Whether you recently received a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or you are trying to understand better a loved one who is dealing with this chronic health condition, our article should help. We are going to present some of the most misunderstood things about chronic fatigue syndrome. Then we will discuss a natural way to try and improve the quality of your life despite living with this debilitating condition. 

Here are the things that you need to know.

Chronic Fatigue Is Not the Only Symptom 

This condition is popular for causing fatigue that its name comes from that symptom. However, there are many other CFS symptoms that can be equally debilitating. Other symptoms include cognitive problems (poor memory, concentration, etc.), sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits and neck, headaches, unexplained pain in the joints or muscles. In fact, the pain can be so bad that some doctors confuse chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia when making a diagnosis (the fact that fibromyalgia can also cause fatigue doesn’t help matters either, but they are definitely two different conditions). 

Keep in mind that getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t correct the fatigue from CFS, although not sleeping well may make matters worse. Also, not just physical activity but also mental strain can lead to a symptom flare-up that lasts for days. 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms Can Come and Go 

Don’t assume that a diagnosis means you are never to have any energy again. When you first get a diagnosis, it may feel that way. However, the issue is more likely that you haven’t yet adjusted to the lifestyle of living with a chronic health ailment. Once you learn to mitigate your symptoms, flare-ups should have remission periods in between. 

One good way to spread flare-ups further apart is to learn to pace your activity. You may have to do less than you want to on your good days to ensure that you can string more good days together. It is also essential to learn to limit stress and to control what stress and anxiety you do have. 

There Is No FDA Approved CFS Treatment 

There are five possible medications that a doctor will prescribe for a patient with fibromyalgia. However, all of these medications are “off label.” In short, the FDA approved the drugs for use in treating a condition. However, chronic fatigue syndrome is not the condition they are approved for. Therefore, there can be unpleasant side effects, and the medicines may not work the same for all patients. 

On the other hand, the FDA has also not approved any alternative forms of healthcare. Thus, no type of traditional or alternative medicine can claim to be a CFS treatment. The goal, in this case, is to mitigate symptoms and to improve quality of life. But CFS is not something with a cure.  

Graduated Exercise May Help

The word exercise may not seem to go with a disease that causes symptom flare-ups when the patient overexerts themselves. There is evidence, however, that a program of graduated exercise can help build your tolerance to the amount of activity you can handle. This can improve quality of life by allowing you to accomplish a little bit more on your good days without causing a flare-up. How does graduated exercise work?

Under the guidance of a physician, a patient will start with a very light exercise program. You may even just be doing some light stretching. Gradually, you insert other activities into your exercise routine to push the limits of what you can handle. It may involve some degree of trial and error, but in the end, you should see some improvement in your energy levels. 

You May Be Able to Find Natural Help from Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic 

If you have never heard of upper cervical specific chiropractic before, we would like to introduce you to it because in case studies, it has benefited both chronic fatigue syndrome patients as well as fibromyalgia patients. Here are a few things you should know about this specific form of chiropractic care:

• Focused – The upper cervical spine is the top two bones in the neck. The focus of upper cervical chiropractic is on these two bones. Why? Because they can have the most substantial impact on overall spine health as well as on the proper function of the central nervous system. 
• Precise – Diagnostic imaging pinpoints misalignments down to fractions of a millimeter. That allows the practitioner to calculate a unique adjustment for each patient. 
• Gentle – Because adjustments are so focused and precise, the corrections are incredibly gentle. While there are several types of upper cervical chiropractic, the adjustments are always low force. 

If that sounds good to you, then you will want to find an upper cervical practitioner in your area. After an adjustment to the upper cervical spine, many patients find that they get immediate benefits as well as continuing benefits that grow over time. Since corrections are long-lasting and performed on an as-needed basis, patients also find this a cost-effective form of care that allows them to go weeks or even months between checkups. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation today. You may find that this is just the natural solution that you need to see an improved quality of life while living with chronic fatigue syndrome.

to schedule a consultation today.