What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Unexplained, persistent and prolonged fatigue that is not the result of exhaustive exertion, does not improve with rest and leads to a significant reduction in occupational, social and personal activities.
To be able to diagnose 'CFS', you must: at least 4 of the following symptoms be present for at least 6 consecutive months:
1. Memory and concentration disorders
2. Sore throat
3. Tender and swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits
4. Muscle aches
5. Joint pains without swelling and redness of the joints
6. Headache
7. Non-recuperative sleep
8. Sleep disorders (insomnia and/or sleep disturbances)
9. General malaise after exercise lasting more than 24 hours
Basic treatment
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for chronic fatigue. The syndrome requires a total approach. There are a number of guidelines that everyone can apply and that work for everyone.
| Definitely include it in your diet | Eliminate from your diet | |
| Fruit | Fresh and frozen, without added sugars; fresh fruit juices without added sugars | Oranges and orange juice |
| Vegetables | Fresh, raw, steamed, fried, grilled | Corn, tomatoes |
| Starch | Rice, oatmeal, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, potatoes | Wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye (all products containing gluten) |
| Cereal products | Products based on rice, oats, buckwheat, millet, potato flour, tapioca, arrowroot, amaranth or quinoa | All products based on wheat, spelt, kamut, rye or barley |
| Legumes and vegetable proteins | All legumes (e.g. peas, lentils), except soybeans | Tofu, tempeh, soy beans, soy milk and other soy products |
| Nuts and seeds | Almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, Brazilian nuts, sesame and sesame paste, sunflowers, pumpkin seeds, nut butters (except peanut butter) | Peanuts and peanut butter |
| Meat and fish | Fish, chicken, turkey, game, lamb, fresh or frozen | Beef, pork, veal, charcuterie, canned meat, eggs, shellfish |
| Dairy products and milk substitutes | Rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk | Milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, soy milk, cottage cheese, cottage cheese |
| Fats | Cold-pressed olive, flaxseed, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame, walnut or almond oil | Margarine, shortening, hydrogenated oils (in all prepared foods, cookies and industrial pastries), mayonnaise, prepared salads |
| Drinks | Water, herbal tea, mineral water | Soft drinks, alcohol, coffee, tea, cocoa |
| Herbs and spices | All spices, except those in the column opposite, with a preference for cinnamon, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, carob, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, turmeric | Ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, all prepared sauces |
| Sweeteners | Brown rice syrup, fruit-based sweeteners, molasses, stevia, tagatose | All refined sugar and products containing sugar, honey, maple and corn syrup |
Deficiencies in the following substances are very common in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. You can test these supplements and see if the symptoms improve. In any case, they will strengthen your immune system. The doses are daily doses.
– Coenzyme Q10: 200 mg
– Acetylcarnitine: 2 x 1000 mg
– Ribose powder: 3 x 5 g (an energy source for the muscles)
– Vitamin B12: 1-2 mg in the form of a tablet that you melt under your tongue. With chronic fatigue I often see serious deficiencies in vitamin B12, which I prefer to administer in the form of injections. I always aim for optimal values in the blood and not for minimum values (the doses I administer are 10 mg hydroxocobalamin per week).
– Magnesium: 400 mg
– Ginseng: 300-500 mg
– Rhodiola: 500 to 1000 mg.
– Sylimarin: 300mg, sulforaphane: 50-100mg, lipoic acid: 400-600 mg (this to stimulate liver detoxification).
– Iodium: 250mcg + L-tyrosine: 500 mg (to stimulate the production of thyroid hormone: both nutrients are needed for the production of the thyroid hormone Thyroxine-T4).
– Vitamin D3: 2000 -5000 iu per day (more in winter than in summer, provided you spend a lot of time outside and in the sun in summer).
– Sleep at least eight hours every day
– Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, at your own pace
– Do relaxation exercises daily (meditation or other)
– Make sure your blood pressure is at least 11/7
– Avoid amalgam fillings in your mouth
– Ensure good intestinal flora (take extra probiotics if necessary)
A total approach
CFS requires a multifactorial approach. A thorough questioning of the patient and an extensive blood test plus a 24-hour urine test are of fundamental importance here.
The following points are examined and addressed where necessary.
