It is 1:30 in the afternoon and you're exhausted.
You grab another cup of coffee, hoping that the caffeine will help you to stay awake and be productive until 5 p.m. Looking ahead to dinner, you feel you'll never have the energy to cook so you pick up fast food and then into bed early.
Unfortunately, like every morning, tomorrow you will wake up unrested and tired again. So what's going on with your body?
One possibility is chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating condition that saps a body's energy. It is a an unrelenting feeling of tiredness that a vacation or a weekend off will not cure. Chronic fatigue syndrome entrenches itself in your body, affecting your work, interests, and relationships; you don't have energy to enjoy any of them.
What causes chronic fatigue? According to Pennsylvania nutritionist Kristina Shaw, deep fatigue can have many sources.
"One source," she says, "is the sacred American value of do, do, do, go, go, go. A driven, unbalanced lifestyle and its emotional and mental stress deplete your glandular system as well as your reserve of enzymes, minerals and blood. You become dependent on caffeine and unconsciously 'yo-yo' between salts and sweets in order to stimulate your liver and adrenal glands. That's because your physical reserves have been depleted."
Your weakened immune system then becomes the perfect host for viruses, another major cause of fatigue, Shaw says. "Viruses such as Epstein Barre, cytomeglia and coccygeal are very mutable and crafty. They attack you when your cells are in a weakened state and that's how they get entrenched in the body. They hide out in your muscles."
Diagnosis can be difficult since there are as yet no viable tests for chronic fatigue syndrome, (there is, however, an accurate blood test for Epstein Barre and other viruses). According to the physicians of WebMd, however, chronic fatigue syndrome is an exhaustion that lasts at least six months (some symptoms may occur for shorter periods) and does not abate with rest. The symptoms listed below may appear suddenly or over a period of time:
Forgetfulness, memory loss, confusion, or difficulty concentrating.
Sore throat.
Tenderness of the lymph nodes under arms or in the neck.
Joint pain without redness or swelling.
Headaches different from those you've experienced in the past.
Un-refreshing sleep.
Feeling unwell after exercise or other physical activity.
It is important to see a physician if you experience these symptoms, especially since they may be indicators of other medical problems with similar symptoms. Treatment may include graduated gentle exercise, pain medications and, in some cases, anti-depressant medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy to help cope with the syndrome, have proven helpful.
While men suffer with chronic fatigue syndrome, women especially are plagued with fatigue, Shaw says, because of their exhausting multiple caretaker roles and because of the hormonal shifts connected to biological events such as menstruation, childbirth and menopause. The many causes of fatigue, which, in addition to physical depletion, can be caused by the presence of candida (an overgrowth of candida can replicate chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms), and viruses. Causes can also include hypoglycemia, hypothyroid, and food sensitivities. "Women don't have to accept their fatigue. They can meet this health challenge by seeking treatment, finding the cause and addressing it through diet, supplements, rest and the creation of a healthy and more self-caring lifestyle."
My suggestion is, first, do not ignore these symptoms — you wouldn't ignore them if they were experienced by your child or other loved one; second, seek a proper diagnosis through traditional and holistic physicians; and third, honor yourself with loving self-care.
Based in Rockport, personal life coach Susan Britt, M.Ed., teaches individuals, couples, families to resolve relationship conflicts, achieve life and career goals, accelerate personal growth. Questions and comments may be addressed to her at susanbritt1@verizon.net.
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