by Stephanie Brail

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is more than just fatigue. To be fully diagnosed with CFS, a patient must exhibit symptoms that extend beyond just chronic tiredness.

While it's still uncertain whether chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are two manifestations of the same illness, many of the symptoms listed below are common to both.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms

To follow are the main symptoms of CFS. These must be present for at least six months for a diagnosis. They usually apply to fibromyalgia patients as well:

• Fatigue (that is not explained by another physical problem)
• Insomnia/unrefreshing sleep
• Memory problems and poor concentration, also known as "brain fog"
• Joint/muscle pain
• Headaches
• Tender or swollen lymph nodes
• Sore throat and other flu-like symptoms
• Post-exertional malaise following exercise or other exertion

Hey Stephanie.

Thank you....

Thank you for the email. Yes, I know all too well how frustrating and depressing chronic fatigue syndrome can be. But don't give up! Two weeks is not long enough to see any significant progress from acupuncture treatments, if you have a very debilitating form of CFS.

by Stephanie Brail

It is a medical mystery worthy of House, M.D. - finding the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia. Researchers have been stumped for decades. Here are some potential culprits:

1. Viral or Bacterial Infection

For a long time, chronic fatigue syndrome was often called "Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Sydrome" due to the elevated levels of Epstein-Barr antibodies in many CFS patients. While the specific Epstein-Barr theory has fallen somewhat to the wayside, researchers are still looking into the roles viruses and other infections may play in the development of CFS and fibromyalgia. Current thinking seems to lean towards the idea of an infection serving as a trigger for the disease in conjunction with other factors, but not necessarily being the sole cause.

2. Sleep Disorders

by Stephanie Brail

One of the most frustrating aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or fibromyalgia is getting a firm diagnosis. While the outlook is better for patients these days, for many years complaints and symptoms were dismissed by some doctors as psychosomatic or female hysteria, and that still happens today. This is because many doctors are still uninformed about these illnesses. And, since the majority of sufferers of both illnesses are women, some patient advocates have speculated that female patients aren't taken as seriously by their doctors.

OK, I usually don't do commercial advertising here, but I must share. A lot of people who know me don't realize that in order to be healthy and chipper, I have days where sometimes I need 10-12 hours of sleep in order to control my chronic fatigue syndrome.

So when you need to sleep a lot compared to regular humans, what's the first thing to go out the window? Cleaning, especially the floors. What's important to do when you have CFS? Vacuuming regularly, to remove dust and allergens. Because if you don't, you might feel more tired...which ends up making it hard to vacuum...and thus a vicious circle is born.

Enter the miraculous labor saving device!

My friend got me a Roomba in thanks for helping her with something. A Roomba, in case you hadn't heard, is a robotic vacuum cleaner that sweeps your floors all by itself.

by Stephanie Brail

In our busy, hectic lives, it is common to experience fatigue as a normal response to the stresses and demands of daily life. Sometimes, this fatigue can last over a period of weeks or months, due to a pressure-filled lifestyle, acute stress, or some sort of loss or setback in life. This type of “chronic fatigue” is not the same as full-blown chronic fatigue syndrome, yet many people confuse the two.

The name “chronic fatigue syndrome” is actually a misnomer, because it does not fully communicate the multitude of symptoms other than fatigue that are present with the illness. A common frustration for sufferers with chronic fatigue syndrome is to be told by someone without the illness that they understand what it's like to have CFS because they've been tired before. It is very important to emphasize that chronic fatigue syndrome is not just about chronic fatigue.

by Stephanie Brail

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness that affects at least one million Americans. It is marked by severe fatigue that worsens significantly after strenuous exercise or other activities (this is called post-exertional malaise). Besides fatigue, CFS is accompanied by a number of other symptoms, including "brain fog" (memory and concentration problems), insomnia and sleep disorders, flu-like symptoms, and joint pain.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), although the latter term is more common in Britain. Fibromyalgia, distinguished from CFS by chronic joint and muscle pain, is potentially a variant of CFS, but that is currently not known for sure.

Who is at Risk?

by Stephanie Brail

While this article is intended primarily for people with chronic fatigue syndrome, it might also be helpful to anyone who is struggling with severe fatigue after exercise or physical exertion.

What often separates a person who has symptoms of fatigue, versus someone who has full-blown chronic fatigue syndrome, is the phenomenon known as “post-exercise malaise.” Post-exercise malaise (also known as post-exertional malaise) is one of the key symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome that is used to diagnose the illness. It is characterized by severe fatigue and the worsening of other symptoms for the days following the exertion.

For most people with chronic fatigue syndrome, this translates into the following: When you try to exercise, you end up back in bed with your symptoms aggravated for a day, if not more. In some cases, too much exertion can cause a severe chronic fatigue flare-up or relapse.