent that it now causes more lost work days and income than any other medical condition. It is also responsible for more than one-quarter o all worker’s comp claims filed.

Treating Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain may be resistant to the usual forms of treatment for damaged nerves and other requires multiple simultaneous therapies. Medication combined with chiropractic manipulation or physical therapy may be needed to return you to normal functioning; after that you can concentrate on keeping your problem from recurring.

In especially stubborn cases of chronic back pain, invasive treatments like spinal nerve blocks may be called for, but , but only as a last resort. Because back surgery is so invasive and has a high risk of causing spinal cord damage, most doctors will avoid it except in absolutely desperate cases. Any medical condition involving the spine should be treated as conservatively as possible.

Holistic treatment for chronic back pain incorporates practices like acupuncture, meditation, and massage that are thought to stimulate body's own release of endorphins.

Time Is Of The Essence

The most important thing you can do for your chronic back pain is to seek professional treatment. Even the smallest nagging twinge in your back can be signaling a deteriorating condition, which may not currently be serious, but will certainly become so if left untreated. What you might fix in one or two months now you may end up having to treat for years later on.

You can also find more info on Back Pain Therapy and Back Pain Treatment. Backpainreliefhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to help in Back Pain Relief.