Muscle Pain | Health And Wellness Tips

How Does It Feel Like To Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has varying levels of severity. Some people only experience lack of peaceful sleep, intermittent headaches and overwhelming exhaustion while other people experience anywhere from 4 to 30 full-blown symptoms which occur simultaneously. While there are a lot of symptoms oftentimes associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, there are a few that are commonly reported by patients. Among them are the following:

Overwhelming fatigue People with this syndrome wake up like they just got hit by a truck and feel worn out all day. There are, however, periods which run from a few hours to several hours a day when they feel a bit better. What most of them try to do during these periods is to make up from the lost time they stayed rested in the bed. This backfires on them and they rebound to being exhausted. Whenever they try to do physical activities or exercises, they would get drained easily and would feel worse the next day.

Recurrent infections Among the major symptoms of CFS is infection which may manifest as sore throat, recurrent sinusitis, bladder infection, swollen glands and other respiratory infections. Some patients experience recurrent rash that may or may not go away with antibiotics. Digestive complaints such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, cramps and gas are also very common which are caused basically by the build-up of yeast in the bowel, or by parasitic infection or by spastic colon.

Brain Fog While overwhelming fatigue is one of the most debilitating symptoms a patient of CFS can experience, the scariest, however, is brain fog. Not a few patients complain of this symptom which may affect their short term memory, their concentration, and their ability to substitute words with another. Some of them also experience brief disorientation which may last anywhere from half a minute to one minute.

Frequent Aches and Pains Muscle pain and multiple joint pains are very common among CFS patients. These are said to be products of lack of sufficient rest or disordered sleep, yeast infections, impaired thyroid glands and lack of nutrition in the body.

Increased thirst Patients of CFS drink two to three times more water than average individuals. This is caused by hormonal problems which lead to increased urine output.

Allergies Because of yeast overgrowth and other conditions occurring in the body of a fatigue patients, allergies and food sensitivities are very common. By removing the causes, of course, the allergies can be removed. However, these patients have histories of poor response towards allergy medications.

Weight gain With or without change in diet, fatigue patients experience 20 to 50 pounds weight gain. Apart from lack of activities, the packing up of pounds is also contributed by hormonal changes.

Depression and anxiety The development of these psychological problems push healthcare providers back to the classic chicken and egg question: does fatigue cause anxiety and depression or is it a product of these psychological conditions? As of yet, no one is certain. It is proposed, however, that some factors are instrumental in aggravating these conditions including poor nutrition and general sense of illness.

Reduced libido Because of hormonal deficiencies, pain and the general feeling of being sick, people affected by CFS have decreased libido. Fortunately, this improves through medication and therapy.

You probably have recognized yourself from reading the above list. If you think you are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, it would be in your best interest to consult a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable in this disorder.

Exercise And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS is a disorder characterized by extreme and prolonged exhaustion combined with several other symptoms such as muscle and joint pains, headache, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is yet to be discovered and it may take years before the individual can recover from the ailment.

Sometimes, the CFS victims suffer recurring bouts with CFS through their lifetime. Because the exact cause of CFS is yet to be determined, there is no known cure for this illness yet. Non-drug treatments and medications are primarily to relieve the many symptoms of CFS.

One of the non-drug therapies put forward by doctors, as a treatment for CFS, is exercise. However. Medical opinion is still divided on whether exercise can actually help improve or worsen the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Some doctors believe that mild exercise can be helpful in overcoming CFS. Others warn against any form of aerobic activity that can aggravate CFS.

Exercise can be a problem for people with chronic fatigue syndrome because strenuous physical activity can worsen the symptoms of CFS such as muscle pain, fatigue and tenderness of the joints. While exercise is important in maintaining health and wellness, it can become dangerous for people with chronic fatigue. But a recent study released by the British Medical Journal has revealed that proper patient education on chronic fatigue syndrome combined with a supervised exercise program can help improve the symptoms of CFS.

Still, people with CFS typically find it difficult to perform basic activities such as walking let alone do rigorous physical activities such as aerobic exercise. During an onset of chronic fatigue, the patient may be bedridden. They usually feel better after some time and may attempt to do regular exercise. However there is danger that the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome may relapse once the individual attempts aerobic activity.

Muscular activity causes lactic acid to be produced in the muscles. This chemical by-product leads to fatigue. Research says that exercise can worsen the effects of chronic fatigue syndrome because it sets off production of excess lactic acid in the muscles. Recent studies reveal that people with CFS actually produce twice the amount of lactic acid than people without chronic fatigue syndrome. Researches believe that their findings suggest a link between chronic fatigue syndrome and an error in the body’s energy metabolism.

Researchers are also looking at a link between chronic fatigue and low levels of potassium electrolytes. A deficiency in potassium supply usually causes chronic fatigue. The bulk of the body’s potassium supply is in the muscle tissue as well as the brain, blood and internal organs. Studies have revealed that people with chronic fatigue syndrome have actually less total body potassium compared to healthy people of the same weight and age.

On the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle can also cause a whole range of health problems for people with CFS. These include loss of bone mass, muscle wastage or atrophy, and increased vulnerability to obesity and cardiovascular disease. People with chronic fatigue syndrome should have a gentle approach to physical activity.

