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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue syndrome or Systematic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) is a complex, chronic medical condition characterized by multiple incapacitating symptoms that include:

  • Cognitive impairment
  • Post exertional malaise
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Headaches
  • Myalgias: muscle pain
  • Arthralgias: Joint pain
  • Sore throats
  • Lymphadenopathy: Swollen Lymph nodes
  • Hypersensitivity to noise, light, or certain food items
  • Autonomic disturbances (including blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, body temperature, breathing, and sweating).

Causes of SEID

Several proposed root causes in the literature, with inflammation/immune theory the strongest.

  • Infection (EBV, HHV-6, enteroviruses, coxsackie B)
  • Inflammation
  • Neural Mediation
  • Depression
  • Sleep problems
  • Genetic
  • Gut factors (dysbiosis, IBS)
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction
  • Nutrient deficiencies (D, B vitamins, amino acids, carnitine, zinc)

Chinese Medicine and SEID

Nearly 70 types of symptoms were recorded in the chapter on ‘fatigue syndrome’ in Zhubing Yuanhou Lun, a famous tract about the etiology and symptoms of disease written during the Sui Dynasty. The symptoms can be categorized into two groups:

  • Somatic symptoms including fatigue, a somatic sense of heaviness, cold knees, puffiness, headaches, somatic pain (joint pain and muscle pain)
  • Psychological symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and restlessness.

According to TCM, the ultimate reasons for the symptoms described above are induced by deficiencies in five organs (including qi, blood, yin and yang deficiencies) caused by the invasion of an exogenous pathogen, excessive physical strain (manual labor, mental labor and sexual intercourse), abnormal emotional states (elation, anger, worry, anxiety, sorrow, fear and terror) or an improper diet. Current studies support that both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine are effective in treating chronic fatigue syndrome. Other treatments include gut health, dietary modifications, stress management, improving coping skills, light exercise.