Post Viral Fatigue / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a deeply debilitating condition characterized by systemic overload. It often traces back to a series of physical strains that the body has been unable to recover from, leading to a state of overload and toxicity. This state exhausts and overwhelms energy production pathways, the immune system, and elimination systems. The resulting exhaustion and pain stem from a breakdown across multiple systems, which then further exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction, immune weakness, pathogen proliferation, accumulation of toxins, and additional damage to system physiology.

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Effective holistic treatment for this condition requires patience as it gradually addresses these underlying issues, tailored to the individual's capacity for change and recovery.

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The typical history of a person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalitis (ME), or Fibromyalgia often involves at least one, and frequently many, instances of infection or poisoning. These experiences tend to compound the debility over time. In my years of supporting people through this experience, I have found that patients commonly present with two or three of the following factors:

• Insect bites such as spider, tick, mosquito, bed bug, or others leading to unknown skin rashes

• Strep throat

• Skin rashes due to Staphylococcus or Parvovirus

• Vaccination for the flu, HPV, or other pathogens

• Glandular Fever caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) or Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

• Severe gastrointestinal experiences or "stomach flu"

• Infection experiences such as influenza, whooping cough, or pneumonia

• Major life stressors involving grief, stress, and overwhelming negative emotional experiences

 

Ultimately, the body endures a number of hits, typically immune-derived, from the presence of multiple pathogens that have the ability to enter a 'stealth' state.

 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalitis, and Fibromyalgia are typically diagnosed by a process of elimination. They require a unique understanding to treat. When individuals are extremely debilitated, standard treatment with herbs and medicinal substances may not be processed or tolerated due to multi-system shutdown. In these cases, I utilize a medical device from Germany to support patients. Often, this is the only thing that can support the recovery of pathways that have ceased to function properly.

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Long COVID 

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Long COVID is another chronic pathogenic expression that can go into the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Post-viral syndrome  category. 

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Also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), is a condition that encompasses a broad range of physical and mental health problems that persist or develop after the acute phase of a COVID-19 infection.

 

Symptoms can include fatigue, difficulty thinking or concentrating ("brain fog"), shortness of breath, chest pain, joint pain, depression, and anxiety, among others.

 

The severity and duration of symptoms can vary widely among individuals, with some people experiencing symptoms for weeks or months after initial recovery from the acute phase of the infection. The exact cause of long COVID is still under study, but it is thought to possibly be due to the virus causing lasting damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys, or brain, or due to a lingering immune response.

 

The great thing about Naturopathy and Holistic  Therapies is that we work on the body's underlying capacity to heal itself, building up resources and resiliency so self-healing capacity is maximised. This is important regardless of the name of the disease. Health is the foundation stone.

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Other Stealth Pathogens, Chronic Infections and Co-Infections

 

Stealth pathogens—bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes—have the capacity to evade the immune system, existing 'under the radar' within the body. These pathogens can hide within biofilm structures, thereby evading detection while simultaneously releasing toxins and absorbing essential nutrients. This low-grade infestation is often at the core of various chronic health conditions, and detection through conventional medical testing can be challenging.

Frequently, a specific event in a person's life, such as glandular fever during high school, a vaccination, gastroenteritis, or a severe flu, triggers the onset of this condition. This may lead to a state of debilitating fatigue, which gradually intensifies over the years until a diagnosis of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or another disease is made. In some cases, an infection resulting from an insect bite that the individual may not even recall can be the root cause. Moreover, pathogens can be transmitted through airborne contact or absorbed through contact with fluids, making it difficult to identify the true cause of the illness.

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Additionally, the bioaccumulation of toxins, metabolic wastes, and environmental factors can lead to health deterioration. With a significant proportion of our food contaminated with pesticides, genetically modified, and grown in depleted soils, chronic nutritional depletion can weaken energy levels. Despite maintaining a diet rich in vegetables and proteins, the impact of agricultural chemicals, soil depletion, cold storage, and processing can be underestimated.

When the body's internal environment becomes conducive to infection, it creates an ideal setting for microbes to thrive. Pathogens have clever strategies for settling in, such as molecular mimicry, gene transcription alterations, and the formation of protective biofilms.

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Understanding chronic fatigue can be perplexing due to its elusive causes, making it hard to find effective support and treatment. Deducing the cause of a chronic illness can be difficult, often leading patients to question their sanity as they search for answers. The primary goal of naturopathic treatment is to restore a healthy milieu, creating an internal environment that is inhospitable to pathogens.

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Interestingly, not all individuals develop chronic conditions or illnesses following pathogen infection. The difference between those who are easily overwhelmed by toxins and those who are not often comes down to the integrity of their gene pathways and the strength of their eliminative systems.

 

Overcoming a chronic condition physiologically is multifactorial, with factors such as constitutional strength, health at the time of infection, length of time before treatment is sought, emotional state, energy levels, liver function, microbiome health, nutritional status, and various potential genetic predispositions coming into play.

