Dr. Cecilia Yee          516-795-0242

     Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a mysterious illness, which only recently has gained recognition by the medical community as a true medical condition. Much debate surrounds the actual cause of this condition. Doctors have speculated that the cause may be due to a multitude of conditions such as recurrent viral and/or bacterial infections, acquired systemic infections such as chronic yeast or parasitic infections, allergies, or nutritional deficiencies. Many have linked Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to the Epstein Barr Virus, which is responsible for Infectious Mononucleosis, due to the similarities in symptoms between the two conditions. However, research has shown that only about a third of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome test positive for high indices of Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) antibodies. Since it has been estimated that 95% of the adult population carry some amounts of the Epstein Barr antibodies due to exposure to the virus at some time in their lives, perhaps increased levels of the EBV antibodies are only evident because the immune system of the Chronic Fatigue patient is unable to hold the EB virus in check as would a normal or healthy person. This argument also explains why increased antibodies of other viruses such as Cytomegalovirus, Herpes Viruses, and even yeast infections are often found in the CFS patient. Again, these are viruses that the healthy body is normally able to suppress, but is unable to in the CFS patient because their immune system is too busy fighting a battle elsewhere. Whatever the cause, experts seem to agree that a dysfunction of the body’s immune function lies at the heart of the problem.

   Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include extreme, persistent, and debilitating fatigue unrelieved by rest or sleep, swollen glands, headache, sleep disturbances whether it be interrupted sleep or inability to remain awake, low grade fever, traveling joint or muscle pain, anorexia and/or other digestive problems, abdominal pain, severe exhaustion from even minor activities, mental confusion or loss of memory, hypersensitivity to light or heat, dizziness, exacerbations and remissions, and sudden onset of symptoms.

     Although the symptoms of this condition many be many, debilitating fatigue is the most prominent in the majority of patients. This fatigue often renders the patient useless to perform even the simplest daily tasks, and has been described as a “drugged feeling”, not to be mistaken for the feeling of normal tiredness most people encounter. The course of the disease is rarely steady. Most cases are marked with relapses and remissions, which are peaks and falls in the severity of the symptoms. Patients may experience weeks to months of severe symptoms followed by periods of virtual normalcy or remission, only to be confronted with another intense spell. The course of the disease may run for years and seems, for the most part, to act in stages, a chronic phase in which the patients suffer the most severe symptoms for prolonged periods relieved by periods of remissions, and a recovery phase, in which the patients appear to have fewer bouts of lesser intensity and duration. Overall, although Chronic Fatigue Syndrome may be a difficult disease to manage, it is not fatal.

    Medical treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has not been successful as far as medication is concerned. No single medication has been shown to effectively combat the disease. Instead, many sufferers of this condition have turned towards holistic types of healing including diet/nutritional therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, supplemental infusions and injections, and herbal therapies, all with the intent of boosting and aiding the function of the immune system. Many sufferers have found much success in these non-traditional methods.

     I have found in my practice that NAET treatments in conjunction with regular chiropractic adjustments have been very effective in controlling and even ridding the symptoms of this debilitating condition. Some of my patients have testified that getting adjusted regularly has been their sole salvation in managing their CFS. Since chiropractic adjustments, especially to the cervical region, help to boost the immune system, it is understandable why the patients would obtain such relief.

     Moreso, NAET treatments boost the immune defense by allowing the body to absorb the nutrients necessary to optimize immune function as well as eliminating any other factors that are decreasing immune function such as food, chemical, environmental and emotional allergies or hormonal imbalances. Many patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue have been able to achieve full recovery from their condition with the help of NAET.

If you’d like to know more about this disease and the treatment protocols involved, feel free to contact us for a complimentary consultation.