CFS/ME

What is it?

CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) can also be known as:

·         ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis- ‘myalgia’ is muscle pain, and ‘encephalomyelitis’ is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, although there is little evidence that this occurs)

·         PVFS (post viral fatigue syndrome)

·         ‘Yuppy flu’

It’s a condition that affects a sufferer’s daily life with one of the main symptoms being long-term tiredness both mentally and physically (chronic fatigue) that does not go away with sleep or rest. It can often become worse after any form of physical activity.

It is estimated more than 200,000 people in the UK have CFS, with the numbers growing each year.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary from person to person, but some of the most common symptoms are:

·         Problems with sleep such a insomnia or broken sleep

·         ‘Foggy head’ or problems with short term memory retention, so its harder to get your thoughts straight or find the right words

·         Muscular pain

·         Painful glands in your throat

·         Headaches

·         Digestive problems such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, etc.

·         Sensitivity to sound, light, food and alcohol

·         Balance problems

·         Mood swings, anxiety, depression

CFS can vary from mild to severe, depending on issues such as ability to care for oneself, mobility, ability to work, concentration levels and a combination of the above symptoms.

Causes

 

The medical and complimentary health communities are still working on understanding the main causes of CFS, and many theories have been put forward such as viral infections which weaken the immune system, a combination of physical and psychological factors, depression, exhaustion, stress, or a traumatic event such as a bereavement, or family crisis.

Regardless of the cause, symptoms of CFS can worsen through:

·         Poor diet

·         Feelings of isolation or depression

·         Reoccurring bouts of infection (viral or otherwise)

·         Not having enough exercise or active lifestyle

 

Diagnosis

 

In the first instance, a visit to your GP can help with identifying possible causes of your symptoms. They will look at you history to date, perhaps arrange tests such as bloods, scans, and ascertain if other conditions may be contributing to your situation .

 

They may only diagnose CFS if serious fatigue and other symptoms have persisted for six months or more without any other identifiable causes.

Treatment

A visit to the GP may not result in any specific treatment, but they may suggest that you find ways to balance rest with activity. They may also prescribe some medication to help control certain symptoms, and suggest self-help measures.

How can Hypnotherapy at The Woodland Practice can help

This is where our work with the mind/body connection can significantly benefit you as a client. We can view this as a collaboration between the mind and body. The physical symptoms are the ‘messages’ that the subconscious is using as a method of communicating that everything is not well in a clients life. Until the cause/s of the messages is addressed, healing cannot begin.

I use a multi-disciplined approach to look at the whole of you. So that means we look at using Hypnotherapy, NLP, IEMT and Time Line Therapy to:

·         Identify and overcome the causes of your CFS,

·         Reduce stress levels,

·         Increase relaxation,

·         Increase your motivation and confidence to change,

·         Empower you with self help techniques to maintain the generative change process.

 

The approach at The Woodland Practice doesn’t stop there. We take your change process further than most, so we also look at:

·         Reviewing your daily routine to ensue that there’s a balance between work, rest and play,

·         Refer you onto our associate nutritionist to ensure optimum nutritional levels are being maintain (if appropriate),

·         Devise graded exercise programmes to build up strength, energy and vitality. Simple programmes can be created between us, and for a more comprehensive approach, we can refer you to our associate personal trainer (if appropriate).

 

 

My personal experience of CFS

I experienced ME in my early 20’s so I understand and can empathize with what you’re experiencing. Following a stressful period at work and reoccurring bouts of flu, I was bed ridden for months and my convalescing period was nearly 3 years, which involved periods of depression, helplessness, despair, chronic fatigue. Back then, the medical support was very limited, so in the end I had to step outside of conventional methods to begin the journey to discover how I could help myself.

Through the power of positive thinking and the growing realisation of the mind/body connection, I was able to understand how our thoughts can affect our emotions and our behaviour. Over the course of many years, I’ve identified several key strategies that assist the recovery process, and what I found has been so powerful that it’s now how I how help others to regain control over their lives.

ME is just a diagnosis, I can teach you what has helped me to live the life that once seemed beyond me. Even today, I’m more aware of the triggers that could affect my health again and I pay more attention to those ‘messages’.