Chronic Fatigue
Condition Description
Fatigue that lasts more than six months without an obvious cause
Common Symptoms
- Undue tiredness
- Often paired with other symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, headaches, feeling excessively cold, muscle aches, or joint pain
Underlying Causes
Causes can be broadly divided in to two main categories: environmental and non-environmental causes
- Common environmental causes include subclinical hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, food allergies, chemical sensitivity, nutritional deficiencies (especially mineral deficiencies), mold toxicity, and yeast overgrowth
- Non-environmental causes are numerous and include anemia, cancer, chronic illness. Since most physicians are well-versed with such causes, these are rarely missed
Traditional Approach
- Look for non-environmental causes; if found address the issue(s)
- Where no cause is found, the diagnosis is chronic fatigue syndrome, which is treated with antidepressants, anti-anxiety pills, or counseling
- Associated symptoms like muscle pain, headaches, low grade fever etc are treated symptomatically
EHAC Approach
- Look for non-environmental causes; if found address the issue(s)
- Conduct a detailed history and physical examination and appropriate testing to uncover the environmental causes
- Treat depending on the underlying cause
