Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an immune system disorder

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a condition in which the person affected describes tanking energy levels, brain fog, widespread pain, some sensory issues such as grip strength and locomotor activity loss, all leading to major emotional stress.

Naturally it was thought to be a nervous system issue and malfunction but with no clear cause to attach to it or target to go after.

Due to the prevalence of patients with this condition being female, and the condition being related to stress (stress reduction seems to help), many thought that there is immune system derangement somehow leading to the symptoms that are seen.

This condition, and migraines, for years and years, I have attribute to a hyper sensitive immune system,  now there is some data to suggest that CFS is tied to immune system response.

A group of scientists (ref) have now shown that transfer of plasma antibodies, in this case IgG, resulted in mice that were injected with these antibodies from donors with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms, to start to show the same sensitivity to pain as the donors!   Control patient antibodies injected into the mice showed no difference in terms of perception of pain or cold.  This was considered to be rather definitive as to the cause, specially when they depleted the IgG’s from the plasma before injecting it, leading to proof that it is the IgG antibodies that are causing the (pain) problem – its an immune problem not a nervous system problem!

Pain receptors or nociceptors, get their own natural signal which they then relay, but evidently when the receptor already has these antibodies bound to it, then the signal becomes much stronger (the IgG’s in the study, from CFS patients, bind dorsal root ganglion).

If in fact, CFS turns out to be an immune system issue strictly, then treatments can be developed that can address the underlying issues leading to CFS.  Whats the best practice for dampening an immune response that is overly active??  Stress reduction!  Anti-inflammatory foods, yoga, meditation, exercise.  Western medicine would use steroids, or a newer more expensive version

On the other hand, we have to look at what acupuncture and Traditional medicine has to say about CFS and how to treat it.

First and foremost, even before this article came out, I have been successfully treating CFS for years, thru bringing about balance in the patients various systems that run the body and govern our immune and nervous system.  A system that brings balance to all the organs and meridians of the body.

Stress reduction, a hallmark of acupuncture treatments, helps to bring the immune system closer to a state of harmony by relaxing the heart and the liver, allowing better flow of qi throughout the body.  Herbal medicine, in today’s high stress world is also invaluable.  Sometimes a substance has to added to the body, vs acupuncture which moves the energies and brings about major improvements that way.  By the time any symptoms comes up, the issue has been going on for years and is now manifesting thru symptoms.

Together, acupuncture and herbal medicine, can bring about changes that result in positive outcome for those suffering from CFS.

“there are no mysteries, only things we dont understand, yet”    Artin Mahboubi