Acupuncture and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Did you know that acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can successfully treat and reverse many of the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? If you’re suffering with this condition we want you to know their is help. We have had much success with patients at our Boca Raton clinic. Before we dive into the acupuncture component let’s take a look at this causes, types and treatments of this condition.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Causes, Types and Treatment
Chronic fatigue syndrome is widely believed to be an autoimmune disorder that is distinguished by severe fatigue and or tiredness over six months that does not improve with rest. The fatigue may worsen with mental or physical activity. CFS is also referred to as systemic exertion disease (SEID) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
Causes and Symptoms
The causes of the disorder are still unknown but factors such as psychological stress and viral infections are among those suspected to cause the disease. It could also be a combination of factors because there is no single issue that has been found to be the cause. Diagnosis is therefore done based on the patients signs and symptoms after blood tests for other disorders with similar symptoms test negative.
CFS affects the patient’s daily activities as they are unable to continue doing some of the things they used to do on a daily basis before. The quality of life of a person affected by the disorder deteriorates. Apart from the extreme fatigue, which is the main symptom of the disease, patients also experience:
- cognitive problems such as low concentration levels, clumsiness, impaired vision and muscle tingling or twitching
- a dip in blood pressure that brings about dizziness
- urinary complications
- tender lymph nodes, sore throat and a flu-like sensation
- incapability to cope with changing temperatures
- nausea, constipation, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems
- shortness of breath with physical exertion and a rise in heart rate at the slightest activity, even standing.
Types of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
It has been suggested before that not all cases of chronic fatigue syndrome are similar. Geneticists have found that as a matter of fact there are 7 sub-types of the disorder. The research showed that some patients have abnormalities of the hormonal or immune system that others do not. The research showed that 7 different types of the condition could be identified based on the symptoms of different patients.
Type 1 – is characterized by poor sleep, anxiety, depression and high level of pain.
Type 2 – joint and muscle pains as well as extreme post-exertion exhaustion.
Type 3 – a mild form of the condition identified as the most docile form.
Type 4 – average amount of body pains coupled with sleep problems.
Type 5 – most relentless form of muscle weakness and prevalent gut problems
Type 6 – characterized by an inordinate amount of fatigue.
Type 7 – most extreme form of the condition with high intensity of pain with headaches and swollen glands
The most common types among these were found to be type 4 and 6.
How to treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Different kinds of pain are treated using different methods. Each case of the condition is treated according to the symptoms exhibited by different patients. Although no known cure has been developed the symptoms can be reduced remarkably when treatment is addressed to each complication specifically.
Acupuncture and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – the Research
A lot of research has gone into investigating the possibility of treating CFS with acupuncture and Chinese medicine. The results have been encouraging taking the Wang (2008), Guo (2007) and Huang (2008) observational results into consideration.
Acupuncture is used for successful pain relief for many medical conditions. It involves a wide range of techniques that vary with the practitioner and their training. Acupuncturists using the TCM method (like us at Boca Raton Acupuncture) to treat chronic fatigue have found that patients affected with this condition usually have insufficient qi quantity and flow in their meridians. Qi is the vital energy that flows through the body. Using acupuncture the qi levels can be balanced, thereby alleviating the symptoms of CFS on patients.
I know that may sound a little complicated and foreign but utilizing our method of acupuncture we have successfully treated many conditions of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Moxibustion targets the fatigue
Moxibustion is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine that involves burning mugwort (a Chinese herb) while stimulating certain acupuncture points on the body. The dried mugwort herb is rolled much like a cigar and lit. The mugwort stick is then passed over certain points of the body allowing the heat to gently stimulate the skin. This particular kind of treatment has shown significant results in relieving pain among those affected by chronic fatigue syndrome. The treatment also contributes to a significant rise in energy levels which restores the patient’s ability to carry out their daily activities.
Although research as well as practical applications have both shown positive results, the therapy begins to take full effect after a two or three treatments. We are confident that we can help you reverse the symptoms of your chronic fatigue syndrome. We have helped so many and we want to help you too. Call us today and schedule a free consultation and we’ll show you how!
