Anyone who suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) may be aided best by a combination of exercise and behaviour therapies, according to new research.
CFS shows itself through such symptoms as memory loss, bad concentration, exhaustion, joint and muscle aches, and insomnia. Graded Exercise Therapy and Behaviour Therapy offer light at the end of the tunnel to those who fight these every day.
Although it is an issue of controversy, the therapeutic combination rests on the theory that changing mental attitude and physical behaviour small amounts at a time can move a person toward recovery from this disease.
Specialist Medical Care, the name for the normal mode of assistance, focuses on administering advice on managing their symptoms, information regarding the nature of their disease, and advice on how they might alter their lifestyles to deal with the disability.
The results of Dr. Peter White, professor of Psychological Medicine at the London School of Medicine and Barts, as well as a practising psychiatrist at London’s St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, was published in The Lancet online edition 18 February. The researchers confessed they do not yet know the mechanism that creates CFS.
The patient’s apprehension and avoidance of certain situations or actions that amplify CFS is addressed with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It cuts in on the circular, self-perpetuating cycle by hitting at the fear.
GET is the name of the Exercise Therapy and its aim is to generate more energy through a more active lifestyle, thereby minimizing fatigue.
Chief Medical Officer of the Chronic Fatigue Centre University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Nancy Klimas, indicated the helpfulness of therapies for CFS is not yet settled. She said, “Dr. White is not saying that it can be cured, but only aided by the therapies and I concur with that.”