There should only be minute increases in the frequency, intensity and duration of the exercise program to prevent any detrimental effects to the health and well-being of the chronic fatigue syndrome patient.

Surefire Ways To Achieve Better Stress Management On Your Own

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Some people have this false omission that stress is a condition beyond their grasp or control. As a result, they wink at to employ proper stress management techniques when in truth there are a lot of ways for you to control it instead of the other way around.

Struggling with stress? Here are some effective ways you can use to finally win over your battle with it.

Identifying Symptoms of Stress

When it comes to stress management, self – help is just as effective. But you cannot take steps to combatting signs of stress if you cannot recognize the symptoms for this condition. Hence, you must start by identifying the symptoms of stress. Some of the most common ones enter the following:

Muscle pain or tension
Headaches
Sweating and dizziness
Bowel problems
Nausea
Tensed feeling all over your body
Feeling of irritability
Memory failure
Insomnia

In appendix to the above symptoms, one could also develop severe problems resulting from stress such as asthma, high blood pressure, and other problems of the heart.

Stress Management Methods

Your ability to manage stress could make the difference in your life. It would also enable you to overcome the physical, emotional, and mental impact of too much stress and worry in life. It is not enough that you crop up to identify the symptoms of stress. You need to act on it and manufacture an effort to correct them!

Below are practical stress management methods you can employ.

Problem Identification and Showdown Solution

In any problem, you need to outset by identifying the source of the problem. Without this knowledge, there is no way for you to identify the best solution. According to experts, identifying the problem means half of the battle is won. It enables you to regain control over the situation and better understand your condition.

Avoiding Source of Stress

Once you have identified the main source of your stress, your best approach is to avoid them or steer clear off them. For example, if a certain type of environment or being around a particular group of people is causing you stress or making you feel unhealthy, then it would be best for you to take them out of the equation in your life. Instead, re – focus your attention toward something more useful and substantial while drawing out positive vibes out of unaffected.

Control Your Emotions

Learn how to take charge over your feelings. Identification of the source of stress will enable you to achieve this. You need to inspire yourself to think solo positive thoughts and constantly reassure yourself that it is you who is in manipulation of your emotions and avoid it from overpowering you instead. You can divert your problems into other more significant activities, congenerous as engaging in sports, hobbies, or going on a vacation. Well-qualified is no reason to dwell on things that is causing you to harbor ill or negative feelings.

Live Healthy!

The most obvious yet challenging step towards stress management is to adapt a healthy lifestyle. How do you do this? You need to start with your body. Since this is the first one affected by stress, you need to begin with taking care of your body. Make irrefutable that you are well rested such that you can enable your mind and body to rejuvenate itself. Avoid drinking or smoking since these are unhealthy solutions to stress; in fact, it will only make things worse!
Sometimes it’s tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I’m positive you’ll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.

Essential Information on Pain Relief

As you know, too much of anything is not good. This also applies to the use of drugs for pain relief. Being too dependent on drugs is also not good for your body. Because of this fact, many people are now turning to electronic machines or devices for pain relief. If you dont want to feel any side effects from the use of pain reliever drugs, the best option would be the devices or machines. Such digital machines are convenient because once you wear them the pain relieving action takes effect. Your routine activities are not even affected.

Have you ever about the effectiveness of TENs? TENs or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation works through your skin. In order to use it, you will put the patch on the skin area where you feel any pain. This conductive patch will serve as the entry point of the electrical impulses from the TENs machine.

Your brain tells you that youre in pain. The electronic impulses from the machine block the sensory nerves of your body so that the pain signals cannot go to the brain. If the pain signals are blocked, you will not feel any pain; thus, resulting to pain relief. The machine generates signals that aid in the release of feel good hormones or endorphin.

Back pain is quite common and if youre also suffering from it, you can try using the machine. According to a Swedish study, the machine really works. In fact, about 70% of workers were satisfied of the pain relieving results of the TENs.

The recent TENs kits already comes with an electrical probe which can help in stimulating the acupuncture points of your body. The machines always come with cautions so that users will know where to put the pads. For neck and head pain, you should follow the machine instructions so that you can determine the acupuncture points or the channels. Read the manual carefully so that you wont encounter any problems.

For the machine to be effective, you should know how to position the electrode pads. If youre suffering from joint or muscle pain, the pads should be positioned near the pain source. For those suffering from nerve pain (sciatic), the pads should be placed over the sides of the spinal column and the legs top portion. Consult your medical specialist and ask about the machine. There are lots of medical practitioners out there who encourage the use of TENs. They can help you in effectively using the equipment. Proper placement of the electrode pads is vital. Always follow the guideline of the manufacturer so that you can get the best results. Keep in mind that the electrode pads should not be placed over the brain/neck/throat nerves, as well as near your eyes.

The machine allows users to control the electrical signals received by the body. You should always check for the settings of the machine. Muscle twitching is an indication that the control setting is too high. Make sure that you feel only tingling sensations when using the TENs.

Dont use the machine without the supervision of a qualified medical professional. You see, not all pain conditions can be relieved by the machine. Through expert help, you can determine if the TENs is the most suitable pain relief option for you. Ask your doctor now and if he or she recommends the use of the machine, you can always try it out.