Welcome to my blog post ‘A Personalised Integrative Approach To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’.
You may also be interested in the section of my blog dedicated to chronic fatigue syndrome, click here, in particular:
- Can Mould And Mycotoxins Cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Functional Medicine Approach
Considerations For Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
There are many avenues to explore when considering ways to support someone with chronic fatigue (1):
- Dietary modification
- Functional nutritional deficiencies
- Physical fitness
- Psychological and physical stress
- Environmental toxicity
- Gastrointestinal imbalances
- Immune dysfunction
- Inflammation
- Oxidative stress
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
The below images details the ‘modifiable physiological and environmental factors’ in chronic fatigue syndrome:
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, 2014; 20, 1
What Tests Should Be Done For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Let’s dive in to the above factors in a little more detail.
With the above list in mind there are various tests that can be considered but let’s first remind ourselves with the saying “treat the individual, not the disease”. This is such a powerful quote and it means we first need to explore what might be contributing to someone’s level of fatigue, which will then dictate which testing might be most appropriate to run. We can’t select the best test, just based off of the diagnosis – which in this case is given when you are experiencing a specific constellation of symptoms.
Nutritional Considerations And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Nutrient testing or/and organic acid testing
Recommend Labs: Genova Diagnostics or Great Plains Laboratory
Psychological/Physical stress And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Salivary cortisol testing
Recommend Lab: Healthpath
Environmental Toxicity And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Heavy metal testing, environmental toxin testing, mycotoxin testing, detox capacity testing.
Recommend Labs: Great Plains Laboratory
Gastrointestinal Involvement And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Stool, SIBO, and leaky gut testing
Recommended Lab: Healthpath
Immune Dysfunction And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Functional blood analysis, comprehensive viral or pathogen profile
Recommended Lab: Functional Dx
Inflammation/Oxidative Stress And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Functional blood analysis, organic acid testing
Recommended Lab: Functional Dx, Genova Diagnostics, Great Plains Laboratory
Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Test: Organic acid test
Recommended Lab: Genova Diagnostics, Great Plains Laboratory
Summary:
The first step to taking a personalised and integrative approach to treating chronic fatigue syndrome is an in depth enquiry in to your health history and lifestyle. This will then help us understand which of the above factors might be contributing to your symptoms and thus which testing, and what approach is going to be needed to support you back to optimal health.
References:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome: a personalized integrative medicine approach: click here.
