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For years, researchers struggled to find clear-cut chronic fatigue syndrome causes. Perhaps it was just a convergence of factors, they surmised. It could be part genetics, brain abnormality, hyper-reactive immune system, a virus, infection and psychiatric illness. Scientists had a feeling this tiredness syndrome came about as a result of a moderate-to-serious physical illness or a chronic viral infection that left residual effects within the body. Perhaps depression helped perpetuate some of the symptoms for an extended period of time.

Are the chronic fatigue syndrome causes mental or physical? This uncertainty plagues every CFS sufferer who feels misunderstood by their peers. One aspect of the situation is the fact that there are no clinical tests to identify this disorder. Identification of CFS normally requires eliminating any other possible cause, which leads some to speculate that the disorder isn’t real. One thing that is recognized is that CFS patients experience intense fatigue and worsening of other symptoms right after even moderate physical activity. Through scientific investigation, it is hoped that researchers can answer some vital questions concerning CFS. Just recently, new links have been uncovered to shed some light on this mysterious ailment.

Earlier, the triggers of CFS were thought to have a genetic connection. Researchers observed that there were genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system that were modified. These genes regulate a person’s reaction to trauma, injury and other stressful situations, so the abnormalities discovered could have conceivably affected immune system function, cell communication and cellular energy transfer. Patients with CFS have all sorts of gene variations, yet there hasn’t been a single gene established as responsible for the medical symptoms connected to CFS.

Another one of the proposed chronic fatigue syndrome causes has to do with abnormalities of the central nervous system and hormones. Abnormal chemical levels in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis may be one cause of chronic fatigue medical symptoms, scientists have posited. For instance, some patients with CFS have abnormally high levels of seratonin (a chemical messenger in the brain) and abnormally low levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with sleep and feelings of reward). In other cases, CFS patients have imbalances between norepinephrine and dopamine levels or lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Fatigue can also be caused by a disturbed sleep-wake cycle, researchers add.

In October 2009, a team of researchers from the University of Nevada at Reno and the National Cancer Institute reported a definitive link between chronic fatigue syndrome and a virus called XMRV, which appeared in the vast majority of CFS patients they studied. The XMRV chronic fatigue virus is one of just three known retroviruses; the other two being HIV and HTLV. All three viruses are transmitted through bodily fluids. However, scientists are, at this point, cautious to point to a virus as one of the predominant chronic fatigue syndrome causes. “There’s been a tremendous interest in chronic fatigue syndrome. I’ve been getting almost nonstop calls from doctors and patients,” explains one of the head researchers, Robert Silverman from the Lerner Research Institute. “They’re obviously looking for hope in this study, although the virus is not proven to cause CFS. That’s still unknown. But until it’s ruled out, it’s going to obviously be a subject of great interest.”

If you have been recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome you are going to need to research the condition as much as you can. While you can treat the symptoms, the chronic fatigue syndrome causes are still largely unknown. Find out what you can do at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help.

Most diseases have tests that help doctors reach conclusions and make diagnoses. However, chronic fatigue symptoms often masquerade as other illnesses or disorders, so it’s harder to pinpoint it right away. As well, there are no real tests that decisively say “Yes, you have XMRV chronic fatigue.” Instead, doctors look at the list of symptoms for CFS and see if they can check off at least four items, such as fatigue, post-exertion malaise, inability to get nights of refreshing sleep, sore throat, headaches, muscular pain, joint pain and tender lymph nodes.

Chronic fatigue indicators often show up right after an illness, infection or injury and they never appear to really go away. Sufferers tend to describe acute sensitivity to light, in addition to sensitivity to noises, sensations and odors. They feel like the most routine daily experiences are simply too much too handle, as their senses are ramped up. These indicators often leave the patient feeling worn out, dizzy, clumsy, nauseous and bewildered. Lots of individuals also acquire unexpected allergies and feel as if they have the flu.

