Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – What is It

Do you feel tired most of the time, even when not doing anything? Do you have joint and muscle pains? Do you always feel tired even after sleeping and resting? Does any minor activity fatigue you? If so you might be having chronic fatigue syndrome.

Just feeling exhausted almost all of the time would not mean that you have chronic fatigue syndrome.After all, many disorders display this common symptom. Nonetheless if this is accompanied with symptoms like finding it hard to sleep and concentrate, consistent headaches, loss of memory, sore throat and the other symptoms mentioned above you could be suffering from thissyndrome. Usually if this condition prevails for six months or more then definitely you need to get medical attention.

There is no accepted test as such to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome. Statistics show that around 4 out of 1000 adults in the country are suffering from the disorder. Chronic fatigue syndrome mostly occurs in women and normally adults between 40 and 50 years have the most chance of being affected by it. Nonetheless it is not limited to adults and there are children and adolescents who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Some who suffer from less severe cases of the disorder could lead fairly normal lives but for the other in becomes a real struggle to do their normal everyday life activities. Symptoms of chronic fatigue disorder could disappear and reappear in certain cases and those who falsely believe that they have been cured and engage in too many activities face the possibility of relapse or the reappearance of the disorder.

There are numerous treatments with regard to this syndrome. Symptomatic treatment, various nutritional and herbal supplements, pharmacological therapy and other alternative therapies are recommended by medical experts to those suffering from the disorder.

Plenty of information on the issue is available. There are many websites and books that give comprehensive information on the subject but if you have a suspicion that you have chronic fatigue syndrome, that is if you happen to have the primary symptoms mentioned then you should get professional medical attention as soon as possible. There may be other symptoms excluding the primary ones such as depression, chills, various allergies, eye problems and difficulty in maintaining balance.

Chronic fatigue syndrome may be treatable and children particularly have a rather good chance of leading normal lives after treatment. In cases where the disorder is untreated it could worsen and in extreme cases could even prove to be fatal.…

Parents, Teenagers and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a very difficult disorder to diagnose in adults and teenagers. The primary symptom associated with chronic fatigue syndrome is extreme fatigue, which does not improve even with extended periods of rest. Though Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one that is now widely accepted by researchers and doctors as being a legitimate illness, the exact cause of it is still unknown.

Symptoms

Despite the fact that researchers have not been able to pinpoint an exact reason for the development of chronic fatigue syndrome, there are some symptoms that are generally associated with this condition. Aside from fatigue itself, the following symptoms are usually present in teens and adults who suffer from CFS:

Headache

Lack of concentration or focus

Memory loss

Muscle pain that is unexplained

Lymph nodes in the neck or armpits become enlarged or painful

Restless sleep, or unrefreshing sleep

Joint pain with no swelling or redness

Sore throat

In addition to the symptoms listed above, there are a wide variety of other symptoms that are sometimes present in adults and teens who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. These symptoms are not part of the official definition of the disorder because they do not manifest themselves in every patient with CFS.

Nausea

Chills

Night sweats

Chest pain

Abdominal pain

Diarrhea

Weight gain or loss

How CFS is Treated

Doctors generally use a combination of different treatments in an attempt to provide some relief for patients. There is no absolute cure for chronic fatigue syndrome at this time, however.

One of the most commonly prescribed activities for patients is moderate, steady exercise. Teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome need to monitor their daily activity carefully because they need to walk a fine line between staying active and not overexerting themselves with sports. Your doctor can help you to create an activity plan that will keep your body moving without exhausting you.

Depression is a common diagnosis in teenagers and adults who have chronic fatigue syndrome. If you or your child is suffering from depression, your doctor may prescribe some medication for you to help relieve those symptoms. Behavioral therapy is often used in conjunction with medication so that patients can learn how to identify negative behaviors or activities that may be inhibiting their treatment process.

Your teen may also be treated for symptoms of pain with acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. In addition, they might also need to be treated for allergies, low blood pressure, anxiety, or dizziness.

