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Imagine yourself with the worse case of flu imaginable, not being able to function with your body aching in the joints and muscles. Now imagine living like this on a daily basis. Chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is more than just being tired as those who suffer from this disorder will tell you. Chronic fatigue syndrome is an incapacitating fatigue that keeps those who have the syndrome from living a normal life.

CAUSES

There are more questions and theories as to what causes chronic fatigue syndrome then there are answers. Specialists have ideas and suggestions and many studies have been done, many ongoing. There has yet to be a definitive answer as to what can trigger the syndrome. The studies that have been done on chronic fatigue syndrome suggest that the causes can come from a wide range of factors including:

*Nutrient deficiencies
*Food intolerance
*Stress
*Factors within the immune system
*Thyroid deficiency
*Certain viruses
*Environmental issues

Many individuals are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome after a bout with a cold or the flu, an intestinal infection and it can follow after being infected with mononucleosis. But again, there are those who are stricken with this energy-depleting syndrome after a period of stress and others cannot account for having any previous illness or event that may have triggered the disorder.

SYMPTOMS

Chronic fatigue syndrome does resemble the flu when describing the symptoms. However, the flu dissipates after a period of time while CFS can last for months and even years in certain individuals.

*Headache
*Soreness in the lymph nodes
*Muscle and joint pain
*Low concentration levels
*Sore throat
*Inability to sleep soundly
*Exhaustion

DIAGNOSIS

Man y times CFS is diagnosed incorrectly because the symptoms are so closely related to other illnesses. Your doctor should rule out any other possibility before diagnosing a patient with CFS. It will take a lot of communication between an individual and a doctor to rule out any other possibilities. Many times one symptom can trigger another symptom which can become even more debilitating. Seek treatment and intervention early and communicate with your physician.

TREATMENTS

While there isn't any specific medications assigned to treat CFS, there are treatments for the symptoms. Ibuprofen is commonly used for body pains and fever while antihistamines are used to relieve the cold-like symptoms such as congestion and runny nose. Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to help with any underlying problems that an individual suffers from which sometimes doesn't occur until after a diagnosis.

Dr. George Beard first named the syndrome "neurasthenia" during the 1860's, his theory was the syndrome was a nervous disorder. Later in the 1980's, the syndrome became known as "chronic EBV" because researchers were starting to believe the syndrome was somehow connected with the Epstein-Barr virus. Even today, CFS is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis and postviral fatigue syndrome. The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there may be as many as 500,000 people in the United States who suffer from CFS and chronic fatigue syndrome-like conditions.

Sources:
"From Fatigued to Fantastic!" by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., copyright 2001.
http://www.cfids.org/abou t-cfids/symptoms.asp
http://www .immunesupport.com/chronic-fat igue-syndrome-causes.htm
http:/ /www.medicinenet.com/chronic_f atigue_syndrome/article.htm

Learn more about this author, Angela Pollock.
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