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Dr. Chelsea Gronick, Naturopathic Doctor in Kelowna, BC

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Or Lyme Disease? Part 2

Continuing our discussion on the two “Great Imitator” conditions, Lyme Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia, lets go further. Dr Teitelbaum believes that most people with pain and/or CFS/fibromyalgia can reclaim their vitality and live pain free. If you are tired, achy, have brain fog and insomnia, we need to think more about CFS/fibromyalgia and less about Lyme Disease. If you have the symptoms of Lyme Disease or were diagnosed but you also can’t sleep despite being exhausted, you likely have fibromyalgia secondary to Lyme Disease.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia Symptoms

CFS/fibromyalgia is a condition thought to be due to an energy crisis brought on by some stressful triggering event.

Many of these symptoms overlap with Lyme Disease and mold toxicity. This is because Lyme Disease is one of the numerous triggers for CFS/Fibromyalgia. Several other types of bacterial, viral, and fungal infection can trigger a phenomenon known as post-infectious CFS/fibromyalgia.

Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia

CFS/Fibromyalgia is a body wide energy crisis that suppresses your hypothalamus and is triggered by several caueses.

The hypothalamus is responsible for controlling sleep, hormonal balance, temperature, and autonomic function (ie. blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, bowel function, etc.) It acts like a circuit breaker to protect all the other organ systems from injury. When a stressful triggering event occurs, the hypothalamus goes off line as a protective mechanism, which results in the typical symptoms we see in CFS/fibromyalgia.

Why Does the Hypothalamus Go Off-line?

Often, the symptoms of CFS/fibromyalgia can come on suddenly, or they can be a more gradual insidious onset that slowly progress over years.

If the onset is sudden, consider

If the onset is gradual, consider

To get the hypothalamus back online and make the fatigue and pain go away, 5 main areas needed to be addressed.

Think SHINE

Research has shown that 91% of CFS/Fibromyalgia patients will get better by following the SHINE protocol.

When to Add Antibiotics to the SHINE Protocol

Antibiotics can be added for up to 6 weeks in those who have symptoms of a bacterial infection (other than Lyme Disease)

Key Nutrients for Energy Revitalization

Dietary and Lifestyle Considerations

Recovering from CFS/Fibromyalgia requires a complete lifestyle overhaul.

Sleep Support

Many CFS/Fibromyalgia patients have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting enough deep sleep. These recommendations can help the body to relax and move through all the sleep stages properly so you wake feeling revitalized and refreshed.

Hormonal Support

The main hormones we consider in patients with CFS/Fibromyalgia include thyroid, cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, because these hormones are all controlled by the hypothalamus. Even mild hormonal imbalances can be associated with many health problems, leaving you feeling tired, brain fogged, and in pain. The best way to address hormonal deficiencies is with bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

Weight Gain

The average weight gain in CFS/fibromyalgia patients is 32 lbs. You can help to promote weight loss by:

Natural Support for Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue is common and not yet recognized in conventional medicine. Symptoms of low adrenal function include:

There are several natural options for adrenal support, including:

Chronic Infections

The most important infection to address first in yeast/fungal/candida overgrowth. This should be suspected in all CFS/Fibromyalgia patients and treatments include probiotics, low sugar diet, natural antifungals, or Diflucan (200 mg per day for 6 – 12 weeks). You should also be aware of other infections such as Lyme Disease, parasites, viral infections such as EBV, CMV, HHV-6, and other infections such as mycoplasma, bartonella, babesia, and chlamydia pneumonia. Zinc and medicinal mushrooms are highly beneficial for supporting immune function and clearing these infections.

When Lyme is being treated just with antibiotics, often patients will feel better initially, but then Candida overgrowth sets in and patients will feel worse. You still need a treatment like the SHINE protocol to complement antibiotic therapy and to get the hypothalamus back online.

Mind Body Connection

All illnesses have a psychodynamic connection. In CFS/Fibromyalgia, underlying issues often involve:

Complementary and Alternative Interventions That Are Helpful

Treating Pain – A Pain Relief Miracle!

Use the SHINE protocol to treat the cause of the pain, and use this for acute relief.