Of all the warning signs, fatigue is the best known. The fatigue is relentless, debilitating and all encompassing. Frequently a sufferer will get up in the morning feeling just as drained as when he or she went to bed. A mental fog descends over the sufferer, which makes it hard to concentrate, summon up words or perform day to day tasks. Many people say your mental faculties are so lacking in feeling, it feels like you have the flu all the time. The most severe cases cause the patient to quit their job, stop going out and to a large extent remain bedridden.

When assessing chronic fatigue symptoms, doctors often begin with treatment of any sleep disorders. Sometimes patients sleep long enough, but feel they are missing out on the deep, refreshing REM-cycle sleep. Other times, patients nod off all throughout the day and have trouble sleeping the full eight hours at night. In fact, sleep deprivation, fatigue, body aches, headaches, depression, irritability and digestive problems, for instance, make up the bulk of the signs on the chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms list. Patients may try everything from using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine at night or taking an antidepressant, to using herbal supplements or sleep aids.

With chronic fatigue symptoms, the patient’s systems are thrown off-kilter. The body’s immune system begins to work abnormally, causing a sore throat, sudden allergies, muscle and joint pain, irritable bowel, a mild fever and headaches. Women’s health doctors also report findings that suggest the hormonal balance and endocrine system become afflicted, causing symptoms like a low fever, heat or cold intolerance, weight gain or loss, alcohol intolerance, hot flashes and night sweating.

Would you be able to recognize a chronic fatigue symptom? If you think you might have one or more of the symptoms of CFS, visit your doctor. You should also educate yourself about this condition. Go to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help to find out more about this ailment and how you can find relief.

We all feel tired from time to time. It makes sense that we’d feel exhausted after a long day of work or a rigorous run. However, some people feel this way after waking up in the morning, day after day, month after month. This severe fatigue is just one chronic fatigue symptom, in addition to headaches, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, sore throat, post-exertion malaise and headaches. Dr. Nancy Klimas, an immunologist at the University of Miami School of Medicine who treats AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome, says: “My H.I.V. patients for the most part are hale and hearty. Many of my CFS patients, on the other hand, are terribly ill and unable to work or participate in the care of their families.”

Chronic fatigue syndrome awareness began in 1984, after several hundred patients developed flu-like symptoms in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Patients complained of extreme fatigue (the primary chronic fatigue symptom), as well as sore throats, mild fevers, headaches, memory loss and confusion. Doctors found most patients had several concurrent viruses, such as cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr and herpes virus 6. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control thought these symptoms were little more than frenzied hysteria.

The most well-known symptom is fatigue. But this fatigue is nothing like what most people experience after a challenging workout at the gym or a especially nerve-wracking day at work. The Centers for Disease Control describes it as “severe, incapacitating and all-encompassing.” Individuals with CFS often can’t go to work, attend school, engage in social pursuits or see to their personal needs since they constantly feel mentally confused and physically rundown. In the most acute instances, people never leave their beds or their homes. Most recently, it is been discovered that the problem might be linked to a chronic fatigue retrovirus known as XMRV.

“Life for us is different,” explains Janet Krause, 58, who has been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome for at least 15 years. “We have to constantly balance what we can do, and people don’t understand that. That’s why a lot of relationships and friendships break up.” Krause experienced her first chronic fatigue symptom in her twenties, when she suffered from skin rashes, sinus problems, chemical sensitivity, migraines, breathing difficulty, sore throats, arthritic pain, eye focus problems and debilitating fatigue. By 2005, she could no longer work in the hospital food service, since she was dropping boxes at work, couldn’t hold a pencil and was ready for bed at 3 pm. Just a small trip to the store would leave her incapacitated for the rest of the day.

In addition to the chronic fatigue symptom of extreme exhaustion, many CFS patients begin to suffer from depression. It can be difficult explaining to friends and family members why you can’t do something. No one seems to understand why a “little bit of rest and relaxation” can’t make you feel better. Surely you must be exaggerating that you can’t finish putting up the Christmas decorations or take a small trip to the store, right? According to Dr. Robert Matsko Sr. of Marysville, Pennsylvania, “Chronic fatigue syndrome is a viable medical condition. It’s not ‘all in your head.’” Hopefully, future research regarding the CFS virus will solidify the idea that, while the syndrome has mental repercussions, this condition has real physical roots.