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The contributing factors to chronic fatigue and chronic illness are individualized, differing with each case. Therefore, a holistic health review is a crucial first step in identifying the path towards regaining health.

Conditions potentially associated with a 'stealth pathogen' profile include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Lyme-like illness, chronic illnesses, Autoimmune Diseases, among others.

 

Some examples of stealth pathogens include: Bartonella, Babesia, Parvovirus, Mycoplasma, Helicobacter pylori, Epstein-Barr Virus and others.

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Epstein-Barr Virus

Epstein-Barr virus, frequently referred to as EBV, is a member of the herpes virus family and one of the most common human viruses. The virus occurs worldwide, and up to 95% of adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected with it. Infants become susceptible to EBV as soon as maternal antibody protection (present at birth) disappears. Many children become infected with EBV, although usually have no symptoms or are indistinguishable from other mild, brief illnesses of childhood. However when EBV infection occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, it causes the more serious infectious mononucleosis, or glandular fever, in 35% to 50% of cases. Mononucleosis is characterised by swollen glands, fever, and commonly spleen enlargement, and profound fatigue that may continue for months or longer. 

 

Herpes &  Wart Viruses

These viruses never go away but live forever in the body, showing up when the environment favours a spawning cycle. They are inflammatory, give off metabolic toxins and wastes and are highly detrimental to health. Ironically, it is health that keeps them in hibernation.

 

Candida Overgrowth

Candida is a type of yeast that lives naturally in the body, and is kept under control by strong commensal populations of beneficial flora and immune balance. Candida is said to be responsible for breaking down the body when we die. For candida to grow out of control, the body's immune defences are out of control. Prolonged antibiotic intake both through medication use and in the food chain (eg: farmed meat), damaging the body's microbiome, which is meant to protect us from these overgrowth.  Hormone imbalances, high sugar, high carbohydrate diets and other issues can encourage overgrowth. It is really a sign that the body is providing a suitable environment for it's overgrowth, and that is something we want to change. 

 

Borrelia burgdorferi is the microbial organism most commonly associated with Lyme disease, however other strains and species can cause also cause debilitating issues. Borelia, Bartonella, Babesia, Ricketsia and a range of other blood-bourne pathogens can wreak havok on a person's life, particularly if they don't know what they have.

 

In the acute stage of infection, Borellia for instance, causes immense fatigue, fever, sweats, rashes, swollen and sore glands, headaches, inflammation, joint pain and other flu like symptoms. Once such an infection moves deep into the body, it changes it's form and can penetrate into many of the body's deep systems - the nervous system, brain, liver, blood, becoming chronic and virtually impossible to find on a pathology test. Some people just bypass the acute symptomatic stage, or write it off as the flu, only to find themselves plunged into the chronic phase and unable to work out what is going on.  

 

People can present with a wide range of strange symptoms that may not be associated with a stealth infection. They may be misdiagnosed a host of times before the real issue is identified.

 

Common symptoms of stealth infection, depending on the pathogen and process in the body, can include severe and debilitating exhaustion, lack of stamina and resilience, sleep disturbances, body pain, numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, coldness, flushes of heat, night sweats, delirium, dysfunctional memory, inability to think, muscle and bone pain, stiffness painful feed, and a range of symptoms that can mimic a range of auto-immune diseases. 

 

Many patients suffer with severe and often debilitating symptoms that greatly impair their quality of life. Acute Lyme disease, and its associated flu-like symptoms, usually responds well to short-term antibiotic treatment. However, up to 60% of Lyme patients develop a range of chronic nonspecific symptoms including chronic fatigue, muscle and/or joint pain, neuropathies, and cognitive dysfunction, known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).

 

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) :

A complex, multi-system, neuroimmune condition with a multitude of symptoms related to the dysfunction of:

• The brain

• Gastro-intestinal system

• Immune system

• Endocrine and cardiac systems

ME/CFS can range from mild to severe and can cause profound disability in those affected. In the young, for example social and school, higher education life can be severely impacted. In those of working age, many are unable to stay in employment due to their illness. Social and family life can become drastically restricted and sometimes very strained. Many lose contact with pre-illness friends and non-supportive family members. For those at the severe end in terms of symptoms, they can remain housebound or bedbound for months or years. (Source: http://emerge.org.au)

 

Dealing with Stealth Pathogens

Western medicine can do little to help people with this condition, but Naturopathic Medicine together with Bioresonance Therapy, can help a great deal, supporting the body through each stage of recovering cellular and immune function, helping the body to repair and restore itself. 

 

Stealth infections can affect multiple body systems and it is common for symptoms to 'move'. For example joint pain may be the predominant symptom, then it changes to nerve pain (neuralgia) and fatigue, then extreme irritability, insomnia, anxiety and/or depression. Hence, treatment strategies need to have a multipronged approach and are chosen based on the individual and their symptoms. Core strategies utilise dietary modification, herbal medicines, nutrients and lifestyle changes.

 

*This information is not intended to replace medical advice.