By Jurriaan Plesman BA(Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr

 

 

 

Psychological factors have been implicated in that mental-emotional stress, negative feelings and depression can lower the immune system. However most experts agree that there is an underlying physical condition that is mainly responsible.
Many CFS sufferers make the rounds of medical tests, neurologists, psychiatrist to be told there is nothing wrong, and sometimes “it’s all in the mind”, before they come before a complementary doctor or naturopath for treatment.
An estimated 3 million Americans may be affected. The diagnosis should be considered when the condition lasts for more than two months and in spite of taking a rest. In the past CFS sufferers were accused of being malingerers. Medical scientists have been at a loss of finding a single cause for CFS, sometimes linking it to the Epstein-Barr Virus, candidiasis, oral and genital herpes virus. Metabolic conditions such as anaemia, tuberculosis, lactose intolerance, sub-clinical coeliac disease, hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, premenstrual disturbances, hormonal imbalances, toxic overload and uncontrolled diabetes can cause the fatigue. Often symptoms appear after a bout of the flue or some infection.
The term “syndrome” refers to a complex of ongoing symptoms or simultaneous infections that may weaken the immune system. Thus in CFS health professionals often find hidden concomitant parasite, yeast, fungal and viral infections.
Causes: nutritional deficiencies, acquired toxicity (from environment, food, drugs), excessive use of antibiotics (which kill the gut flora and its sources of vitamins and minerals), parasitic, fungal and viral infections (acne, sinusitis, cystitis), a vicious cycle of lowered immunity, alcoholism, drug, tobacco abuse even mercury toxicity from dental amalgam. Lead poisoning often replaces zinc in many enzymes causing symptoms of hypoglycemia or CFS.

Nutritional treatment has to be individualized because of the nature of the disease. A thorough medical investigation should exclude many diseases that cause chronic fatigue.
Most complementary doctors would target the underlying nutritional causes of CFS and would recommend a sugarless diet, similar to that of a diabetic diet. This should be accompanied by vitamin/mineral supplements that should include: vitamin B12 (preferably injections of B12 initially), folic acid, zinc, calcium, chromium and magnesium; may be iron and copper. Dr Samra suggest that magnesium deficiency is very common among CFS sufferer. Thus usual supplements are:
Magnesium orotate or chelate, Vitamin B12 & folic acid, DHEA, melatonin, high dose B-complex, high doses of vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10 (an energy transport vitamin), Evening Primrose Oil, Fish Oil or Max EPA. Doses should be taken with meals and tailored to individual patient and should be under the supervision of a properly qualified health practitioner (medical or naturopath).

Sensitivities to food items is a common element among CFS sufferers as it is among hypoglycemics. Sufferers should avoid their allergies and the detection of allergies can be made by professionals or by a systematic investigation of the patient himself. This is a vast topic. See:

 

A cytotoxic test by a doctor is one short cut to revealing allergies, but these tests are not always accurate or valid.

He should pay attention to common sources of allergies which are listed in the order of frequency: cow’s milk and dairy products, wheat, chocolate, eggs, orange, benzoic acid, cheese, tomato. But each patient has idiosyncratic allergies and also an allergic person tend to become allergic to a wider range of foods. In some cases digestive enzymes may help.

By filling in the dietary diary he should soon become aware of reactions in a matter of weeks or months. Often it shows that the patient does not has a snack within three hours of the last snack which is essential if he foes on a hypoglycemic/diabetic diet.

 

 

 

18 January 2009