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5916 Clymer Road • Quakertown, PA 18951 PHONE: 1-800-300-5168 | 215-536-8001 FAX: 215-536-9099 questions@healing.org |
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FAQsBackgroundWhat is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?What is Adrenal Dysfunction? How is Adrenal Dysfunction related to Fibromyalgia and CFS? How do I know if I have Chronic Fatigue or Adrenal Dysfunction? Can’t my conventional doctor/practitioner help me with this? Is CFS stress-related? Who is most likely to be afflicted with CFS? What connection is there between CFS and Lyme, Epstein Barr, Candida infections? SymptomsHow can one have CFS when anxiety is the main symptom?Can I have the beginning of CFS even if I’m not tired? What are some of the physical characteristics of CFS? My doctor thinks I have depression, am I just depressed? Why are CFS patients prone to allergies and sensitivities? Is poor digestion a factor? Is there any relation between autoimmune disorders and CFS? AssessmentAre there any tests to determine if one has CFS?Will routine lab work from my primary care doctor assess this? TreatmentIs their treatment for this? What is it?Will I be cured? Do you recommend any drug therapy? How long does recovery take? I’m not local to you, can I still be treated? Do I need to come to your facility to be treated? Is the center equipped to address CFS complications, such as fibroids, Irritable bowel, infections, etc.? How often will I need to schedule appointments? What if I cannot come to the center? Does insurance cover any of the procedures? BackgroundWhat is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a group of symptoms characterized by extreme weakness and exhaustion, low-grade fever, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, brain fog. CFS is a very specific, ICD-9 insurance-coded diagnosis that must be diagnosed by a conventional medical doctor. The patient must fit the criteria determined by the Center for Disease Control to be officially diagnosed. These criteria include: six or more consecutive months of severe fatigue reported to be unrelieved by sufficient bed rest; accompanied by nonspecific symptoms including flu-like symptoms, generalized pain in muscles and/or joints, memory problems, tender lymph nodes, sore throat or headaches of a new type or severity; and which significantly limits work, school, and social activities to a lower level than they were capable of prior to becoming ill.What is Adrenal Dysfunction?Adrenal Dysfunction is a state of weakened adrenal gland function and is considered to be one of the major the underlying causes of both CFS and Fibromyalgia (FM). Adrenal Dysfunction develops due to chronic stress over time that is intense or long enough to weaken a person who is genetically predisposed to adrenal gland weakness.How is Adrenal Dysfunction related to Fibromyalgia and CFS?Adrenal Dysfunction is a state of weakened adrenal gland function and is considered to be one of the major the underlying causes of both CFS and Fibromyalgia (FM). Adrenal Dysfunction develops due to chronic stress over time that is intense or long enough to weaken a person who is genetically predisposed to adrenal gland weakness.How do I know if I have Chronic Fatigue or Adrenal Dysfunction?First, take our CFS/Adrenal Dysfunction Quiz. The next step is to call our center and order an Adrenal Stress Index Test (ASI). The ASI Test is a salivary cortisol test used to determine your exact stage of Adrenal Dysfunction. Once you have this test interpreted by our center, you will know if you have adrenal dysfunction.Can’t my conventional doctor/practitioner help me with this?Unlikely. Adrenal dysfunction at this level is not currently accepted as an official medical diagnosis, so your conventional doctor may not see the underlying problem. Current medical opinion states that there are primarily two major problems that can occur with the adrenal glands. These conditions, Cushing’s disease and Addison’s disease are two extreme ends of the spectrum of dysfunction. Only these extremes are recognized as a “disease” by conventional medicine, while the milder dysfunction remains unrecognized, for the time being. In addition, most conventional methods treat CFS with medication. In adrenal patients, medication adds stress to their already over- taxed nervous system creating additional symptoms.Is CFS stress-related?Yes, this is most definitely the case in adrenal dysfunction and chronic stress almost universally accompanies a diagnosis of CFS. The adrenal gland is the primary mechanism through which we filter. The stress response or “fight or flight” response causes our physiology to change and like we are running from a tiger. When we activate this response chronically, we develop the symptoms of overuse of this response; the symptoms of adrenal dysfunction and CFS. The type of stress that causes symptoms can be physical, mental, emotional or environmental.Who is most likely to be afflicted with CFS?CFS begins with