Index
What About Treatment
Alternative Treatments
My Own Treatment
Treatments that Doctors agree on
Treatments that Doctors don't agree on
My Personal Opinion on Treatments
How is CFS Treated?
What Medications should you avoid?
Is a particular dietary or vitamin supplement regimen recommended for people with CFS?
Warning - Please Note

What About Treatment?

The following was taken from the MEssenger by M. R.Hiller dated May 1997.

Currently there are no cures and most treatment is confined to combatting the array of symptoms associated with the disease.

Treatment for CFS is limited to treating the symptoms, which can include medication for headaches, anti-depressants; local injections and analgescis for Fibromyalgia (a muscle-fatigue syndrome similar to CFS); therapy for depression; therapy for sleep disturbances; and exercise for fatigue.

At present little more can be done medically than treat the symptoms. There were high hopes for the experimental drug Ampligen. Many taking the drug seemed to improve, but adverse side effects experienced by some caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to put its further use on hold.

Sleep disturbances, including insomnia, are common with CFS. Interestingly, an antidepressant medication sometimes one hundredth of the dose taken for depression helps some, but not all, patients sleep better and thus improve. Beverly avoided such drugs for years but then tried one. "I was helped so tremendously," she said, "I only wish I had started sooner."

"Many other methods including "alternative" treatments that some patients find appealing when standard measures fail have been tried for treating CFS," noted The Female Patient. "These include a variety of medications, physical therapy, . . . acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, anticandidal therapy, and ayurvedism, among others."

This medical journal stated: "Regardless of personal beliefs, the physician should have some knowledge of such [treatments] to better understand and counsel the patient. Many patients are grateful just to find a physician who listens to them and takes their list of complaints seriously. . . . Most patients with CFS can be helped to feel better even if they are only reassured that they have a medical ally and many can be greatly improved."

Since there is no cure, some question the value of going to a physician. The vital benefit of seeking such help is that tests can exclude other diseases that may have similar symptoms, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Lyme disease. If these are identified at an early stage, valuable treatment can be given. Emergency Medicine recommends to physicians: "Once you've made the diagnosis, your best course of action is to refer the patient to a chronic fatigue syndrome study center."

Rest is recognized as the best treatment, but a careful balance must be struck. So the best advice is: Learn to pace yourself. Know your limitations, and work within them, day by day, week by week, month by month. Gentle exercises, such as walking or swimming in a warm pool, can be beneficial as long as they are not taken to the point of either physical or mental fatigue. A healthy diet that helps to strengthen the immune system is also important.

Hopelessness may accompany this disease, as was tragically illustrated by one sufferer named Tracy who despaired and committed suicide. But death is not the answer. So far I have heard of three cases of where CFS patients have committed suicide since doing this research. As a bereaved friend said: "I know what Tracy really wanted. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live but to live free from suffering. And that must be our goal." Yes, it is an excellent goal. So focus your hopes, not on dying, but on surviving to reach that goal, whenever it comes. For that reason it requires great effort and patience to meet the challenge of CFS

Alternative Treatments

If there's not cure - than what can one do? Well up til now, the doctors have been treating the symptoms, but you are probably aware of all the other treatments that are recommended by others who swear they've tried it and it works. So now we have the Alternative Treatments! If you have CFS - you've probably already been down the road trying to find a cure or a treatment that will give you back your energy, memory and life..
You've tried everything that someone else has tried, all in the quest to get well. tried everything that someone else has tried, all in the quest to get well.
Most CFS people have tried many alternative treatments, ie. acupuncture, herbal medications, natural products, diets and other similar types of treatment. If we hear that someone has tried this and it worked for them, many of us at one time ran out to get it only to discover, it did nothing for us. Some methods seem to work on some CFS patients and when other CFS people report that they have regained their energy using some drug, some herbal therapy or other treatment - we all run out to try it. This desperate attempt to get well isn't always the best solution. Many home pages of other CFS sufferers even have a list of things they've used.

