Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS, makes a person feel worn out and completely exhausted.  This extreme tiredness interferes with a person’s ability to engage in normal everyday activities, such as dressing, bathing or even eating. Moving, exercising or just thinking can make CFS worse.

CFS can occur quickly or it can develop over time. A person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome may have muscle pain, insomnia or trouble focusing and feel as though they’re in a mental fog.  Their tiredness might come and go, but in some cases the extreme exhaustion never leaves. The bad part is that this total exhaustion must continue for at least six months for a definitive diagnosis can be made.  The cause of CFS is unknown, but medical community thinking is leaning towards the idea that it develops after an infection of some sort, such as a cold or the stomach flu, or it can also happen after someone has had infectious mononucleosis (mono).  Others hypothesis that it occurs after a person has been under extreme stress, like major surgery or the death of a loved one.

However CFS develops, it’s difficult to diagnosis because extreme tiredness is a common symptom of a great many illnesses, plus the other signs of CFS can mimic other sicknesses. There is no definitive medical test for CFS, so that adds to the difficulty in making a diagnosis. If you believe you have CFS, then you should see your doctor and he’ll give you a full medical exam, including asking you about your physical and mental health.  Blood and urine work will be done to rule out other illnesses.  If you have been tired for more than six months and have four or more of the classic CFS symptoms, then your doctor may diagnose you with CFS.

The classic CFS symptoms include:

•Sore throat
•Muscle pains and aches
•Feeling tired, even after sleeping all night
•Forgetting things
•Difficulty focusing
•Headaches of a different kind, length or strength
•Sore lymph nodes in the neck or under the arm
•Being in pain or out of sorts for more than 24 hours after being active

Currently there is no cure for CFS and no real treatment, other than lifestyle changes that a patient can make to optimize their health, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Over the counter pain relievers can be taken as a treatment for muscle and joint pain and making sure that you are getting enough may help to relieve symptoms.

While the exact number of CFS cases is unknown, the number of people affected by CFS-like illnesses is thought to be substantial.

An autoimmune disease is one in which the body’s own immune system attacks itself. Approximately 5-7% of the population is affected by the eighty known or suspected autoimmune diseases recognized by the medical community.

Your immune system is what normally protects you from disease.  It’s an efficient defender against illness, but in autoimmune diseases this powerful and efficient machine begins to attack a body’s own organs and it can have devastating effects.  The symptoms and effects of these diseases are varied and some can be fatal.

Read more

When a body’s immune system turns on itself and begins attacking, it’s called an autoimmune disease.  Your immune system is normally the guard that stands at the gate and protects you from infections and diseases. Sometimes the immune system gets confused for some reason and begins to attack a person’s body.  These illnesses tend to affect females more than males and in fact, nearly 75% of autoimmune diseases affect more women than men and generally during their child bearing years.

There are a great many autoimmune diseases  Some of the more known ones are  Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Graves ’ disease.

Read more

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of many autoimmune diseases in which a person’s own immune system mistakenly begins to attack itself, causing illness and damage. A person’s immune system is designed to protect the body from infections and diseases—but in the case of an autoimmune disease such as RA, the system turns on itself and the antibodies in the blood target body tissues which causes inflammation.  RA causes inflammation of the joints, as well as inflammation and pain around the joints themselves. RA is also referred to as a systemic illness and as a rheumatoid disease as it affects multiple organs in the body.

Read more

Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system of its victims, sometimes leaving them with impairment in their mobility, cognitive function, memory, writing ability or speech.  In some rare types of the disease, such as the Marburg Variant, it can prove fatal.   An autoimmune disease is one in which the immune system mistakenly begins to attack the very body it’s designed to protect.

At this point in time there is no cure for MS.  The best that the medical community can do is attempt to ameliorate the symptoms and residual effects of the disease after attacks, or relapses suffered by its patients.

Read more

Multiple Sclerosis, an auto-immune disease that destroys the myelin sheaths covering the nerves of the central nervous system, has six different variations, each with its own set of symptoms and severity.

Read more

Picture an army that is marching along, getting along, doing everything that an army should do and all is running smoothly in army land.  The army wears cute little coats that protect them from the elements, as well as help them move better.  Without warning, part of the army splits off from the other part of the army and begins to attack.  Now, brother is fighting against brother and those cute little protective coats are getting damaged and even destroyed.

Read more