Facts:
- It is estimated that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome affects 411 000 Canadians, or approximately 1.4% of the population. It is further estimated that Fibromyalgia affects 444 000 Canadians, or approximately 1.5% of the population. In total, over 3% of the total Canadian population is affected by these disorders.
- Women are estimated to be four to nine times more likely to develop the disease than men.
- In 2010, 31 per cent of Canadians with fibromyalgia said that they had unmet health care needs, making it the condition with the highest rate of unmet healthcare needs of all the conditions on the 2010 survey by the Canadian Community Health Survey (a Statistics Canada survey with the target population being Canadians aged 12 and over living in the community.)
- In general, being female and 40 year of age or older is associated with an increased risk of either Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and/or Fibromyalgia
Symptoms:
- Pain
- Anxiety
- Concentration and memory problems — known as “fibro fog”
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Morning stiffness
Chronic fatigue is a debilitating condition which is characterized by severe and long lasting exhaustion. Although the pathology of this condition is not well understood, we do know that certain triggers can cause the body to stop making the energy it requires for even basic functions of living. The body essentially goes into a state of “energy deficiency”. This energy deficit can essentially wipe out your body’s hypothalamus function, the gland that controls your sleep and hormonal function amongst other things.
At the Functional Health Institute, we look at a number of causes for overwhelming fatigue:
- Viral, parasitic, or bacterial infection
- Hormonal deficiencies
- Yeast overgrowth or dysbiosis of the gut
- Chronic stress
- Autoimmune disease
- Poor sleep
- Nutrient deficiencies that lead to poor conversion of food to energy via biochemical pathways (eg. L-carnitine, B-vitamins, etc)
While the treatment for fatigue and low energy issues can be long, the good news is that the majority of patients do get better when uncovering the root cause of the symptoms.
Call us today to schedule a personal health consultation and we will sit down with you to help determine how we can help with your health goals.