So how can an epidemic that's affecting over 1 million people remain hidden you may ask?
When you take a moment to think about it, you would probably assume that something affecting so many people would have had a major impact on the headlines right?
Well, actually, no, at least not in the case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), you see the difficulty with this complex illness is that many people may have it without even realising it!
Part of the problem is that there is no one single cause that leads to CFS. In fact, the range of symptoms is so wide that, the illness can often remain undetected for years. Some of these symptoms are listed here:
- Allergies
- Anxiety
- Blurred vision
- Brain fog,
- Confusion & memory loss
- Excessive coughing
- Decrease in appetite
- Depression
- Digestive disorders
- Dizziness
- Dry eyes & mouth
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Joint and muscle pain
- Low body temperature
- Fever
- Nausea
- Prolonged fatigue after exertion
- Severe fatigue
The challenge for doctors is that these symptoms could easily be associated with a whole range of other illnesses. So in many respects, the silently raging internal crisis often only becomes apparent, when the body’s immune system is given one symptoms too many burdens to handle, so it responds with a breakdown in the form of CFS.
In addition to the symptoms I mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges that sufferer's have to contend with, is people, i.e., some doctors and even family and friends thinking that the illness is 'all in their head'. The main reason for this is due to CFS having a psychological element it. When you take this factor alone into account, it certainly is not hard to imagine why so many sufferers become depressed. After all, what could be worse than feeling constantly ill and tired, and then on top of everything else, feeling as though you need to justify your illness?
Brief History
The first documented cases of CFS appeared in the 1980's in Nevada, where patients reported feeling an overwhelming sense of fatigue and muscle pain. At the time it was thought that group of people likely to be most susceptible to CFS were young, white and affluent professionals, hence the unfortunate term Yuppie Flu' was born. In the UK it became known as ME.
According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), most CFS sufferers are typically white, female with an age range between 40's to 50's. Although there is a high incidence of women in the number of reported sufferers, this in itself is not conclusive as it thought that women might be more likely to report the illness than men.
The Cause
Despite that fact that there has been active research in this area for the last twenty years, the experts have yet to reach a consensus as to what actually causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
One theory is that no single cause exists, however, according to medical research specialists such as Dr W. H. Philpott and Dr Kalita, viruses such as those listed below are thought to play a role:
- Epstein-Barr
- Cytemegalo
- Candidiasis (Yeast Overgrowth)
In addition, other factors listed below are also thought to the immune systems demise:
Underactive Thyroid Gland
Stress
Toxic Overload
Nutritional Deficiencies
Prolonged use of Antibiotics, Hydrocortisone or Vaccinations
The Impact to Self & Society
To try to get an understanding of the impact that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has on society lets first take a look at the sufferer's Improvement Rate.
According to the CDC, 40% of people show some improvement in their symptoms on follow up visits to the medical practitioner after receiving treatment for Chronic Fatigue.
However, the prospect of a full recovery with the current modes of treatment are only around between 5% - 10%.
The results of a study conducted in Wichita, Kansas, give a useful economic overview. The results revealed that the annual total productivity loss per CFS sufferer is estimated to be around £20,000.
When the figures were adjusted to reflect the whole of the US, it was estimated that as much as $2.3 billion is lost per household due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
So, although CFS is not life threatening in itself, it certainly has a profound impact, not only on the individual but also on society as a whole.
Treatment Options for CFS
There is a growing trend which shows that alternative therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy have been successfully adapted in helping to treat some of the symptoms presented by CFS sufferers.
However, today I would like to introduce you to the significant work of Dr William H. Philpott who is a leading expert in the field of Bio Magnetic Therapy. He currently guides medical practitioners in the field of treating and preventing degenerative diseases by using Magnetic Therapy.
You’re probably wandering what Magnetic Therapy can do for CFS sufferers; well, let me begin by telling you what it is.
Magnetic therapy can be defined as a safe, natural and non-invasive method of applying high strength magnetic fields to the body for therapeutic purposes. It is a form of complementary therapy based medicine used to treat certain medical conditions by exposure to permanent or pulsed magnetic fields.
Dr Philpott’s work demonstrates that Magnets have been clinically proven to relieve many health problems including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so let’s take a look.
Infection Buster!
As I mentioned earlier, there is a theory which suggests that infections are a major player in CFS. Therefore, when magnets are applied to your body, the negative Magnetic Field can have the effect of acting like a natural antibiotic towards infections present within your system.
Get Your Groove Back and Control Those Hormones
The application of magnets to the head and body (particularly at night time) can stimulate Melatonin and Human Growth Hormone production levels. This is key as these are two of the hormones which control the bodies’ energy system.
An under-active Thyroid can also affect energy levels as its main jobs are to control the speed at which the organs function and the body breaks down food.
Research has shown that the Adrenal Gland has significant role in helping to control energy. If there is a hormonal imbalance occurring within this gland then fatigue as experienced by CFS sufferers can occur. The increased production in Melatonin can help to correct any imbalances associated with the Adrenal and Thyroid glands.
Banish The Stress & Relieve Depression
As mentioned earlier, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has a psychological component to it. Therefore, as a sufferer you would need to own some responsibility in taking steps to remove the some of the stress inducing factors in your lifestyle. The application of magnets on the forehead has been shown to relieve the symptoms of depression.
As I bring this article to a close, I would like you to focus on the fact you don’t have to be passive in your recovery Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is action you can take, other approaches such a Magnet Therapy can be used to compliment any treatment that you may be currently undergoing.