Introduction to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS) Treatment
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment – I have treated many conditions with Traditional Chinese Medicine and chronic fatigue syndrome has been one of those. For 10 years I was also part of the Anhui University Hospital research team for the determination of the efficacy of herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
So, I know that Traditional Chinese Medicine can help people experiencing chronic fatigue syndrome.
However, you would expect a Chinese Doctor to say that. Therefore, in the interest of convincing you, I have included parts of a report that is in the US National Library of Medicine together with links to the people quoted.
I will also write my summation at the end.
Why Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Chronic fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is increasingly common. Conventional medical care is limited in treating chronic fatigue, leading some patients to use traditional Chinese medicine therapies, including herbal medicine.
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fatigue – is a pervasive sense of tiredness or lack of energy that is not related exclusively to exertion. Fatigue may result from behavioural problems such as a lack of sleep, excessive physical (or mental) activity, and poor diet or a range of medical conditions including infection, cardiovascular, metabolic, connective tissue and endocrine disorders (De Merlier 2003).
CFS is characterised by severe disabling fatigue and a combination of four additional symptoms that may include impairments in cognitive or neurological function, sleep dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and endocrine or immune dysfunction. Additionally, alternative medical and psychiatric causes must have been ruled out, and the condition must have been present for at least six months (Fukuda 1994).
Treatment Options for Chronic Fatigue
Western Medicine
There is no definitive cure for ICF/CFS. Due to the unclear aetiology, diagnostic uncertainty, and the heterogeneity of these populations, there are also no firmly established treatment recommendations.
Treatment options that are used in clinical practice are directed toward relieving symptoms and improving function, and include pharmacological, immunological and antiviral agents, cognitive/behavioural therapies and physical therapies. Few clinical studies have been published for any of these options (Afari 2003).
A recent evaluation of the levels of evidence for the various treatment options reported that with the exception of one pharmacologic agent for immune dysfunction, all of the treatments reviewed ranked at the lowest or second lowest levels of evidence (expert opinion of an individual or committee, respectively) (Carruthers 2003).
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Given the limited treatment options offered by conventional Western medicine, the lack of evidence of effectiveness and safety for those options, and the occurrence of side effects common to conventional medications it is not surprising that sufferers of chronic fatigue use a range of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies.
Several of the CAM therapies that have been used for ICF/CFS fall under the domain of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment?
TCM is a healthcare system that evolved in China over a period of thousands of years. TCM is estimated to be used by over one-quarter of the world’s population, and as “a complete system of medicine, it has been selected by the World Health Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the health care needs of the twenty‐first century” (Flaws 1993).
The approach to health and healing differs from conventional Western medicine in that disease is believed to be the result of imbalance and disharmony between organ systems in the body and between the body and the environment.
In addition, blockage in or deficiency of the body’s vital energy (known as qi) may result in illness. The goal then is to restore balance, harmony, and flow and to strengthen and support the body’s innate healing capacities.
This is done using therapies such as acupuncture, moxibustion, chronic fatigue treatment diet, Tui‐na massage, therapeutic exercise, and medicinal products, including herbs.
Treatment may include one or more of the available therapies and is customized and tailored to the needs of the individual patient.
The aetiology of the disease is not relevant to treatment, which is instead based on the presentation of patterns of symptoms. The Patterns of symptoms may be as numerous as the patients who present them and are not tied to disease classifications. Patients with the same disease classification may present different patterns while patients with different diseases may present the same patterns.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
To read the full article “Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs for the treatment of idiopathic chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome” go here also credit to the following people Denise Adams, Taixiang Wu, Xunzhe Yang, Shusheng Tai, and Sunita Vohra
My Summary – TCM or Western Medicine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
What is the latest treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome?
Sadly Western medicine continues to seek treatment solutions only for parts of chronic fatigue symptoms. Happily, TCM has solutions based on over 2000 years of experience in treating these symptoms.
For several reasons, I firmly believe that Traditional Chinese Medicine is the only chronic fatigue syndrome treatment I recommend.
- TCM treats CFS without the use of drugs and so you benefit from not having any side effects.
- Western medicine’s use of drugs or therapies like physiotherapy can only target one possible reason for your CFS whereas TCM will look at your complete situation and ways to cure your CFS not simply manage it.
- When you take drugs, the side effects can also have a negative impact on your Chronic fatigue.
- Ok, so I also know that I have been able to help others with chronic fatigue, using nothing more than Traditional Chinese Medicine (which includes acupuncture and Tui Na medical massage).
In the end, it is about curing not simply managing your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and you will not be able to do that by ‘managing’ parts of it with Western medicine. Only Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the whole of any person’s CFS.
TCM Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment – Crouch End
New treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome 2021 – Healthy diet, may help but on its own, it won’t cure CFS
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
Author Information:
University of Alberta, CARE Program, Department of Paediatrics, 8B19 11111 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Canada, T5K 0L4
West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, Chinese Ethics Committee of Registering Clinical Trials, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, China, 610041
West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu, China, 610041
University of Alberta, 173 Heritage Medical Research Centre, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 2E1
The University of Alberta, Department of Paediatrics, 8B19 11111 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Canada, T5K 0L4
Sunita Vohra, Email: ac.atreblau@arhovs.
Corresponding author.
Editorial Group: Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group.
