It is defined by incapacitating fatigue that is not relieved by rest, and at least four of the following symptoms for at least six months:
Impaired short-term memory of concentration which significantly affects normal activities
sore throat
Tender lymph nodes in the neck or underarms
Muscle pain
Pain in multiple joints with no joint swelling or redness
Headaches of a new type or severity
Unrefreshing sleep
General malaise following physical exertion that lasts more than 24 hours
Other common symptoms include: bloating, nausea, diarrhea, night sweats or chills, brain fogginess, dizziness, shortness of breath, chronic cough, visual disturbances, allergies or sensitivities to foods, alcohol, chemicals, irregular heartbeat or palpitations, jaw pain, or eyes or mouth.
The Centers for Disease Control officially recognized this condition in 1988. Chronic fatigue syndrome is more common in women than men, and the majority of people affected are in their thirties.
Causes and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
According to homeopathic thought, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome comes about from an imbalance in the vital force. Your vital force is an intelligent energy principle in your body, which organizes and balances the many functions of life, and provides protection from illness.
Your vital force can become imbalanced from many factors including stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, exposure to the elements, emotional trauma, and injuries.
There can also be hereditary imbalances in the vital force which also lead to increased susceptibility to disease.
Infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria and fungi find that the weakness in your vital force and its physical counterpart, the immune system, provides an opportunity to take hold in your body and grow.
Whether this creates symptoms of illness or not depends on how well your body-mind is meeting the challenges of life. The vital force produces symptoms such as the fatigue, swollen glands, mild fever and muscle and joint aches typical of CFS as part of its attempt to restore balance to your system.
In CFS cases, the vital force is unable to restore the proper balance after an acute illness, the person never recovers their full vitality, and the illness becomes chronic. If your vital force is functioning well, even if the virus is still present, you will not feel sick.
At present, there is essentially no effective treatment offered by orthodox medicine for CFS. No antiviral or antibiotic drugs make any difference in the course of the disease, so the issue in treating chronic fatigue syndrome is not about killing viruses or preventing their replication, but to strengthen your vital force.
Many people are infected chronically with viruses and bacteria, but suffer no illness whatsoever, because their vital force and immune system are strong and healthy. In fact, it is virtually impossible to be alive and not be infected with some pathogenic organisms. What is important is how your body responds to remain healthy.