Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Can your Symptoms be part of the solution?

Life is a constant struggle for people living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FMS) conditions affecting an estimated 3 % of the population more than the combined numbers of people with cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Poorly understood by many and disputed by others, life can spiral into a quagmire of debilitating fatigue, pain, and hopelessness. So sensitive to noise, light and chemicals, they need to cocoon themselves away from the rest of the world, often becoming lonely, isolated and depressed as a result. The patience of family and friends is tested to the limit relationships easily become strained and marriages may break down. For most, working simply isn't an option and so financial worries abound - losing a home can be a real threat. Those still able to hold onto their jobs have little hope of moving ahead; all their energy devoted to getting by. Overall it's a pretty bleak picture and for most sufferers there's little hope of matters significantly changing.

CFS/FMS are widely understood to be caused by an overactive hypothalamus gland, a vital part of the brain's limbic system commonly known as the "seat of our emotions". This master gland in turn over-activates, via a complex array of neurochemicals, a number of the body's systems the autonomic nervous, endocrine and immune systems - producing the range of classic and wide ranging symptoms common with these conditions overwhelming fatigue, muscle & joint pain, problems with concentration and memory, headaches, dizziness, irritable bowel, lowered resistance to infections, swollen glands, temperature fluctuations, and sleep disturbances to name a few.

The field of mind-body/energy medicine has recently been offering some exciting breakthroughs in the treatment of these conditions. Conventionally, we consider our symptoms as something to be overcome - something to battle and defeat. However according to this radical new approach, our symptoms, unpleasant and uncomfortable as they may be, are the way our body is trying to communicate with us. They are telling us that something is out of balance, that some of our needs are not being met. They are part of the body's natural feedback system.

Let's consider the simple example of being hungry. This is the body sending us physical sensations, in other words symptoms, as a way of communicating what it needs. IF we fail to pay attention to them

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