If you have been recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome you are going to need to research the condition as much as you can. While you can treat the symptoms, the chronic fatigue syndrome causes are still largely unknown. Find out what you can do at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help.

There has been some discussion in recent years that severe fibromyalgia and fatigue syndromes are actually the same medical condition. Nearly all fibromyalgia sufferers also report having chronic fatigue (CF) and/or sleeping disorders, for example. In patients who meet the definition of chronic fatigue syndrome, a good portion of them experience tenderness in the joints or muscles, as well as headaches. Both syndromes affect primarily women between the ages of 20-50. Since the root causes are so elusive, patients of either syndrome often join forces to find constructive treatments.

Severe fibromyalgia and CF sufferers say that fatigue is the most devastating part of their disease because they are overly sensitive to pain and are never entirely alert, which can have an effect on all of their day to day tasks. Consequently treatments for fibromyalgia and CF typically begin with managing sleep patterns, says Mary Rose, behavioral sleep specialist and clinical psychologist at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine.

“We realize from studies that sleep has a positive effect on mood, pain, and the general way that folks feel during the day,” she explains. “No matter the explanations for CF, if we can get some control over quality of sleep, you’re almost certain to notice positive benefits for fatigue, concentration and mood.”

“In fibromyalgia, all treatments are geared toward helping people sleep better,” agrees Temple University’s Steven Berney, MD. “If we can improve their sleep, patients will get better.” Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia doctors say that often, it’s not that their patients aren’t sleeping — but rather, their quality of sleep is impaired. Somehow they’re not reaching that much-needed REM-cycle sleep and their circadian rhythms are slightly off. Yet patients with health questions need to be prepared to hear the honest answers. “A good deal is self-treatment,” says Martin Grabois MD of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “Patients have to be active, not passive.”

When chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia patients hear the word “exercise,” they often panic. “How can I possibly go running, walk on a treadmill, ride a bike, or do anything? I feel too pooped to even do the dishes!” They also know the pain of relapsing or “crashing,” as it’s called. Often they’ll over-exert themselves on “a good day” and suffer for the next week, struggling to recover from the worsened signs and symptoms. However, exercise for a CFS and fibromyalgia patients is different. They should start small and pace themselves, doing just a few minutes of gentle exercises at a time. Yoga, water exercises and walking around the block are all safe exercises for beginners.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a life altering condition that you have to learn to cope with. There is no real medical cure but you can ease your chronic fatigue symptoms. Find the information you need at Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help.

The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome are difficult to pinpoint. For one, there is no medical test today that will, without a doubt, diagnose CFS. Secondly, tests to confirm or deny a brain chemical link to CFS are cost-prohibitive to run on a mass scale. Thirdly, many of these symptoms appear alongside other illnesses, diseases and conditions, so they are not mutually exclusive to chronic fatigue. Since chronic fatigue syndrome does not appear to be fatal, research funding usually falls on the back burner, as cancer and heart disease take center stage. While researchers are still studying the root cause, there are many theories flying around.

The CDC has several theories on the reasons for CFS. One is that acute or constant infections including herpes virus 6 or Epstein-Barr can leave behind residual effects in the anatomy, like low energy and pain. A four-city surveillance study could not trace chronic fatigue syndrome back to just one specific human pathogen, although it is believed that infectious agents may play a part in creating recurring fatigue.

The latest research implies that individuals contaminated with Ross River virus, Coxiella burnetti and Epstein-Barr virus will develop a post-infective condition that matches the CFS indicators in 12% of situations.

