Information From An NYC Acupuncturist Experienced in Treating Chronic Fatigue

About CFDIS

Chronic Fatigue or CFIDS is an insidious condition which predominantly effects individuals aged 25 to 45, with twice as many women as men being effected. It generally has a sudden onset and the typical patient presents with a variety of diffuse symptoms. The most commonly reported symptoms include:

1. headache
2. sore throat
3. tender lymph nodes
4. muscle and joint aches
5. frequent feverish sensation
6. fatigue
7. difficulty concentrating
8. difficulty sleeping
9. depression
10. allergies
11. abdominal cramps
12. weight gain or loss
13. rash
14. rapid pulse
15. chest pain
16. nights sweats

Western Diagnostic Criteria and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue

Diagnositcs

1. impaired memory or concentration
2. sore throat
3. tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
4. muscle pain
5. multi-joint pain
6. new headaches
7. unrefreshing sleep,
8. post-exertion malaise.

When tested these patients have negative findings on all conventional medical lab and clinical tests.

Treatment

Common treatments include non-steriodal anti-inflammatory's for headaches, pain and feverishness; Antidepressants for mood enhancement and in some cases to aid sleep and provide pain relief. Often tricyclics, older generation of antidepressant are used because of their effectiveness in treating sleep disorders and pain syndromes.

Some doctors recommend exercise programs such as gentle yoga or stretching. These have proven successful for some Chronic Fatigue patients.

There is no known causative factor for chronic fatigue. Many patients report having had a prior flu-like illness, which appeared to have resolved favorably. Many patients report some form of stress related trigger. It had been thought that the Epstein-Barr virus was a factor, however, that theory has largely been rejected.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostics

While Chronic Fatigue is not a recognized disease pattern in Chinese Medicine, fatigue of the magnitude described by these patients, is consistent with the kind of fatigue associated with severe Spleen Qi deficiency. While standing alone, Spleen Qi deficiency cannot explain all of the chronic fatigue patients' symptoms, when considered as part of a combined disease pattern, chronic fatique fits comfortably within well established and longstanding disease pattern combinations.

Given the common feature of flu-like symptoms and apparent favorable resolution, it is likely that many chronic fatigue patients contract an external pathogenic factor, which is not fully resolved and enters a latent stage. In TCM the disorder is understood as an external pathogenic factor that is transmuted into a latent internal pathogenic factor -- not unlike the western understanding of a virus. It then is triggered by some subsequent event. This trigger could be excessive work, poor diet, stress or another external pathogenic invasion. In other cases, the patient may be susceptible to the disease because he or she is suffering from general taxation. Whatever the cause, is it clear that many chronic fatigue patients suffer from a significant spleen Qi deficiency. That is a common feature of the condition manifesting as extreme debilitating fatigue.

Spleen Qi Deficiency and the Primary Chronic Fatique Symptoms

Consistent with a severe spleen qi deficiency pattern, these patients exhibit other classic spleen qi deficiency symptoms such as impaired memory and concentration, muscle pain, headaches and postexertion malaise.

The memory impairment and lack of concentration are classic spleen qi deficiency symptoms, which are explained by the lack of general nourishment (Qi) and its inability to rise to the head. This general deficiency is compounded by the inevitable damp accumulation which further impairs the ability of the Qi to reach beyond the center. Thus the brain is not properly nourished. The occurrence of headaches is explained by the same pathomechanism, with the damp accumulation having a greater impact. Often these headaches are of the dull type which patients describe as a banding around the head. This is a typical manifestation of damp accumulation resulting from spleen qi deficiency.

As is the case with the memory difficulties and the headaches, muscles pain is a common symptom of spleen qi deficiency. The flesh is associated with the spleen and when the spleen is not functioning properly, the muscles are not properly nourished and pain is often the result. Similarly, postexertion malaise frequently occurs in the context of spleen deficiency. The exertion further depletes the already weakened spleen with the result that the limited qi is further taxed and disrupted. All in all, these patients present with primary spleen qi pathologies.

Additional Involved Patterns

As noted above, it is often the case that the CF patient has symptoms which are not readily explained by a spleen qi deficiency diagnosis, but in fact are the result of a combined pattern condition. Common patterns seen in these patients include damp heat and liver qi depression. Symptoms commonly seen in these conditions include digestive disorders, depression, feverish sensation, joint pain and insomnia.

Undoubtedly, other TCM pathology progressions may occur and provide explanations for CFDIS and the resulting symptoms. It is not the intention of the author to undertake a comprehensive analysis of all the pattern combinations which can occur in TCM that might explain CFDIS. The objective is to provide an understanding of one possible disease pattern combination, that occurs with many chronic fatigue patients. As is always the case, each patient must be assessed on an individual basis so that the practitioner can gain an understanding of the disease progression is that patient, and develop a treatment plan best suited to the individual patient.

For further information on these patterns see Chronic Fatigue combined patterns click through to chronic fatigue combined patterns.

If you have any questions about your individual situation or would like to speak with a practitioner, please contact West Village Acupuncture at 917.968.2854.

West Village Acupuncture
4 Milligan Place
Suite 1F
NY, NY 10011
917.968.2854

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