Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia #1

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Q & A with Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. on

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia #1

 

 

Dr Jacob Teitelbaum MD

 

 

 

 

The following column is the first of a series of questions and answers that

will discuss chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS). They will

review what these illnesses are, what causes them, what they feel like, testing,

and how to get well. By the end of the series, despite the answers being kept

fairly simple and straightforward, you'll be one of the world's experts on

understanding CFS/FMS -- and how to make it go away!

Q: What are chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia?

A: A syndrome is a group of symptoms that commonly occur together and

characterize a specific disease process. In CFS/fibromyalgia, these symptoms

include fatigue; diffuse achiness (if fibromyalgia is present), poor sleep,

brain fog, increased thirst, weight gain, bowel disorders, poor libido, and

frequent infections. These are but a few of the more common symptoms! There are

many more, and these will be discussed in an upcoming question. One does not

need to have all of the above symptoms to have CFS/fibromyalgia. Even three or

four of these, in the absence of another known cause, are adequate.

Q: How can multiple different triggers cause the same syndrome?

A: If there are number of problems that can cause a malfunction in the same part

of the body, these can all cause similar syndromes. This is a case in

CFS/fibromyalgia. As I'll discuss later, there are many things that can trigger

this process. Once the process is set in motion however, it becomes

self-sustaining. In CFS/fibromyalgia, the problems trigger a cascade effect

where, like a stack of dominoes that gets pushed over, one problems triggers the

next, which triggers the next and so on. To get well, one needs to see which

systems have been affected in any given individual, and look to see if the

initial trigger is still active. Then these all need to be treated

simultaneously. To date, we have found over 50 common problems that cause the

persistence of these syndromes. The average person with CFS/FMS has five to

seven of these processes. The good news is that almost all these processes can

be effectively treated. To get well, however, it is (as I noted above) important

to treat

them all simultaneously. Determining which ones are active in any given

individual however, is a complex process. In my office, it takes an average of

four to seven hours of my undivided time and attention and an extensive series

of lab tests for a new patient visit -- and that's despite my having effectively

treated over 2000 patients with these syndromes!

Despite the many triggers that can cause these syndromes, most patients seem to

have dysfunction or suppression of a master gland in the brain called the

hypothalamus. This gland controls sleep, your hormonal system, temperature

regulation, and the autonomic nervous system (e.g. -- blood pressure, blood

flow, and movement of food through your bowel). This is why you can’t sleep, you

have low temperature, you gain weight, and (because poor sleep causes immune

dysfunction) you are prone to multiple and recurrent infections. The

hypothalamic dysfunction by itself can therefore, cause most of the symptoms we

listed above! I suspect that problems with the " energy furnaces " in your cells

(called the mitochondria) often cause the hypothalamic suppression.

The questions and answers that will follow in subsequent columns will give you a

clearer understanding of what is causing your illness and how to make it go

away.

 

 

 

Dr. Teitelbaum is a board certified internist and director of the Annapolis

Research Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies, where he sees

CFS/Fibromyalgia/Chronic pain patients from all over the world (410-266-6958).

Having suffered with and overcome these illnesses in 1975, he spent the next 28

years creating, researching, and teaching about effective therapies. He is the

author of the best-selling From Fatigued to Fantastic! " and the newly released

" Three Steps to Happiness! Healing through Joy " . His web site can be found at:

www.vitality101.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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