Immunologic dysfunction may be another one of the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to CDC research. There are no particular immune disorders associated exclusively with CFS, but patients sometimes show the presence of self-attacking antibodies similar to that of autoimmune diseases, but without all the tissue damage. Some studies indicate lower levels of natural killer cells and decreased cell activity. Many patients produce inappropriate amounts of cytokines, such as interleukin-1, which affects bone joint degeneration, controls lymphocyte activity and induces a fever. One hypothesis is that chronic infections may lead to increased expression of cytokines and may then eventually lead to CFS.

The latest story in the search for causes of chronic fatigue syndrome is that there may be a virus behind the troubling symptoms. The XMRV chronic fatigue retrovirus is said to be similar to HIV in that it spreads through bodily fluids and causes the body to attack itself, in a sense. Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact connection, but they have recently found that many CFS patients also tested positive for the XMRV retrovirus as well. It is estimated that 4% of the population has the retrovirus inside them, but they don’t necessarily have chronic fatigue, so the link needs to be further developed.

Did you know fatigue syndrome is a real condition that can be extremely debilitating? It can forever change your life for the worse if you do not know how to treat it. Visit Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help to find out more about it and how you can find relief.

An overview of the Lightning Process training programme by Advanced Practitioner Russell Stubbs.

Which health conditions can the Lightning Process be used for?

In the following article I will refer to the condition of CFS – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The same principals apply equally to M.E. – Myalgic Encephomyalitis, P.V.F.S. – Post Viral fatigue Syndrome and F.M. Fibromyalgia. The training is also applicable to any health condition that would benefit from a positive influence on the immune system.

What triggers the start of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

There are many different ways in which people develop Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For some sufferers the condition develops after contracting a bacterial infection or virus. For others the trigger can be due to a build up of stress or one specific stressful event. Some other triggers include operations, vaccinations, injuries, toxins, along with many more.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can last for years or decades.

Irrespective of how the condition starts, a common pathway appears to form. The condition then persists, sometimes for years or decades. During this time sufferers typically seek help from conventional and alternative medical practitioners. Many treatment approaches result in limited or short-term success and the search for a cure continues.

What influence does the stress response have?

The current research into fatigue related conditions indicates a sustained stress response in sufferers. Many treatment approaches are aimed at alleviating symptoms. Some others attempt to teach you strategies to best manage your available energy. These types of approaches are missing the key point. Until the stress response can be bought back into balance, full recovery in the long term is unlikely.

The discovery part of the Lightning Process

The Lightning Process is a three day training programme. During the initial part of the training, participants are taken through a discovery process. The purpose of this is to uncover unconscious patterns that are driving the stress response. These include thought processes, behaviors, beliefs and expectations. They did not cause the condition, but play a key role in its maintenance.

Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome the only place where these patterns are found?

These patterns are not unique to this condition, most are common human traits. The problem occurs when they become out of balance, which seems to be the common ground in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Participants are also shown the physiological consequences of a sustained stress response. The very mechanism that has helped our species to survive – Fight or Flight, can adversely affect most bodily systems when activated over the long term.

How can we change these patterns using Lightning Process?

After identifying the powerful link between body and mind, participants are then instructed in how to use this connection to influence health in a positive way. Through the use of specific body movements and certain targeted questions it becomes possible to consistently change these destructive cycles. When used in a consist way the cycle of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be collapsed rapidly.

How does the Lightning Process utilize neural plasticity?

The brain has the ability to adapt and change according to experience, this is called “neural plasticity”. The Lightning Process becomes an effective tool for harnessing this brain function. With the right training and consistent application it is possible to literally re-form pathways in the brain. By uncovering damaging responses and then changing them from moment-to-moment this becomes an effective way of positively influencing health and well-being.

Is the Lightning Process suitable for everyone?

The Lightning Process is unfortunately not for everyone. As it is a training programme and not a treatment or therapy, it is vital that the participant is ready to make considerable changes in a number of areas. It is also necessary to be committed to doing the sometimes challenging work required. For those who are ready and committed, the results can be quite remarkable. Thousands of people use the training every year to resolve health conditions that have blighted their lives and health for many years.