Causes and Correlations of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
By Cara Lan, N.D.
Despite years of research and over 3000 published, peer-reviewed studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (hereafter referred to as ME/CFS), the exact cause still eludes the medical and scientific communities. It is now generally accepted that there is not one underlying cause, that ME/CFS is a constellation of symptoms produced from a multitude of underlying causes. That is to say, many different things can contribute to the collection of symptoms known as ME/CFS[1].
Current research has shown many physiologic aberrations in those with ME/CFS including but not limited to:
Deficiency in Natural Killer Cell function (Whiteside and Friberg, 1998; Ogawa et al, 1998)
A shift from Th1 to Th2 immune function
Chronic T-cell and B cell activation[1]
Increased levels of 37 kDa RNase L (an enzyme that is produced by cells to kill RNA viruses) (Suhadolnik et al, 2004; Suhadolnik et al, 1994)
Increased intracellular infections compared to healthy controls[2]
Autonomic nervous system dysfunction (Cordero et al, 1996; Rowe and Calkins, 1998)
Abnormalities in brain white and grey matter as found on SPECT, PET and MRI scans
Impaired mitochondrial function (impaired capacity to produce ATP or energy)
In treating patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I find that they typically do not have just one underlying cause but multiple issues that when addressed allow the patient to again experience their body’s natural production of energy. More about this in the next section, ‘Testing for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’.
[1] ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Primer for Clinical Practitioners”, International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (IACFS/ME), 2014 edition.
[2] ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Assessment and Treatment of Patients with ME/CFS: Clinical Guidelines for Psychiatrists’ by Eleanor Stein, M.D., FRCP(C), © 2005