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Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are ill defined groups of symptoms that have become a catch-all diagnosis by many health care practitioners. Fatigue itself is usually self limiting and not recurrent. The diagnosis of CFS, however, is characterized by "severe, prolonged exhaustion" which must be present for at least 6 months with "no obvious basis for the origin".. In the case of fibromyalgia, pain is included in the symptoms. The follow is a list of symptoms that have been associated with the diagnosis:
The difficulty in treating this disease for many health care practitioners is due largely to the number of systems and organs that can be involved in its cause. The following conditions are some of the more common physiological imbalances that can lead to CFS and FM:
These two conditions have only recently been recognized by the medical
profession as actual medical conditions whereas before the problems were always
in the patient's head. Some doctors, however, still refuse to recognize
the existence of these conditions. While these diagnoses have become more
and more common over the past few years, these are not new conditions. Observe
a statement by the famed endocrinologist Henry R. Harrower, M.D. from his 1922
publication "Practical Organotherapy":
Patients diagnosed with these syndromes consistently suffer from structural, chemical, and emotional imbalances within their bodies. The task for the doctor treating these patients is to find the imbalances that are present and know how to correct them. The Institute of Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy utilizes the latest technology through computerized health analysis in locating these imbalances and returning the patient to a state of balance, health, or homeostasis. The following are some of the more common imbalances contributing to CFS and FM.
Myofascial Restrictions of the Organs - Myofascial means muscle and connective tissue. Your fascia is what holds your skin onto your body, binds muscles together, and supports the organs in position. It is one big connected piece of tissue and should be freely moveable. If any restrictions occur in this fascia, the organs and tissues supported by the restricted fascia also become restricted and are unable to function properly. If the restrictions persist the organs become irritated and inflamed, leading in turn to dysfunction and a loss of health. Ileocecal Valve Dysfunction - This is the valve that regulates the flow of food between the small and large intestines. The small intestine absorb all of the good nutrients out of your food while the large intestine absorbs any water and leftover minerals while further breaking down any leftover garbage for excretion. If this valve does not function properly many problems can occur due to the improper exchange of food between the small and large intestines leading to the absorption of toxins into the system. The most common imbalance is for the valve to become "stuck" opened, but it can become "stuck" closed and if the problem is bad enough the symptoms can mimic appendicitis. appendicitis. The Kreb Cycle - This is the main energy producing process of the body. It is utilized by every cell in the body and is a complex process of reactions and chemical conversions which produce energy for the cell to function. Because of its complexity, there are many places for a "wrench" to be thrown into the cycle interfering with the body's ability to produce needed energy. The result is CFS/FM., Any chemical imbalance in the body is "a wrench" in the Kreb Cycle. Simply put, a large component of CFS/FM is "crud in the blood". Sulfur Paradox - Sulfur is utilized by every cell and tissue of the body in order to function properly. However, there is good sulfur that the body can use and there is bad sulfur that is unusable by the body. When this bad sulfur gets in the body, it replaces good sulfur binding sulfur receptor sites on cell membranes, clogging physiological pathways and processes, and inhibiting the body's ability to perform many of its functions. Because of the damage that occurs, the body goes into survival mode and rejects all sulfur taken in, good or bad. There are four common sources of bad sulfur: 1. Pharmaceutical drugs, prescriptions, OTC drugs, antibiotics, etc. 2. Air, soil, and water pollution. 3. Preservatives, cosmetics, chemicals, cleaners, etc. 4. Poor quality nutritional products. Chronic Viral or Bacterial Infections - Two specific viruses have been tagged as causes of CFS/FM; Epstein-Barr virus and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). However, any virus or bacteria can have the same effect. When the body is infected its natural response is to fight off the infection and return to normal. If the infection is not completely destroyed by the immune system, then it becomes chronic, hiding and living in different tissues throughout the body, draining vital energy and waiting for an opportunity to flair into symptoms. Other Chronic Infections: parasites and fungus - Once parasites take hold, the body may have difficulty expelling them. They begin feeding off the body's fuel and energy sources and in return excrete toxic waste products into the system increasing the stress on the body. Fungus/yeast/mold overgrowth (i.e. Candida albicans) can upset the floral balance of the digestive tract. Like parasites, fungus feeds on the body's own fuel sources and excretes toxins into the system.. Also, by upsetting the flora of the GI tract, many of the friendly bacteria that assist in digestion are not present in large enough numbers to accomplish their jobs. Subsequently, food is not digested properly. Toxicities: heavy metal, chemical, radiation - The body is exposed to numerous chemicals, poisons, and pollution on a daily basis. It has a tremendous ability to adapt and survive in the presence of these toxins. However, as these toxins collect, the ability to survive slowly decreases until "the straw that breaks the camel's back" leads to disease and poor health. The organs responsible for detoxification are the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, colon, lungs, and skin. A few causes of toxin collection in the body may include dysfunction of these organs, a lack of nutrition for proper function of these organs, or exposure to high levels of toxins. Nutritionally Deficient Supplements and Diets - The refining of foods for increased shelf life removes the nutrients necessary to sustain life. In an effort to replace the vitamins, foods are enriched with synthetic vitamins. Recent research, however, is beginning to realize that these synthetic forms of vitamins are more damaging to the body than having no vitamins at all. Naturally occurring vitamins cannot be patented, hence very little money making ability. Pharmaceutical companies try to isolate what a vitamin is chemically and reproduce it synthetically. These synthetic vitamins can be patented. What's missing? All of the enzymes, cofactors, phytochemicals, and synergistic substances that occur in nature making the vitamin potent. Synthetic is never a replacement for natural.
Neuropeptides are small chains of amino acids that are secreted by the brain. The portion of the brain responsible for emotions and feelings is called the Limbic System. It is located in the center of the brain and its two main sources of output or expression are the endocrine system (hormones) and the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response). When an event, trauma, or situation occurs, the emotions or feelings for that experience are released from the brain/limbic system in the form of neuropeptides, which travel throughout the entire body. Every cell in the body has thousands of receptor sites for these neuropeptide chemicals and when stimulated a physiological response occurs for that emotion. Anyone afraid of public speaking that has had "butterflies in their stomach" during a speech has experienced one of these physiological responses. Research has shown that when an individual remembers a traumatic or emotional event the body replicates the same physiological response that occurred at the time of the event even if it was 20 years ago. Normally, when an emotion or feeling occurs, the body has a physical response due to the neuropeptides. The emotion or feeling is then expressed and the neuropeptides are broken down. However, if something interferes with the breakdown of these neuropeptides or the emotional irritant continues, the physical response may continue stimulating cells and tissues for years, slowly leading to chronic health conditions.
At The Institute if Chiropractic & Acupuncture Therapy, we perform a comprehensive computer health analysis called Electro Dermal Testing (EDT). This analysis allows us to find the areas of the body that are out of balance and what it will take to put them into balance regardless of whether the imbalances are structural, chemical, or emotional. In caring for a patient in our clinic, the following modalities are utilized:
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