Many people have contacted me asking for advice or recommending something they have tried, so in my search to find answers, I did find that the CFS Home page had studies and also results on the various "alternative" approaches to CFS. You can view these at the following:
CFS HOME PAGE - Treatments

My Personal Treatment

In my personal quest for getting well, I have found that certain things worked for me. They, by no means cure me or stop the relapses, but what I was prescribed by a Homopathic Doctor was the following:

1) 10,000 mgs of Vitamin C daily
2) Iron (1 capsule)
3) B-6 (1 capsule)
4) B Complex (1 capsule)
5) Hexavitamins (1 capsule)
6) Weekly injections of B-12 (1cc)

As well, I was given a diet to follow (eliminated many dairy products) some other foods, drank distilled water (also cooked everything in distilled water) and was told to buy all natural foods, including meat. I was also advised to stay away from hospital, schools or malls (any place with large crowds thus preventing too much exposure to other viruses). I was told not to allow sick friends over nor to visit a sick friend. Keep personal contacts down to only healthy people. So here you have what was recommended for ME!!

I am in no way endorsing this treatment for anyone or everyone. I am simply explaining what I was told to do. I have to say that I did feel better
and although I never returned to my normal self (have learned that there is nothing that can make that ever happen)I was able to function better than
without them. While doing research I did discover the research on CFS and
Hypersensitivity. I'm not sure if his research is totally correct but some of his recommendations did seem to run a similar line with many other recommendations including what I was prescribed. I don't know how he can claim that CFS and many other diseases are due to Hypersensivity (read article to find out what he means by this term), but I do know that many doctors and much of the research here seems to have a similar theme like Coping Strategies for CFS.

Treatments that Doctors agree on

They all seem to agree on a few things (this could be a first LOL!) - that the following is very important in helping CFS patients regain some energy (not a cure):
1) Diet is important
2) Vitamins and supplements are important
3) Avoiding environmental things like fumes and odors from certain things
4) Rest
5) No stress

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Treatments that Doctors don't agree on

What they don't agree on is a lot more.I still cannot find an answer to exercise. Some researchers and doctors recommend exercise. Some say moderate exercise; some say to plan a strategy and slowly do more each time trying to build up stamina. Some say NO EXERCISE at all. So what should you do - do what's best for you and what you can handle. If you try exercise and you pay for it later - than don't do it. If exercise (mild forms) seem to help - than do that.


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My Personal Opinion on Treatments

It is only my personal opinion but I believe that each CFS patient must find their own limitations and what helps them. I strongly believe in this due to the fact that so many CFS patients have tried so many things and each of us reacts differently to each circumstance or treatment. It is the way CFS works on us. It affects us all differently and to different degrees - so there is no ONE solution - there are thousands of solutions - one for each of us. I had hoped that the CFS Patient Test would help you become aware of what areas you need to work on to feel better, but have been unsuccessful in getting the form to function properly. It is still a worthwhile test because it will make you aware of what you need to do to help cope with CFS. SeeMy Disclaimer.

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The following was taken from the CFS Home Page:

How is CFS treated?

Without knowing the cause of CFS, it is difficult to identify effective treatments. Medications prescribed for CFS usually are intended to provide symptomatic relief and not a cure. However, a number of unproven and potentially dangerous "treatments" and "diagnostic tests" have been given to CFS patients at exorbitant cost. Some of the more common remedies and prescription medicines commonly used by CFS patients are listed in the Common Treatments for CFS section.

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Are there certain medications I should avoid?

In most circumstances, patients should trust in the advice of their physician. However, certain treatments, such as cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, and hydrogen peroxide injection, are potentially life-threatening, wholly unproven to relieve CFS, and should be avoided. If in doubt, call your local medical society, university medical school, or another physician.

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Is a particular dietary or vitamin supplement regimen recommended for people with CFS?

There are no studies to suggest that dietary or vitamin supplements relieve the symptoms of or cure CFS. A list of dietary supplements and vitamins commonly used by CFS patients is included in the Common Treatments for CFS section.

Warning - Please Note

A variety of vitamin supplements, medications, and other substances have been described as having potential therapeutic benefits for CFS patients. Many of the treatments recommended for CFS patients are intended to provide relief for symptoms of this condition. However, some proposed treatments are unproven and potentially dangerous. As a service to CFS patients and other interested persons, this section provides some basic information about different therapies that have been used for the treatment of CFS patients. These descriptions are intended to be used only for general informational purposes. Decisions regading the use of these or other treatments should be made only in consultation with a physician. If you have doubts about a particular treatment, contact your local medical society, university medical school, or another physician for additional information.