For decades, people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS) have been told that their symptoms are all in their head.
They’ve been told that they’re simply stressed out, depressed, out of shape, or that their belief in their own weakness is holding them back. In the 1980s and 90s, the media dismissed sufferers as having “yuppie flu”, implying that they were just burnt out of their high-stress lifestyle.
The Affects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The reality is that ME/CFS is a very real and serious biological illness that can leave patients unable to get out of bed or manage the basic activities of daily life. ME/CFS has a profound impact on the lives of patients and their families.
Many people with the illness must stop work or school and may struggle to complete basic everyday tasks such as food preparation, laundry or child care. Patients’ families are affected when sufferers must stop working or are unable to do household tasks. People under 25 who contract ME/CFS may struggle to complete their education, which can have a life-long effect on their earning potential.
Free Report: Top Mindfulness Exercises To Try TodayWhile ME/CFS isn’t a terminal illness, its effects on daily life have been compared to conditions including cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and COPD.
The economic impact of ME/CFS is profound. In the United States alone, the economic impact of the lost productivity due to ME/CFS is estimated at $9 to $37 billion, with direct medical costs alone costing $9 to $14 billion.
The Cause of ME/CFS
The exact cause and mechanism of ME/CFS isn’t known, which is one reason why many people (including some doctors) have doubted that it’s a real illness. However, researchers are finding more and more biological indicators of the disease. These clues are helping scientists get closer to an explanation of ME/CFS, and hopefully, an effective treatment or cure.
ME/CFS often follows an infection, and the illness has similarities to some autoimmune conditions. There may also be a genetic component to ME/CFS. One promising Australian study shows that people with ME/CFS may have an abnormality in a tiny piece of DNA that is responsible for the cell receptors that help calcium ions move in and out of cells — something that is essential for hundreds of reactions throughout the body.
It Can Affect Anyone
hronic fatigue syndrome affects up to 15-30 million people worldwide, and up to 2.5 million Americans. However, it’s estimated that three-quarters of ME/CFS cases are undiagnosed, so the true prevalence of the illness isn’t known. More women than men are diagnosed with ME/CFS, and the average age of diagnosis is 33, although it can and does strike people of any gender, age, background and ethnicity.
How Can You Manage Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic fatigue syndrome can last for many years, although up to 63% of patients show symptom improvement over time. How can you adjust to this new reality? Meditation, mindfulness training, deep breathing, and other relaxation techniques can be helpful with chronic pain and chronic illnesses.
ME/CFS is characterized by post-exertional malaise (PEM). Simply put, do too much and patients can crash or relapse, with symptoms ranging from intense exhaustion to flu-like symptoms. This crash can last hours, days or weeks. It’s important to pace activities to avoid crashing. Every person with ME/CFS will have a different level of baseline energy, and different triggers for PEM. These may change over time.
The most important thing you can do to manage your illness is to learn how to work within your body’s activity tolerance. Over time, you may be able to very gently stretch the envelope of what you can do.
Top Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today
Meditation and mindfulness can’t cure ME/CFS, but they can give you coping skills, and help you manage stress. Beginning to practice mindfulness can seem like a massive task at first, but once you get used to it and give it a go, you’ll see that it doesn’t have to be difficult and can be quite easily incorporated into your daily routine.
If you listen to your body when it tells you it’s too tired, you won’t rush the risk of injuries. If you push your body when you know it can take more, you’ll see the benefits and rewards. Download my free report, Top Mindfulness Exercises to learn 4 mindfulness exercises you can try today.
