Specialist Naturopathic Chronic Fatigue Treatment Brisbane

Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS, is multi-system disorder that many people suffer with. CFS is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that once all other possible causes of your group of symptoms are ruled out then you are finally diagnosed with CFS (At Shift we also cause this a diagnostic dumping ground – meaning when they can’t diagnose the cause of your fatigue CFS gets diagnosed). CFS can range from mild cases of long term fatigue to more severe cases, where quality of life can be severely compromised. Naturopathy can be very effective in helping to manage CFS and its associated symptoms.

You may be diagnosed by your doctor with chronic fatigue syndrome if you have these two criteria…

1. Unexplained, persistent fatigue that’s not due to ongoing exertion, isn’t substantially relieved by rest, is of new onset (not lifelong) and results in a significant reduction in previous levels of activity.

2. Four or more of the following symptoms are present for six months or more:

   • Impaired memory or concentration

   • Postexertional malaise (extreme, prolonged exhaustion and sickness following physical or mental activity)

   • Unrefreshing sleep

   • Muscle pain

   • Multi joint pain without swelling or redness

   • Headaches of a new type or severity

   • Sore throat that’s frequent or recurring

   • Tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes

Other common symptoms could include:

• Irritable bowel, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea or bloating

• Chills and night sweats

• Brain fog

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

• Chronic cough

• Visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain or dry eyes)

• Allergies or sensitivities to foods, alcohol, odours, chemicals, medications or noise

• Difficulty maintaining upright position (orthostatic instability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, balance problems or fainting)

Source: CDC website USA

The complexity of symptoms that occurs in CFS syndrome sufferers makes it well suited to naturopathic treatment. Our Shift Brisbane naturopaths have a special interest in CFS and has helped many patients overcome this condition to live happier and more fulfilled lives. Naturopathy works to improve symptoms of CFS by addressing possible underlying causes, such as immune weakness, viral effects, inflammation and digestive health. Some of our CFS patients have severe symptoms when they come to see us, and we work week to week to create a space for your body to heal.

Our naturopaths also prescribe natural medicines to deal with the chronic fatigue symptoms, helping to reduce pain, improve sleep, enhance immunity and reduce digestive discomfort. This coupled with dietary and lifestyle coaching can help you feel good again. If there are mental health issues or other symptoms related to emotional wellness we will manage symptoms using naturopathic medicine. We find patients with chronic fatigue syndrome respond well in our Shift Heal memberships, where they get project managed through their journey.

Chronic fatigue symptoms vary from patient to patient and so do the underlying causes. The first thing we will do is review any blood tests you have had and recommend further testing based on this. We want to look at your nutritional deficiencies, adrenal fatigue, gut health (which leads to an inability to heal), inflammatory markers, immune system markers and metabolic health. Most doctors do only the most rudimentary of testing when it comes to chronic fatigue but we want to look at every possible cause.

Naturopathic treatment of CFS is not a quick solution, with progress measured over weeks and months, however changes that are made are usually long lasting. Most patients report improvements in some areas within the first 2 – 4 weeks of treatment. Each CFS patient is unique, so your treatment plan will be tailored to suit your needs for best results. We will set realistic goals with you and work through issues that are identified methodically. In reality if you have chronic fatigue you want to commit at least six months to our treatments to see a marked increase in energy.

Our treatments are holistic – which means if you have other conditions, stress, anxiety, poor sleep, mast cell activation syndrome or other issues that are impacting your health then we will make an individualised treatment plan to helps the whole of you heal.

You don’t need a referral to see our Brisbane naturopaths for your chronic fatigue syndrome. If you have had chronic fatigue for six months or more and still don’t have answers, then seeing one of our naturopaths may help to get a better diagnostic overview. There are so many factors to energy production in the body and most people will see at least a mild improvement in the first 2-6 weeks of treatment.

Medicare rebates are not available for naturopathic care. Unfortunately private health rebates are also currently unavailable for naturopaths in Australia so we are a privately billed clinic.

Yes. The conventional medicine you are taking for other symptoms or conditions will be reviewed by our Brisbane naturopaths and they will ensure that any treatment plan for your chronic fatigue symptoms does to interfere with medicine prescribed by your doctor.

The issue with chronic fatigue is that physical exercise is needed for healing but it can also worsen CFS symptoms. We want to work with graded exercise therapy when there is persistent fatigue to avoid making symptoms worse. If we gradually increase exercise and work within your ‘energy envelope’ we can avoid worsening of fatigue, pain and similar symptoms. We want to ensure we don’t stress the body too much and provide adequate rest when needed.

Food intolerances can play an important role in CFS because they can contribute to fatigue and sluggishness and lead to a worsened quality of life. Our naturopaths will assess your diet and identify food intolerances as well as nutritional deficiencies that could be making your physical symptoms worse.

To make an appointment today with our naturopaths call 07 3367 0337 or click here.