Chronic fatigue - symptoms, causes, therapy, prevention, diet

Chronic fatigue in women and men

Doctors around the world have not yet given an exact definition of where chronic fatigue comes from and how it is formed. However, the main risk factors include:

• Chronic form of diseases. Long-term illness or its frequent recurrence leads to exhaustion of the body and overload of not only the physical, but also the nervous system.
• Various psychological disorders. Regular stress, depressive states, a feeling of fear or anxiety are strong damaging factors leading to this disease.
• Leaving an unhealthy lifestyle - lack of sleep, alcohol abuse, smoking, unhealthy diet, insufficient amount of oxygen or sunlight.
• Poor ecology.
• The presence of viruses in the body. According to many scientists, it is the presence of viral infections, in particular herpes, that can cause this disease.

Chronic fatigue: treatment and signs

According to the results of numerous studies, the chronic form of the disease can be distinguished from overfatigue by the persistent feeling of exhaustion even after a good rest. If with overfatigue a few hours are enough for a person to feel a surge of strength again, then with chronic fatigue this feeling does not occur.

The main signs of chronic fatigue:

• Sleep disturbance. Despite the fact that a person is exhausted mentally and physically, it is very difficult for him to fall asleep.
• Migraines. These are not passing, but only intensifying and weakening migraines, mostly pulsating.
• Mental activity failure. As a result of increasing chronic fatigue, the ability to mental activity is significantly reduced.
• Decreased performance. This disease can cause a person to have pain in the body, the cause of which is simply impossible to determine.
• Decreased immunity. People who have chronic fatigue very often suffer from relapses and serious diseases.

A person can be in this state for quite a long time. There are cases when people overcame their condition for six months.

Particular attention should be paid to psychological problems. People suffering from chronic fatigue are very often subject to panic attacks, depressive states, outbursts of aggression, unreasonable fears and anxieties. Very often, patients, without realizing the scale of the problem, try to break out of this state on their own. As a rule, they take the disease for simple fatigue.

Patients try to drown out their feelings with alcohol, cigarettes, thereby supposedly relieving the symptoms and stress. As a result, these measures will not only fail to solve the problem, but will also make it worse. In any case, you will have to contact specialists, only with even more serious ailments.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: specialists

Most patients suffering from this disease complain of a whole range of symptoms, so it is necessary to listen to the body in order to recognize the disease in time. It is especially worth paying attention to the fact that after sleep you feel exhausted and unrested. In the case when a person is sick for a long time, and all the vital forces of the body are spent on fighting various infections, chronic fatigue syndrome also appears.

If you have symptoms of this disease, you should contact a number of specialists:

• Psychologist. If you believe that this syndrome is caused by constant worries and stress, a psychologist will help you overcome these stresses and get you out of this state with the least amount of effort.
• Psychotherapist. In case of nervous tension.
• Endocrinologist. When a patient suffers from chronic or recurring endocrine diseases, he needs to contact this specialist with his problem.
• Immunologist. Frequent colds and viral diseases can seriously undermine the immune system. This causes even more serious consequences, which, in turn, provokes manifestations of chronic fatigue.
• Therapist. If you cannot determine the cause of such a condition, seek help from a therapist.

The main thing for a specialist is to distinguish this disease from other serious health problems, so the patient is required to describe in detail any manifestations of the disease and answer questions about their condition as reliably as possible.

A diagnosis is made only after an examination, examination and drawing up a general picture of the medical history.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: therapy

Getting rid of the disease involves a set of measures, including both relieving the main symptoms and fully restoring the body. The patient will have to help the doctor in everything. To begin with, it will be necessary to adjust your daily routine, diet and rest. The doctor will prescribe medication, which will need to be taken along with visiting physiotherapy procedures.

However, in some cases, medications may not be required. Everything depends on the degree of progression of the disease and the intensity of the symptoms. When prescribing treatment, a specialist takes into account age categories and concomitant diseases.

The most commonly used drugs include:

• Medicines that help strengthen the immune system. In this case, they help eliminate the problem of frequent acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections and other types of colds.
• Antidepressant drugs are prescribed if a person has frequent depressive disorders, prolonged stress, unreasonable fears, and anxieties. These drugs should never be used independently, without a specialist's prescription. Only a specialist can correctly select the dosage and the drug itself.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. As a rule, they are prescribed by a doctor in the event of unexplained pain in the body.
• Antiviral drugs. Necessary when a viral infection is detected.
• Vitamins. They are prescribed for general strengthening of the body and restoration of metabolism.

The course of treatment itself and its duration are prescribed only by the attending physician and depend on the severity of the disease and its duration.

Chronic fatigue syndrome cannot be defeated by medication alone, so doctors recommend physiotherapy. These include:

• Massage. This is a calm, relaxing massage that relieves tension, eliminates the feeling of aches and pains in the muscles.
• Laser. The procedure is considered quite new, but has already proven itself as an excellent means for restoring metabolism, enhancing regeneration, stimulating nerve endings.
• Acupuncture massage. An unusual, but no less effective way to treat the disease. By affecting certain points of the body, they stimulate the work of this or that organ.
• Water therapy. In this case, various showers are used, which have a relaxing effect on a person.
• LFK. Simply put, traditional exercises that cope with the disease perfectly.

Chronic fatigue syndrome: nutrition

During the treatment period, the patient must follow a diet. However, it is advisable to visit a nutritionist beforehand to avoid problems with the gastrointestinal tract. One of the manifestations of chronic fatigue is a complete lack of appetite or strong hunger pangs that force the patient to eat everything.

During therapy, the patient is recommended to eat:

• Proteins, lean meat, seafood, fish.
• Salted fish once a week.
• Honey and nuts in equal proportions.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables.

Even if you are not a fan of sweets, try to eat more chocolate or at least drink cocoa. Caramel and marmalade are not desirable as a substitute. You should completely give up alcohol and coffee drinks.

Chronic fatigue: prevention

As a rule, many are sure that chronic fatigue can be avoided if you strain less and relax more. However, doctors recommend other methods:

Never get hung up on diets. A deficiency in one of the products can cause much greater damage to the body than its presence.

• You need to eat a variety of foods, the menu should include all the vitamins and microelements.
• Regularly take vitamin complexes, especially during the off-season.
• Relax as much as possible after work, preferably without alcohol and noisy parties. A relaxing bath, a cup of tea with chamomile, lemon balm and lemon are great. Try not to take work home.
• Alternate mental and physical activity.
• Do sports.

If you feel that a bad mood does not leave you for a couple of days, then you should leave all urgent matters and just get out of the house for a walk. For example, go to the cinema, theater or just take a walk in the park.

Chronic fatigue syndrome cannot be cured by just sleeping; a comprehensive approach is needed to completely eliminate the symptoms and return to normal life.

Our clinic will help you identify the symptoms of the disease at an early stage to avoid its further development and progression. Remember that your health depends entirely on your psycho-emotional state and adequate rest. In the modern world, people cannot always independently identify chronic fatigue syndrome; real specialists work at the Korsakov Medical Center, who will make the correct diagnosis based on the most insignificant symptoms at first glance and select the appropriate treatment on an individual basis. Contact us, and we will definitely help you!