Alternative Treatments

Many people who are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome seek alternative treatments in an effort to find relief from this debilitating disease. Ginseng is considered to be one of the most effective natural treatments for CFS because it enhances cellular immune function. Ginseng helps to increase energy and reduce feelings of fatigue, and it has proven to be successful in research studies of patients with CFS.

L-carnitine levels are usually decreased in people with CFS, and lowered levels of this amino acid can lead to exhaustion and muscle pain. Taking an L-carnitine supplement has helped many patients to find some relief from their symptoms. In addition, patients with CFS have also shown improvement when taking CoQ10, an antioxidant that is found naturally in our cells.…

Stress And Suicide

Just as the understanding and insight in STRESS is quite inadequate amongst us, similarly, our insight and understanding of the phenomenon of suicide is also poor.

We keep focusing only on the acute episodes of self infliction to end our life. These acute episodes are only 1/8 superficial and visible aspects of the iceberg of suicide, 7/8 of which is invisible. Acute episodes of self infliction are like the visible symptoms of a disease; the suicidal tendencies are like real pathophysiology of a disease, which is more serious and dangerous, though invisible.

Suicidal tendencies, or potential suicides, are generally not conspicuously seen around and are not counted amongst the suicides’ or even attempts of suicides.

Let us understand that the suicidal tendencies keep flourishing within us due to what is called “Self forgetfulness” i.e. forgetting our innate core; and/or being oblivious to its voice! This happens due to being engrossed and trapped in superficial and petty values of glamour and glitter and NOT interacting with and understanding our true selves. Our true selves, our innate cores, our conscience, our souls are thus starved and emaciated and stop nurturing our overall personality with ambrosia of immoral happiness that would otherwise keeps us revitalizing, rejuvenating and regenerating! Our personality begins to get unsteady, shaky, unstable, weak, uprooted and listless, like a tree losing the water supply to its roots.

Thus the value crisis propagated and promoted by our vested interests deprives us of our inner strength and makes us vulnerable to self destruction on the one hand and precipitates the acute attack of self infliction by creating incidental STRESS such as that of failure in examination, competition or failure to get justice in court case.

Forgetting ourselves makes us weak, diffident and vulnerable and we begin to judge ourselves by the parameters hyped and imposed by “vested interests” of ours and the others! This leads to sub-clinical or potential suicide/s in terms of several self destructive practices such self abnegation, shame, guilt, suffocation, defeat, humiliation, misery, unpleasantness, self pity and habits such as drinking. This is further compounded by our weak, cowardly and destructive feelings, thoughts, imaginations or even fears of downfall, degradation, degeneration!

The solution to the STRESS of being alienated from ourselves; and being vulnerable to suicides; is reminding ourselves; of our innate core; and receiving the infinite ambrosia or the ocean of vitality and immortality; from within, through NAMASMARAN, and blossom simultaneously by individual and global levels!…

How To Fight Fatigue for a Successful Day

Fatigue can ruin a perfectly good day. You are accomplishing goals! You are getting things done! You are on your way to the most successful day ever! Then all of a sudden you can barely keep your eyes open and your drive to continue on this successful path is gone! You instead move yourself to the couch and watch TV before you fall asleep for a nap.

In order to do all the things you want in the day you have to maintain the right amount of energy to do them. So here are some tips on how to ensure you have the best chance of having a full days energy consistently without having to fight fatigue on an ongoing basis.

1. Drink Your Water

The benefits that water has for our body is lost on most of us, but the fact is that dehydration can cause fatigue. So you need to keep your body hydrated before dehydration even has a chance of setting in. A good rule of thumb is to have a glass of water every hour. This will keep you hydrated and be easy to remember because it’s on a schedule.

2. Don’t Eat a Greasy Lunch

This meal is the one that can cause you to slump into an afternoon of fatigue, but if you eat the right things it can provide you with the energy to keep going for the afternoon instead of bringing you down. So make sure to avoid really greasy and heavy food for lunch, and don’t overeat to the point of stuffing yourself. What you should be doing is reaching for the protein, whole grains, or vegetables to keep you moving in the right direction.

