Chronic Fatigue Syndrome News

Have you noticed that math is a lot harder, or that you have more trouble keeping track of time since you developed fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome ? I know I have, and I've heard the same thing from a lot of people.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a cause of chronic tiredness that affects 1 to 4 million Americans. Its ramifications are profound, in that one-fourth of sufferers are not employed and many are receiving disability benefits. It differs from normal fatigue in its severity, in the incapacitating feeling that patients experience, and in the fact that bed rest does not relieve it. The degree of fatigue limits or halts social engagements, educational efforts, work, and personal activity. Studies from the CDC reveal that the disabling effects of CFS rival those of such overwhelming conditions as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and end-stage renal disease.

The degree of disability varies widely among patients and in the same patient from episode to episode. Some patients experience periods where they are relatively free of symptoms, followed by a period of extreme disability.1 This cyclical pattern is often seen with CFS.

The cognitive dysfunction of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome is a major problem that can impact our lives as much as pain or fatigue.

So maybe we're not all slackers. Maybe it's not all in our heads, as many employers, psychiatrists, friends and even family members have implied over the years.

KEEPING healthy is all about balance and taking time out from the daily grind to recharge the batteries.

Epstein-Barr virus is the herpes virus that causes infectious mononucleosis. The disease generally affects individuals between 10 and 30 years of age. It appears especially frequent amongst teenagers. The disease may occur sporadically or may occur in limited outbreaks.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a specific disorder in which symptoms of fatigue are present for at least 6 months. Recent analysis suggests that Epstein-Barr virus is probably not responsible for this..

The flu vaccine topic is always controversial among those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome , and H1N1 added a whole new layer to that this year.

AFL draft hopeful Jack Fitzpatrick will have one ear tuned discreetly to a radio at his college graduation ceremony...

Fitzpatrick had had plenty of practice in coping with challenges and is into his fifth year in an ongoing battle with chronic fatigue syndrome - an illness he now believes he has under control.

Just four years ago, Fitzpatrick was limited to 20-minute walks at football training and battled through several crashes that confined him to bed for two to three weeks at a time.

Amy Ruppert of Batavia spoke of the problems she encountered beginning a year ago, when her husband was laid off from a company he'd worked for since the late 1970s.

"I have chronic fatigue syndrome, but I haven't seen a doctor for it in years," Ruppert said. "What symptoms I have I control myself through supplements and alternative medicine. Nevertheless, it is a pre-existing condition and I have been told I am not eligible for coverage.

A short investment of time in mental training can help you manage pain, concludes a new study.

It found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed.

A more recent study found relief from symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome with consumption of dark chocolate.

NEWSBRIEF: Attorneys have filed a class action lawsuit against Hemispherx Biopharma Inc., the makers of the drug Ampligen, which is currently awaiting FDA approval for chronic fatigue syndrome .

Most people have probably never heard of the virus XMRV, but it's been a hot topic in the healthcare community since last month.

A very low carbohydrate diet, seen as a sure shot way to shed weight, may not be good for your mental health, warn researchers.

Even the psychiatrists agree. "We see a lot of such cases were eliminating or giving less carbs than what the body requires is causing severe reaction in people and the reactions manifest more in the physical functions like in chronic fatigue syndrome, mixed anxiety, restlessness, palpitations and panic attacks," said Dr Jitendra Nagpal...

The discovery of a possible retroviral connection to chronic fatigue syndrome isn't just stirring up the ME/CFS community -- it's getting the attention of the entire scientific community.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet these mostly unproven treatments are now mainstream and used by more than a third of all Americans. This is one in an occasional Associated Press series on their use and potential risks.

I think we all know a few people who've been hit with the flu this year, both the seasonal one and H1N1 (swine flu). It's kind of a no brainer that the flu would hit those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome harder than it does most people -- what doesn't?

A CUPAR woman has written a fairytale to help publicise a national campaign. Andrea Mardon penned 'The Princess and the Ogre' to encourage donations to the 'Just Four Quid' appeal in aid of biomedical research into ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome.

XMRV is believed by the researchers to be a possible cause of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, but also some forms of autism.

Janet Krause of Lebanon Township suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, which force her to spend a lot of her time resting on the couch.