Chronic Fatigue Syndrome shares much in common with other autoimmune diseases. Research on any particular one will usually apply to the other autoimmune diseases to some degree. They have similar underlying causes and conditions.

Let’s start with a brief description of symptoms common to chronic fatigue and other autoimmune diseases.

Symptoms Common In Many Autoimmune Diseases.

FATIGUE It’s not a good fatigue when you have chronic fatigue syndrome, from working hard, but an anxious, uncomfortable fatigue related to lack of sleep. Or a disruption of the energy production mechanism in cells either from lack of oxygen, increased toxicity, infections or a malfunction of the mitochondria.

SLEEP DISTURBANCE About 80% of people with chronic fatigue may wake up three or four times a night. In some cases you don’t wake up, but in the morning you still feel like a truck ran over you. The reason being that when you have chronic fatigue, subliminal seizures kick you out of stage four sleep to stage one sleep so you can’t sleep deeply and aren’t rested.

SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS Because of low thyroid and heart complications typical in chronic fatigue, there is a decrease in blood flow to the left lobe of the brain resulting in an oxygen deficiency in the brain which causes memory loss and forgetfulness so common in chronic fatigue syndrome.

EMOTIONAL LIABILITY Someone may cry more easily, be more anxious and fearful. This is caused by the chronic fatigue, not a reaction to having chronic fatigue.

DEPRESSION As with the emotional symptoms, the hypothalamus is involved. This is not clinical depression, but is caused by chronic fatigue, and has an actual physical cause for it.

LOW THYROID FUNCTION. About 85% have this symptom, but only about 10% of the time will it show up on a typical thyroid test. If you get tested, have both a T3 and T4 done. About 10% have excessive hair loss. For most everyone with chronic fatigue syndrome, a poorly performing thyroid will show up as subnormal temperatures.

GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS About 75% of people with chronic fatigue have this symptom. It can be anything from gas, bloating, cramps, diarrhea or constipation to hiatal hernia, irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn’s Disease.

SWOLLEN GLANDS, CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY, HEADACHES Allergies often develop with chronic fatigue syndrome, usually after 3 - 5 years. Eyes can be light sensitive for six months or longer. Dry eyes can develop. About 20% experience a very uncomfortable disequilibrium of vertigo, almost an out of body feeling that can be most disconcerting.

PAIN AND FIBROMYALGIA Often diagnosed as a separate illness, fibromyalgia is basically a symptom of chronic fatigue or another autoimmune disease. If you have it, you’ve got pain. Often in the neck and shoulder muscles extending down the back — can be in the joints and muscles also.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR, CANDIDA, YEAST INFECTIONS These are very common if you have chronic fatigue. Check your tongue. If it has a white coating, you have it. Women can have vaginal yeast infections in conjunction with this. A candida infection alone can cause a number of chronic fatigue like symptoms.

TINGLING HANDS. RINGING EARS. COLD TOES. COLD FINGERS. METALLIC TASTE IN MOUTH If you have chronic fatigue, you may have a few of these symptoms.

OVERDOING You over exercise or overwork when your are feeling good, and then feel worse for days afterward. This can cause serious problems. In healthy people the body shuts down when the anaerobic threshold is reached as a lot of pain is experienced. This warning does not occur with chronic fatigue syndrome. Instead, the body continues to exercise and experiences no pain as the lactic acid builds up, and the body ends up re-circulating carbon dioxide — an unhealthy thing to happen. It is important not to push too hard when you start recovering from chronic fatigue or this will set you back.

FLUTTERING HEART. PANIC ATTACKS. RAPID HEARTBEAT. MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE Usually blood pressure is low, though it can get high later on. The heart underpumps blood because it is getting incorrect messages from the autonomous nervous system. The body’s feedback loop picks this up and overreacts and you get symptoms.

If you have chronic fatigue, it is not likely you have all these symptoms. But you will have quite a few of them to one degree or another.

This information is for educational purposes only. I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice but information to help you understand chronic fatigue syndrome.

Hopefully this report will give you enough information about chronic fatigue syndrome so you can make more informed decisions about the best way of dealing with chronic fatigue, and take charge of your health. _