Do you feel tired, 24/7?

Do you feel tired, 24/7?

You could be suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). With stories of
TV actors fainting on the set, we find out more about this physical and psychosomatic condition

If there’s one thing that TV actors Neha Bamb, Gazal Rai, Ashlesha Sawant, Roshni Chopra, Priya Badlani and Sachin Shroff have in common, it’s a propensity to pass out on the set of their respective shows.

One would think fatigue on a physical level (unending work hours, over-packed schedules, multiple shifts, sacrosanct deadlines, sleep deprivation) would naturally point to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), but Dr Vijay Vaishnav demurs. “CFS is characterised by debilitating fatigue and a variety of associated physical, constitutional and psychological factors,” explains the MD and Hon.

Physician at Shree Mumbadevi Homeopathic Hospital. He believes that while CFS is “over-diagnosed” in the West, it is largely unnoticed back home. “And that’s a pity because this syndrome has been on the rise in Indian metros.

Still, most physicians term it a case of simple exhaustion, and dole out advice in the general ‘eat well, sleep well’ vein, to patients who exhibit symptoms of CFS.”

Deconstructing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Dr Vijay Vaishnav, MD

Do I have CFS?

If you’ve caught yourself cribbing about being perennially tired, can’t pin-point the reason and haven’t received a satisfactory solution from various doctors, it could be a case of CFS. This syndrome is usually triggered off either at the physical or psychological level, and then snowballs into a vicious circle. Check for the following physical and psychological symptoms:

*My body aches all the time 
* I just can’t sleep
*] I have been facing problems in my sex life
* I am losing interest in the job I once loved. It doesn’t satisfy me any more
* My productivity levels have dipped
*There’s way too much work to be done, and too little time 
* I don’t feel like heading to work. I’d rather call in sick
Many people who experience these symptoms carry on for years, without even realising that they must do something about it. If you’ve answered in the affirmative to most of the above, it’s time to get your blood sugar levels checked, and to go in for a blood test to check for muscle weakness.

So, what causes CFS?

There is no one particular cause that can be held culprit. Numerous subtle immunologic disturbances have been reported in patients with CFS.

However, these are not specific to this syndrome, nor do all patients have these symptoms. “Recent studies have documented abnormalities in endocrine function, which could contribute to a dip in energy levels, and a perennially bad mood.” Mild to moderate depression is evident in two-thirds of patients.

Therefore, some believe that CFS is a psychiatric disorder; the neuro-endocrine and immune disturbances arise as
secondary factors.

What’s the treatment procedure like?

On your GP’s advice, you could go in for a combination of homeopathic treatment or allopathy, and
counselling. “It is important that GPs be aware and alert.

Rather than consider just the physical symptoms, they must consider the patient as a whole,” advises Dr Vijay. That’s where homeopathy or holistic medicine scores, he believes.

Hidden worries, emotional issues, craving and aversion towards certain types of food — details that are
considered “irrelevant” by most allopaths, help a doctor know his/her patient better and even help hasten treatment.

It is important to reassure the patient that there is no need to worry, or feel incapacitated. In fact, patients of CFS who hold sedentary or desk-bound jobs can continue working; in extreme cases, quitting the job is recommended. It usually takes between a couple of months and a year to get cured of the condition.