Homeopathic Treatment Of 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

 

The main symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are severe and debilitating fatigue that is either persistent or comes and goes. The fatigue is not made better from rest. 

 

Physical symptoms include painful muscles, joint pains, sore throat, headache, dizziness, flu-like symptoms or difficulty regulating ones temperature, disturbed sleep.  

 

Mental symptoms include poor short-term memory and concentration; depression is also common.

 

There is no known cause of CFS, and as of yet no laboratory tests exist to confirm a diagnosis. Personally I don’t believe that a laboratory test will ever be found. The reason I say this is because CFS is not a specific and clearly definable disease but is rather a collection of symptoms. These symptoms are themselves the secondary result of a deeper primary cause.  

 

As a homeopath I spend a lot of time interviewing my patients, and as a result I get to know them really well: their personalities, their lifestyles, and their medical histories. After a time you begin to see a certain pattern emerge.  

 

Firstly, most people with CFS have a history of respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infections. 

 

Secondly, most sufferers tend to lead the typical modern lifestyle - processed food, sedentary habits, and high stress levels.

 

Thirdly, some kind of turmoil or major stressful event usually occurred just before the symptoms began: an accident, the loss of a loved one, etc. 

 

In most cases simply prescribing the well indicated homeopathic medicine by itself will do very little. To beat this stubborn condition you need to see the whole picture and take a more encompassing approach. 

 

One. Help the patient shift to a more nourishing and wholesome lifestyle that include gentle exercise.

 

Two. Use counseling to address any stress or unhappiness in the person’s life.

 

Three. Use sequential therapy to deal with past traumas that might still linger.

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Four. Use homeopathic medicines to treat the symptoms. In the homeopathic repertory there are at least 900 homeopathic medicines for CFS. I have listed a four of the most commonly used ones. The reason I listed them is not so that you can choose one for yourself but instead to give you a feel as to the nature of these beautiful medicines. 

 

Gelsemium: Indicated by weakness with drowsiness, dizziness, dullness and trembling. Muscle aches with heaviness and weakness. Tremors and twitching of the muscles. The sufferer might have a dull heaviness in the head and have blurred vision, feel  worse in damp, cold weather and mentally be dull with a lot of anxiety. A strange symptom with Gelsemium is that symptoms are better for profuse urination.

 

Kali phosphoricum: Used for CFS, especially if the illness follows a bout of influenza. The mental symptoms are anxiety with depression, insomnia and nightmares. The anxiety may present as a fear of crowds and agoraphobia. Loss of memory might be a problem. There is muscle weakness and aches and pains, all worse with exercise, the cold and mental effort. The symptoms are better from sleep, eating and gentle movement.

 

Mercurius solubilis: The patient may have a persistent sore throat with enlarged cervical lymph nodes and have a lot of salivation. They may also be sensitive to both heat and cold. Insomnia with great restlessness at night and nightmares may also be a feature. The muscle pains will be deep with tender bones. There may be loss of memory and poor recall of names.

 

Zincum metallicum: The Zincum picture is one of weakness with restlessness and depression. The memory is poor and the patient is lethargic, irritable and hypersensitive especially to noise; restless legs accompanied by muscular twitching are also common features. Numbness and coldness and strange sensations in arms and legs are also common. All symptoms are worse from alcohol.

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