poor adrenal integrity at a genetic level and only when combined with additional stressors develops into CFS. These stressors may include personal physical illness or caring for another afflicted with illness and lifestyle choices. Those who develop CFS and adrenal dysfunction are typically overachievers and perfectionists. They are conscientious, sensitive, caring, and they often burn the candle at both ends. Anyone whose life circumstances, such as those mentioned, expose them to constant unremitting stress is at risk for developing CFS.What connection is there between CFS and Lyme, Epstein Barr, Candida infections?The immune system is under direct control of the adrenal hormones. This is the main reason why people get sick if they are under stress. Adrenal stress shifts the immune system in a way that makes them more susceptible to chronic infections like lyme, hypoglycemia, Candida, and the herpes simplex viruses including EBV, CMV, HSV 1&2 and HHV6.SymptomsHow can one have CFS when anxiety is the main symptom?Anxiety is commonly associated with CFS adrenal dysfunction in all stages but especially in the earlier stages. Excess cortisol and adrenaline over-stimulates the sensitive nervous system causing the signs and symptoms of panic, anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia.Can I have the beginning of CFS even if I’m not tired?Yes, the body has an elaborate built in mechanism for maintaining balance. Adrenal reserves can be depleted in the early stages of adrenal dysfunction without causing one to feel tired. At this stage, the adrenals lose their dynamic balance and ability to respond with correct speed and magnitude to various stressors, which leads to a picture of more anxiety, insomnia. This occurs at the expense of one’s adrenal reserve and once the reserve has been used up, exhaustion usually becomes the primary symptom.What are some of the physical characteristics of CFS?Because the adrenal hormones affect every system and every cell in the body, there are many physical, mental and emotional characteristics of CFS. The most unique sign is feeling anxious and fatigued at the same time. This “wired and tired” symptom is universally caused by adrenal dysfunction. The book Chronic Fatigue Unmasked 2000 gives a detailed description and explanation of the various symptoms related to CFS and adrenal dysfunction.My doctor thinks I have depression, am I just depressed?It is not likely that you are just depressed. Many adrenal patients have been diagnosed with depression or other mental health conditions, and they may indeed be depressed at times. This depression is primarily due to the underlying hormonal imbalance as well as the debilitating associated symptoms that have dramatically altered an adrenal patient’s life in so many ways. In addition, chronically activated stress response will also deplete the body of its much needed neurotransmitters thus leading to depressive symptoms. This too can be treated naturally.Why are CFS patients prone to allergies and sensitivities?An imbalance in adrenal hormones creates an immune system imbalance making allergies and sensitivities more likely. At the same time, this hormone imbalance also can make us more susceptible to chronic viruses, bacteria, yeast, and even cancer. A more detailed explanation is available through our center.Is poor digestion a factor?Yes, most adrenal patients suffer from poor digestion. Stress activates the “fight or flight” response of the autonomic nervous system. Once the fight or flight response is engaged (as if we were actually running from a tiger), energy is directed to the heart, lungs, and muscles and the digestive process is turned off. Chronic stress causes chronic suppression of the digestive system leading to symptoms of gas, bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, IBS, Candida overgrowth and even food allergies. This underlying cause must be treated in addition to the symptoms for true healing to occur.Is there any relation between autoimmune disorders and CFS?Yes, since the adrenal hormones cortisol and DHEA control the body’s immune balance, an imbalance in these adrenal hormones shifts the immune system into over activity and antibody creation. Not only can this over activity lead to allergies as described before, but this also increases the possibility of autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and MS. A more detailed explanation is available through our center.AssessmentAre there any tests to determine if one has CFS?The diagnosis of “CFS” is very specifically defined by the CDC. We do not diagnose CFS at our center. What we do is to assess for one of, if not the, primary underlying causes of CFS, adrenal dysfunction. We do this with a simple at home salivary cortisol test called the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) through DiagnosTech, Inc., in Seattle, WA.This is a salivary test that measures your cortisol levels throughout the day. There are seven stages of adrenal dysfunction and this highly sensitive test is used to