Help Is Available for Sufferers of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

by Rebecca Liston, H.D., DSHomMed

About 20 years ago my father was “finally” diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I say “finally” because it took years for him to find a doctor that would listen to his symptoms, take him seriously, and not send him away with the oft-heard statement, “It’s all in your head.” The diagnosis itself, in some ways, was irrelevant. Modern medicine didn’t know what to do with him, had no cure, and basically sent him home to spend another several years in bed.

But our family persevered, knowing that there had to be “a cure” out there…surely someone could help! And with a little luck and a lot of perseverance, we found several wholistic health professionals that together helped my dad to recover. Recovery from CFS is a journey, we discovered, and the key to healing is to discover the root cause of the imbalance in the system that brings on the symptoms of CFS in the first place.

Both CFS and Fibromyalgia have several things in common from a diagnostic perspective including muscle pain and weakness, poor memory, lack of concentration, fatigue, depression, and poor immune function. The other common element is that often people who suffer the effects of CFS or Fibromyalgia are left without hope of recovery.

And this is where wholistic medicine, sometimes referred to as complementary or alternative health care, can play a vital role for CFS and Fibromyalgia sufferers. Wholistic health professionals work closely with their clients to ensure that the entire system is addressed – symptoms of the body, mind, and emotions are all treated together. All symptoms, from the major to the minor disturbances, are treated at once to ensure that optimum health is restored without any negative side effects. So there is hope. Recovery can occur…naturally!