I want to know if there is any conclusive proof that Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome has been cured medically, using either invasive or
non-invasive procedures? This includes any surgical procedure or
medications.
                                                         Thanks,
                                                         Unclebad

Thanks for the question.

I found a substantial amount of information on the syndrome from the
CDC website:

Center for Disease Control (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cfs/info.htm

"Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex
disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed
rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity."

The causes of CFS have not yet been identified and, as a result, there
is no complete cure for the disorder. Nonetheless there are a number
of treatments available.  These treatments have had limited success
according to the current research available.

From the CDC:
"A variety of therapeutic approaches have been described as benefiting
patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Since no cause for CFS
has been identified and the pathophysiology remains unknown, treatment
programs are directed at relief of symptoms, with the goal of the
patient regaining some level of pre-existing function and well-being.
Although desirable, a rapid return to pre-illness health may not be
realistic, and patients who expect this prompt recovery and do not
experience it may exacerbate their symptoms because of overexertion,
become frustrated, and may become more refractory to rehabilitation."

Therapy for CFS can be divided into two kinds: Non-Pharmacologic
Therapy and Pharmacologic Therapy.

Non-Pharmacological Therapy:

From CDC Website: "Non-pharmacologic therapies that have a passive
physical component sometimes used by CFS patients include massage
therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, cranial-sacral, massage,
self-hypnosis, and therapeutic touch. These modalities may contribute
to feeling better, but they are most effective when combined with
patient-generated activity, including aquatic therapy, light exercise
(adapted to personal capabilities), and stretching. Some patients may
tolerate activities such as yoga and tai chi that require more
energy."

Pharmacological Therapy:

There are a number of prescription medications that are used to treat
CFS.  They include:

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs - These are primarily used to
relieve pain in CFS patients.

Low-dose tricyclic antidepressants - from CDC: "Tricyclic agents may
be prescribed for CFS patients to improve sleep and to relieve mild,
generalized pain. Examples include doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan),
amitriptyline (Elavil, Etrafon, Limbitrol, Triavil), desipramine
(Norpramin), and nortriptyline (Pamelor). Effective dosages are often
much lower than those used to treat depression. Some adverse reactions
include dry mouth, drowsiness, weight gain, and elevated heart rate."

Stimulants - In some cases stimulants are prescribed. From CDC:
"Trials of a wakefulness agent, modofanil (Provigil), have been
completed, but the results have not yet been published. In a small
group of patients with excessive sleepiness, the drug decreased
symptoms compared with placebo. This drug is currently indicated only
with the diagnoses of narcolepsy and excess daytime sleepiness when
identified by the proper sleep studies."

In addition there are some experimental drugs and treaments. Some of
these include:

Ampligen - from CDC: "a synthetic nucleic acid product that was
designed to stimulate the production of interferons, a family of
immune response modifiers that are also known to have antiviral
activity."

Neurosurgery - from CDC: "Unpublished reports of malformations at the
base of the skull (Chiari malformations) as being causative of CFS
have been circulated, and surgical intervention has been suggested in
some of those unsubstantiated reports. Surgical intervention is not
recommended at this time."

Dietary Supplements and Herbal Preparations - from CDC: "Preparations
that have been claimed to have benefit for CFS patients include
adenosine monophosphate, coenzyme Q-10, germanium, glutathione, iron,
magnesium sulfate, melatonin, NADH, selenium, l-tryptophan, vitamins
B12, C, and A, and zinc. An early CFS study found reduced red blood
cell magnesium sulfate in CFS patients, but two subsequent studies
have found no difference between patients and healthy controls. The
therapeutic value of all these preparations for CFS has not been
validated."

Herbal Preparations - from CDC "Herbal preparations: Plants are known
sources of many pharmacological materials. However, unrefined plant
preparations contain variable levels of the active compound and may
contain many irrelevant, potentially harmful substances. Preparations
that have been claimed to have benefit to CFS patients include
astralagus, borage seed oil, bromelain, comfrey, echinacea, garlic,
Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, primrose oil, quercetin, St. John's wort, and
Shiitake mushroom extract. Only primrose oil was evaluated in a
controlled study, and the beneficial effects noted in CFS patients
have not been independently confirmed. Some herbal preparations,
notably comfrey and high-dose ginseng, have recognized harmful
effects."

Another valuable resource on CFS can be found at:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcix.htm

This site contains a downloadable document with data from various
clinical studies that have been performed in efforts to find a
treatment for CFS.

A summary of those findings can be found at:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/cfssum.htm

Here is an excerpt from that site: "Prospective natural history
studies have varied findings. Precise estimates of recovery,
improvement, and/or relapse are not possible because there are few
natural history studies and those that are available have involved
selected referral populations or have used varying case definitions
and followup methods. Rates of self-reported global improvement in
symptoms at 12 to 18 months range from 11 percent to 64 percent. Rates
of self-reported worsening of symptoms at 12 to 18 months range from
15 percent to 20 percent. Investigators from one study estimate that
the cumulative probability of recovery from CFS at 5 years is
approximately 30 percent."

Other Links on CFS:
The American Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (AACFS)
http://www.aacfs.org/html/educmatertoc.htm

CFS News
http://www.cfs-news.org/

Medline Plus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/chronicfatiguesyndrome.html

Search Strategy
"chronic fatigue syndrome" treatment
cfs treatment
"chronic fatigue syndrome" cure

Good luck with your search!

-blinkwilliams-ga

unclebad,

Never mind conclusive proof that a cure for CFS exists: for a long
time now, the medical community has struggled to find conclusive proof
that CFS itself really exists. The general consensus these days is
that it does: however, the symptoms, and the treatments that alleviate
symptoms, vary so widely from one individual to the next, that the
medical community has not really been able to pin CFS down.