3. Need a Boost? Have a Healthy Snack!

Again, you don’t want to reach for the chips and stuff yourself on them or you will create an afternoon slump, but a nice afternoon snack can give you the energy you need to continue on with your sharp mental self. Some perfect foods are nuts, fruit, crackers and cheese, and some popcorn!

4. Take Breaks

If you work in front of a computer it can be really easy to sit there right from morning to evening. Getting tired from sitting in one position and staring at a computer is not a surprising effect. So get up and take a refreshing walk outside or do something else that gives you a mental break from focusing on the computer.

If you work in a physical place where you don’t get to sit down much then make sure to take some small, relaxing, and quiet breaks during the day. Even if you just head outside to get a breath of fresh air you will benefit as this small act will boost your energy in a big way!

Don’t let fatigue ruin your successful day! Take action to stop it from happening in the first place and get on with your goals in life.…

Stress and Anxiety – A Little Help From Grandma

When I was young I used to enjoy visiting with my Grandmother and hearing about all the changes that had taken place in the world during her lifetime. She could keep my interest for hours and then top it off with the most incredible bowl of chicken and dumplings I’d ever had, at least till my next visit.

As I grew older and as the situation presented itself, Gram would share with me little antidotes or old timer remedies for various conditions. Being young, I didn’t appreciate the insight she was imparting to me. Now that I’ve grown older, I can’t say that all the old timer remedies are effective, but there is one that has become a reoccurring theme – apple cider vinegar.

There are a wide variety of claims made by apple cider vinegar devotees that may or may not be substantiated. However, when working with clients with chronic stress, anxiety, and fatigue, I strongly recommend it.

When we suffer with prolonged or ongoing stress, it is the endocrine system that takes a beating. This system is composed of the adrenal glands, the thyroid gland, the pancreas, the ovaries, the testes, the pituitary gland, and the hypothalmus.

The adrenal glands sit right above each kidney and produce small amounts of powerful hormones that control water and electrolyte balance, regulate protein breakdown, are active in energy production, and reduce inflammation.

Ongoing emotional stress weakens the function of the adrenal glands. Over time, the thyroid gland responds by becoming sluggish and moving towards a state of hypothyroidism.

This is important because one of the duties of the thyroid gland is to eliminate a chemical called guanidine from the body. Guanidine is a highly toxic alkaline substance produced by the metabolic process.

If we have taxed adrenals that are producing inadequate amounts of anti-inflammatories, a weakened thyroid, and/or a diet high in meats and grains, guanidine can be a problem. Tissue alkalosis caused by excessive guanidine can result in calcium depletion, osteoporosis, cramping, muscle twitching, arthritis, joint pain, allergies, chronic fatigue, exhaustion, and a higher risk of heart attack.

I’ll bet my Grandmother didn’t know how apple cider vinegar works, but it does. Apple cider vinegar is a mild acetic acid that neutralizes the alkaline guanidine.

Take on to two teaspoons in a bit of water following your meals. Feeling better may be a dose or two away.…

Is Tiredness Affecting Your Studies? 7 Tips to Beat Fatigue

Do you imagine yourself in a well-respected and well-paid job in the future? Is tiredness affecting your ability to study? Is that dream job starting to look more and more unobtainable? Don’t worry with a few simple tips you will sleep better and be back to better grades in no time.

So what are the keys to improving your study effectiveness?

Firstly you need to understand that tiredness and sleep deprivation has a significant negative effect on our ability to function. Sufficient good quality sleep plays a vital role in preparing the body and mind for a productive day. A recent study showed that sleeping for 5 hours or less a night for a week impairs performance to the same extent as being legally drunk. This effect on performance also happens after between 17 and 24 hours of sustained wakefulness. When we are feeling tired we are less able to remember information. Our vocabulary also suffers.

So what does this mean for your studies?

