What are the treatment options for someone suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis CFS/ME? Part of the answer probably lies with the doctor that gave the diagnosis or whether a medical diagnosis has been made at all. (Most sufferers still struggle to get their condition recognised by their GP and travel from doctor to doctor in an effort to get a proper diagnosis.)

If you are lucky enough to get a sympathetic doctor and a positive diagnosis, you can start with treatment. But where do you begin? CFS/ME is after all a multi-level illness…

It is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Awareness Month. CFS/ ME is now recognised by the Department of Health as a real, long-term disease and is a condition that causes extreme physical and mental fatigue that seriously interferes and disrupts the lives of sufferers. It makes sufferers less able to cope with levels of activity in their work, school or social life that were previously normal for them. CFS/ME isn’t the result of over-exercising. Even normal physical activity may make sufferers feel very tired.

The debate about the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) continues to grow: are the symptoms a physical manifestation of a problem in the brain such as a chemical imbalance; is sustained stress or exertion to blame; or is CFS/ME the result of abnormal physiological functioning, with an organic cause, such as a viral or bacterial infection, or exposure to a toxic agent?

Yet there still is no clarity, which leaves many CFS/ME sufferers pulling their hair with frustration. Adding to their frustration is the fact that there have been no specific diagnostic tests that can help diagnosis of CFS/ME. As we know, diagnosis is crucial to determine treatment.