A correlation has been theorized between people suffering from CFS and
the presence of Epstein-Barr virus in their bloodstream. However,
Epstein-Barr is one of the main causes of mono (infectious
mononucleosis), and once the virus invades a person's body, it rarely
goes away. The person just develops an effective anti-body immune
response, and the virus is for most purposes harmless after that
(except in cases of immune-compromised individuals like those who have
AIDS or are taking immuno-suppressive drugs, say, to avoid rejecting a
transplant). Some people get the virus but don't realize it because
they never get sick from it. By the time most people become adults,
it's pretty likely they have EBV in their systems -- and will have it,
unnoticed, the rest of their lives.

But not all the people with EBV have CFS symptoms, so there is a great
deal of controversy as to whether the apparent correlation between EBV
and CFS actually exists.

To quote WebMD's CFS page,
"People used to believe that chronic fatigue syndrome was just a
symptom of depression and that the symptoms were "all in your head."
Most experts now agree that chronic fatigue syndrome is a distinct
physical disease with physical symptoms. Although poorly understood,
CFS is quite real and can be disabling for many people who have it.

However, most people who have chronic fatigue do not have the
[emphasis mine] DISEASE Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There are many
health problems that can cause fatigue. CFS can be diagnosed only
after a thorough evaluation has ruled out other possible causes of
chronic fatigue. Unfortunately, there are no laboratory or X-ray tests
that can diagnose CFS."
http://my.webmd.com/encyclopedia/article/4115.16775

In other words, once "hypothyroidism, sleep apnea and narcolepsy,
major depressive disorders, chronic mononucleosis, bipolar affective
disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, cancer, autoimmune
disease, hormonal disorders*, subacute infections, obesity, alcohol or
substance abuse, and reactions to prescribed medications" have all
been ruled out, any individuals suffering the symptoms of those
diseases basically get lumped under the category "Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome", which I jokingly call Medicalese for "We Don't Know What's
Causing You To Feel Like This, and We Don't Know How To Fix It".
(symptoms quoted from blinkwilliam's CDC CFS page at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cfs/info.htm )

This is NOT to say CFS sufferers are imagining their symptoms. They
aren't. But the medical community is unable as of yet to tell us
whether these people, despite variations of symptoms, all have the
same disease, or whether there are several different other causes of
these symptoms that medical science has as yet been unable to
identify.

So... before someone attempts to get treatment for CFS, or attempts to
treat themself for CFS, it is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that they see a
physician first and get all of the known conditions I listed
previously eliminated first. Not only will it will save them a lot of
time and misery if they are able to alleviate their symptoms by
identifying and treating a known cause up front, instead of chasing
the elusive wraith that is CFS, but it will prevent delay in treating 
a possibly serious disease for which diagnostic tests and treatments
ARE known.

Once all known diseases have been eliminated as the cause, a patient
can then --WITH A PHYSICIAN'S GUIDANCE -- pursue other possible
treatment methods. The patient should be very wary of trying to treat
their condition on their own without such guidance, because
homeopathic / natural / herbal remedies can often cause serious
complications when combined with existing medical conditions or
prescription medications. For instance, soy products contain REAL
estrogen. Some body-building supplements actually contain
naturally-occurring steroids, which are just as dangerous as
prescription steroids. St. John's Wort can cause dangerous seizures in
someone who is already taking Wellbutrin, Zyban, or other medications.

All of this is a lot to think about. But the CFS sufferer who makes
the time and effort to get thoroughly educated, and who coordinates
their efforts with those of their physician, may eventually be able to
achieve partial or even full relief from their condition.

I hope this information is of assistance to you.

I strongly suggest you type these words into the Google Web search
engine: amalgam and "chronic fatigue syndrome".

You will find a wealth of information about how mercury poisoning from
amalgam dental fillings relates to the constellation of symptoms
associated with CFS.  Please don't assume this is phoney science just
because the American Dental Association denies a link.  You will find
many peer reviewed studies conclusively showing that amalgam fillings
do cause the symptoms of CFS.

In brief, amalgams are 50% mercury.  Mercury is one of the most
poisonous substances known to man.  Dentists are required to treat
amalgam as toxic waste.  No one denies that some mercury leaks from
fillings into the body.  No one denies that mercury causes symptoms
similar to those of CFS (and fibromyalgia and MS, by the way). The
argument is whether there is enough mercury leaking from fillings to
cause illness. The studies you will read will prove that indeed their
is, especially in people particularly sensitive to mercury.

Mercury binds with living cells.  The immune system interprets these
cells as foreign and attacks them. Depending on which cells undergo
attack, different symptoms develop.

I speak from personal experience.  My wife had symptoms that a
neurologist diagnosed as either CFS or fibromyalgia.  We had her 13
fillings replaced with composite.  Her symptoms all disappeared within
60 days (about the half life of mercury in the body).  Your Google
inquiry will lead you to hundreds of similar cases.

I'm not saying that every case of CFS is caused by amalgams.  I am
saying that if you have amalgams in your mouth, get them out.  You
need to find a mercury-free dentist.  If you can't afford it, take a
nice vacation to Costa Rica where there are excellent dentists who
charge 1/10th the price of the stateside ones.

You should check out iformation on Celiacs disease.
I thought I had chronic fatigue.  I would get overwhelming exhaustion
throughout the day no matter how much I had slept the night before.  I
started reading about Celiacs disease and gluten intolerance.  The
more I read, the more I could relate.  I've found out that when I eat
food w/ wheat gluten in it or dairy(casein) the overwhelming fatigue
sets in after it.  If I avoid gluten and casein I can avoid the
overwhelming fatigue.  I believe that anyone who believes they have
chronic fatigue should read up on Celiacs disease and Leaky Gut.