Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Group Online

Very little is known about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so we encourage you to share any and all knowledge you may have on the disorder. This way, your fellow Smart Living Networkers who may encounter it in the future can be better prepared.

Do I Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

The name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be misleading, because fatigue may, indeed, be a chronic problem in your life. In the majority of cases however,… Read More ▶

7 Possible Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

New findings bring great hope to the 1 percent of the population living with CFS and to the doctors awaiting better, more focused, CFS specific… Read More ▶

CFS Everyday a Little Death

Never in my life in this great country, the UNITED States of America did I ever think I'd lose faith in my government, the medical… Read More ▶

Markers of Immune Activation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Various symptoms are reported with CFS, including total body weakness, loss of or impaired memory, insomnia, muscle pain and other patient-specific symptoms. The worse part… Read More ▶

Orthostatic Hypotension Possible Side Effect of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Orthostatic Hypotension is a common side effect among patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What is Orthostatic Hypotension? This condition is characterized by a severe drop… Read More ▶

Psychiatric Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a strange and somewhat vague condition that affects an estimated 5 million Americans. Its similarity to so many other… Read More ▶

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a disease that causes you to become so fatigued that you can't do daily tasks.… Read More ▶

Natural Treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a disorder that can cause you to have extreme Fatigue. This type of fatigue is not the kind of fatigue… Read More ▶

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Group Wall

1 Comments
CFS Everyday a Little Death by Betty Laluna 5/2
- Erin Froehlich said:
  Betty-
  
  As someone that has done some pretty extensive research into CFS, I really do sympathize with what you're facing. You are dealing with extreme fatigue that interferes with your ability to live a full life, that is painful, that is isolating, that is deeply depressing and yet, you are being written off and your struggles are being trivialized. YOU DO NOT DESERVE THAT!
  
  We've advanced so far in medicine and in science that we may tend to think we have everything figured out. But we haven't.
  
  Not even close.
  
  Just because doctors have not yet been able to explain what is happening with patients experiencing symptoms like yours in a measurable way - counting hormone levels, cell counts, ect - that doesn't mean that what you are experiencing is not real. Even if, as some suggest, there IS a mental component to your symptom's cause, it is becoming increasingly clear that what is happening in our minds is nothing to disregard. The smallest changes in our chemistry and wiring can have profound effects. Even our thoughts, beliefs and feelings can result in physical changes to our body. We're beginning to see that our mind and body are far more intertwined than we had previously believed.
  
  But you probably already know all that. What can I really say to your anger, but I'm so sorry that you are hurting and that you're pain has been disregarded? It's not right. It's not deserved. And I hope very much for you and everyone dealing with this thing like you, that our great scientific minds will find a way to give you back your energy and make you feel better soon.
  
  Stay strong, Betty. We're all rooting for you. You have friends here! :)
  
  -Erin5/4
1 Comments
Laura Hogg
Reading this article made me think: is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome really the best name for this condition? It seems like people interpret it as being just fatigue, when it is so much more. Thoughts?
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/01/17/3409665.htm
1/24
- Bri Luginbill said:
  Maybe instead of Syndrome use the word Disorder? 1/31
0 Comments
E.M. Wollof
A major setback in the search for a cause/treatment of CFS:
http://www.webmd.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/news/20110922/viru…10/18
1 Comments
Erin Froehlich
What about M.E.? - A documentary about CFS and the misunderstanding surrounding this illness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUBsz4BH6G4

8/16
- Erin Froehlich said:
  Police men went to the house of a 5 year old girl with CFS to try to disprove this diagnosis. They through her into a swimming pool and she nearly drowned! "This illness, they will tell you, doesn't exist in children." said the mother.
  
  WOW.8/16
1 Comments
E.M. Wollof
CFS Research:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/07/chronic-fatigue-s…8/2
- Erin Froehlich said:
  "â€œSadly some of the motivation seems to come from people who believe that any connection with psychiatry is tantamount to saying there is nothing wrong with you, go away, you're not really ill," Dr Wesseley told the BBC."
  
  I think they hit the nail on the head with that statement. There's a lot of stigma surrounding CFS. There people are used to being told that there is no good reason for them to be so tired so when they hear that it may be rooted in the mind, they equate that with saying it's not real. People forget that the mind is a part of the body. Problems in the brain are no less real than the heart or lungs.8/16
0 Comments
E.M. Wollof
Interesting reaction to research going on above:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-143265148/2
0 Comments
E.M. Wollof
CDC Chronic Fatigue Syndrome information page:
http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/8/2
0 Comments
E.M. Wollof
Article on virus associated with CFS:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/health/research/09virus.html7/1