determine your exact stage of adrenal dysfunction.Will routine lab work from my primary care doctor assess this?No, traditional adrenal tests rarely detected Adrenal Dysfunction because they are not sensitive enough to detect the subtle variations in adrenal function. In addition, the highly sensitive salivary ASI test is used primarily in the alternative medical community (although the majority of research labs investigating stress and its effects are now utilizing saliva testing). When, cortisol is tested in the blood, they are looking to rule our Addison’s or Cushing’s disease particularly. These are the two opposite ends of the spectrum and are, in fact, extremely rare. Lastly, since most conventional doctors are not taught and do not believe that adrenal dysfunction, which is not as extreme as Addison’s disease, even exists it won’t even be on their radar.TreatmentWill routine lab work from my primary care doctor assess this?Emphatically, yes! Treatment consists of lifestyle changes, stress assessment and modification, dietary modification and control, and properly administered supplementation of various kinds. Patients with this condition need to be guided down their path to healing, a path that we have been down many hundreds of times before.Will I be cured?This is a very tricky question. Some people recover and some simply improve symptom management. Certainly with treatment and education as the nature of this condition you can heal this and the related systems of the body. The vast majority of our patients can once again lead a normal, yet more balanced life, in time. In learning to recognize your body’s early signals of exhaustion, you will learn how to manage your adrenal weakness. It is therefore, our aim that with treatment you can broaden your parameters of well-being and that you will be able to lead to a richer, fuller, and more productive life within your natural adrenal limits. It is important to recognize that this new level of activity may be significantly less than you were used to prior to becoming ill.Do you recommend any drug therapy?We do not consider medication an effective form of treatment for CFS or adrenal dysfunction at this time. Medication is prescribed as an attempt to treat the symptoms of CFS and adrenal dysfunction, but not the underlying cause. The side effects of medications often add stress to the already weakened system thus potentially causing further damage to the adrenal glands in adrenal patients. While symptomatic improvement is necessary at times, we can most often avoid the use of pharmaceutical medications by treating them naturally. It also is important to simultaneously treat the underlying cause and this cannot be accomplished with drugs. It is always our focus to eventually have our patients take the least amount of medication possible, both pharmaceutical and natural.How long does recovery take?Two primary factors to consider are your stage of adrenal dysfunction and your adrenal integrity. Your progress also hinges on your ability to reduce and mitigate stress on all levels. It is not uncommon for patients to be under our care for months and for them to check in for a year or more. I can say that the people who can relieve themselves of the most stress recover the quickest. This condition likely took many years to develop so it will not be cured overnight.I’m not local to you, can I still be treated?Yes, we have hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide that we consult with via telephone and email. While this is not the most orthodox way to manage a patient, it is the best we can provide in some circumstances and it has proven to be quite effective.Do I need to come to your facility to be treated?No, (although, an in-office visit is preferred to thoroughly assess your situation and condition) phone consultations and email are available and have proven to be an effective means of communicating and monitoring the progress of distant patients.Is the center equipped to address CFS complications, such as fibroids, Irritable bowel, infections, etc.?Yes, as a naturopathic doctor, trained in natural family practice, Dr. Neville has extensive experience and a broad knowledge a variety of health care needs. In addition, since adrenal dysfunction affects every system of the body, we will commonly treat a broad range of symptoms throughout the body.How often will I need to schedule appointments?This varies from person to person. Since, there is not one blanket treatment protocol for adrenal dysfunction and because a person’s adrenal integrity can be cyclical and vary from time to time. Regular monitoring is vital to your continued progress, but this depends on individual need.What if I cannot come to the center?Phone and email consultations and are available for distant patients.Does insurance cover any of the procedures?At this time insurance does not cover what we do, so all treatment is on a cash basis, but as a humanitarian non-profit organization we are able to keep our prices very modest for the care received. |
