Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or ME, is a complex nervous system and immune system disorder also involving the cell powerhouses called the mitochondria, gut health including gut wall integrity (eg. leaky gut/leaky brain hypothesis) and is slightly different for everyone, with triggers ranging from an acute stressful event, extreme physical stress on the body or after an acute viral infection or vector-borne illness.

What Goes Wrong In Chronic Fatigue

Specialised immune cells in the brain called microglia, which are involved with up regulating the brain-immune axis and in brain inflammation, form the first line of defence of the blood brain barrier may also become dysfunctional as part of CFS.

There are also many conditions that may be mistaken for CFS such as some vector-borne infections and some forms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so seeing an expert to rule out these specific causes is also important. A main regulatory balancing system in the brain and body, the endocannabinoid system can also become dysfunctional in CFS.

How Holistic Treatment Helps

A personalized holistic approach includes treatments to reduce these underlying drivers as well as improve fatigue quickly using novel medicines. Then targeted holistic treatments with nutritional medicine, nutraceuticals, optimizing the microbiome and addressing increased intestinal permeability using advanced functional medicine testing may be recommended depending on your case.

Mindbody techniques including biofeedback can help decrease brain and body hyperarousal and may help expand the energy envelope and decrease the ‘tired but wired feeling.’ Mindbody approaches combined with novel medicines can also help to restore deep sleep and promote healing, since lack of restorative sleep is also a hallmark of CFS despite being exhausted.