Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks its own body. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is caused by genetic mutations (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that impair the central nervous system’s ability to adapt to stressful situations, according to a summary released by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, USA.
This is a story of how one young woman survived CFS:
I survived chronic fatigue syndrome, how about you? Some people still don’t know what they wanted to be when they left school. I was going to be a fitness trainer. Already a fitness fanatic, I was riding 24km to and from school on top of morning runs or an hour of aerobics daily. I was finishing up a 24 hour cycling challenge, followed by a five-day easy hike. Halfway through the hike I could tell something was wrong, I knew the hike was relatively easy and well within my ability, but my limbs felt heavy and fatigued while my energy reserves were running low. When I got back home I just didn’t pick-up - an entire week went by just dragging myself around feeling lethargic and exhausted, I couldn’t focus properly even the effort of having a conversation was beyond me at times and I would often just cry with exhaustion. Visits to the local doctor were of no use. I remember that during one of my visits to him, I started to cry and in a stern voice he said: “just pull yourself together girl!”.
Many doctors and specialists down the track, I was finally diagnosed as having CFS. There was a relief in being able to put a name to what was wrong with me – I had a reason to feel this way. It was not all in my imagination. The road to recovery was made easier with family support. The key factor in my recovery was the mind, body and spirit relationship. Diet is far more important to health than I have ever realised.