Chronic Fatigue Syndrome affects up to 2.5 million Americans and for most is a very debilitating illness. Conventional medicine is just now coming around to recognizing it as a real syndrome, and it is generally only as a diagnosis of of exclusion, meaning they ruled out other diseases and did not find any reason for the fatigue. Symptoms can be very broad and vague and often include extreme exhaustion, memory loss, headache, muscle fatigue, weakness, and pain lasting at least six months. NOTE – all the information below also applies
Possible Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and autoimmune conditions)
Leaky Gut – This is inflammation of the gut. Undigested food particles and toxins that escape your gastrointestinal tract and enter your bloodstream set off a cycle of inflammation that causes symptoms throughout your body. Leaky gut can cause fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, joint pain, and virtually any other symptoms associated with CFS. If you have CFS or any other inflammatory condition such an autoimmune disease, it’s safe to say you likely have a leaky gut.
Diet – At the root of disease is chronic inflammation, and a diet high in inflammatory foods can be a major challenge for your immune system. Gluten in particular has actually been linked to more than 55 diseases, and that’s because most symptoms of gluten sensitivity are not digestive in nature, but can include pain, sleep disturbances, brain fog, fatigue, depression, cognitive impairment, behavioral issues.
Toxins – These include heavy metals, pesticides found in food and chemicals in household cleaning products. You should certainly lessen your exposure to each of these. I recommend the book Health Home
Stress – Emotional, mental, and physical stress lower your body’s ability to fight infections, and infections put more stress on your body.
4 Steps to Recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Healthy Gut/Healthy Body – 80% of your immune system is located in your gut. It’s all about removing the bad, replacing the good, reinoculating with healthy bacteria, and repairing your damaged gut!
Food sensitivities are responsible for symptoms in many cases. Gluten is inflammatory and because gluten sensitivity causes so many cognitive problems.
Tame the toxins. Reduce your exposure to toxins wherever possible. Start with incorporating more organic food into your diet to support your body’s own natural detox processes.
Relieve your stress.
RESOURCES – Amy Myers “The Autoimmune Solution Book”
