End Fatigue

Conquering Immune Disorders

Statistics show about 6 million people live with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum said the conditions are hard to diagnose and even harder to overcome.

"Chronic fatigue syndrome is an attempt on your body's part to protect itself from harm in the face of overloading stress,
just like when you blow a fuse," Teitelbaum said.

You have too many heaters on, off goes the fuse, and the same thing happens in your body. Fibromyalgia is the same thing as chronic fatigue syndrome in most people. It is kind of a painful cousin. Most people with chronic fatigue syndrome have fibromyalgia.

"Picture having the average 32-pound weight gain, total exhaustion, brain fog with no energy, widespread pain, and you basically feel miserable," Teitelbaum said.

Teitelbaum uses the acronym "SHIN" to offer relief from these conditions.

S = SLEEP: Get adequate sleep, which means about eight hours a night. "People have horrible insomnia despite being exhausted. That is where you recharge your batteries, at nighttime, and also where your muscles heal. If you do not sleep, you are going to be exhausted and in pain," Teitelbaum said.

H = HORMONES: "The major hormone deficiency would be low thyroid, but certainly adrenal exhaustion, which is a stress hormone. Estrogen deficiency, and testosterone deficiency in men and women, can also cause fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome," Teitelbaum said. Get tested and get treated, he said.

I = INFECTIONS: Sinusitis and yeast infections are the most common infections that need attention in people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Because the immune system is poorly functioning, people with these conditions often get these chronic infections. Getting them treated and
cleared up is the key.

N = NUTRITONAL SUPPLEMENTS: Last on the list is to get a good mix of nutritional supplements. He said this is a key component to the success of this treatment approach. The American diet is awful. The acronym a "standard American diet," or SAD, fits. The nutritional losses are horrible. Because of that, nutritional deficiencies are widespread, and there is no one tablet that is going to replace them all." Specific treatments will vary from person to person, Teitelbaum said.

THE PROOF: "The results of a study that tested this approach were published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, said Teitelbaum. Ninety-one percent of people with this disease had significant improvement. Most people no longer had fibromyalgia by the end of the study because their pain was gone. Their energy increased and their sleeping habits improved.