When our memory declines we are less able to store important information. You may not know this but REM (dream) sleep, which is concentrated at the end of the night, is important in turning short term memories into long term memories. Therefore lack of sleep means greater difficulty remembering information taught to you over the course of a semester. If our vocabulary suffers it means our written and oral work suffers. Without your full vocabulary it becomes more difficult to express yourself in a clear and concise way that will help you gain the better grades. Without good grades the well-respected and well-paid job becomes more unobtainable.

Don’t worry just yet. Whilst we all sleep for roughly a third of our lives general knowledge on sleep remains poor. With sleep a little knowledge goes a long way. We can help.

The problem for most students is the working day is set up to align with standard adult working hours. When you are 16 you should be getting 9 hours of sleep a night. As we enter adulthood the sleep need is between 7 and 8 hours (of quality sleep) a night. If you have to get up at 7am you should be going to sleep at 10pm. So how can you improve your quantity and quality of sleep and avoid sleeping problems?

1. Leave enough time to achieve the sleep you need

2. Avoid watching television in your bed before sleep

3. Don’t use the computer in your bedroom before sleep

4. Avoid caffeine too late in the day

5. Avoid alcohol too late in the day

6. Make sure you exercise during the day

7. Turn off your mobile and Smartphone before bed

Want to know more about why each of these tips is important? Will better grades improve your prospects? Can you now imagine yourself in a smart suit in a perfect job?

It’s time to act! You can learn how to improve your sleep, energy and ultimately grades with a simple sleep test and sleep training.…

The Drawbacks of Exercising Too Much

It’s tough to imagine that there are any drawbacks to exercising but there are if you are doing it too much. The most obvious is that you’ll be tired, fatigued, drained. In sum, you can’t really be or do all that you desire in life if you’re over exercising. You drain your creativity and lust for life when you deplete your energy reserves with too much exercise.

We are here to learn and be much more than sleek exercising machines. Yes, we want health, have gorgeous bodies that we can be proud of but radiance comes from a balance of energies within. This is imbalance of your well-being is what the drawbacks of exercising too much affect. Is your exercise routine really more important that living a joyous and happy life amongst friends and family?

Here are top areas of your life where you can see the drawbacks of exercising too much

Deep fatigue and illness

Deep fatigue that doesn’t go away with a good night’s sleep. Also referred to as the “slump”, this state of being comes from over exercising for way too long. It’s equivalent of having too much credit card debt hanging over your head and finally having to declare bankruptcy. Only this is worst because your energy is you life-blood.

When you get this far in debt energetically, you open yourself up to illness. Yes, the very thing you are fighting with your exercise routine can open you up to the possibility of disease setting in. When all your energy is going towards your exercise program, then what’s going to fight off the infection?

Drop in desires and goals

The fatigue and obsession of a rigid and demanding exercise program has to take its power from somewhere. That somewhere is your ability to generate new and fun goals, desires and wishes. It’s hard to dream when you’re stuck running on that hamster wheel of exercise.

Listlessness and general disinterest

Excitement takes energy. Interacting with others, having fulfilling relationships takes energy. Even eating food takes energy. How can you build up any interest let alone excitement about something if your only goal is to be super strong, super fast or super bodily perfection?

Depression and lackluster outlook on life

Deep fatigue seeps into your psyche and here is where you can get into murky waters. You feel you have to exercise hard to feel good. But the exercising hard makes you feel fatigued. You no longer get the rush or high from the exercise, instead you swing down towards depression and find no real meaning to life in general.

While some of these states of being from exercising too much might seem excessive, it’s important to be watching out for them. You need to constantly ask yourself how much energy you need for other aspects of your life while you are exercising. Sometimes you have no great outside demands and you can train for that marathon or ramp of the volume to lose a few extra pounds in a relatively short time. That’s fine. But if you’re ‘real life’ is one of lots of demands, pulling you in many ways, you could easily get sucked into exercising too much and then have to face the drawbacks from this over investment of your energy.…