Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), can leave sufferers feeling tired, even after sleep, and may lead to problems with memory and concentration.
CFS cases have exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic and some doctors are using novel methods to treat the condition—including ivermectin, which was called a “wonder drug” for human health before the pandemic.
Nearly 80 Percent Report Post-COVID CFS
A recent questionnaire-based study found nearly 80 percent of patients with COVID-19 had one or more persistent symptoms post-infection, and 58 percent met the case definition for ME/CFS.
Another analysis showed CFS is most common in those with severe COVID, but even among asymptomatic infections, one in five reported the condition (pdf).
CFS had been described as early as 1934 and was associated with the Epstein-Barr virus in the ’80s.
Before developing symptoms, patients most frequently reported experiencing severe illness, surgery, accident, physical, psychological, or emotional trauma.
“Post-COVID fatigue and myalgic encephalomyelitis are two disorders that have a tremendous amount of overlap,” Dr. Thomas Gut, medical director of the Post-COVID Recovery Center at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.
Post-COVID CFS, a condition that can be a symptom of long COVID, is characterized by prolonged, generalized, and abnormal fatigue after exercise that doesn’t resolve after rest, recurrent headaches, and problems with concentration and memory, which have lasted for at least six months.
It may be accompanied by other symptoms, like tender lymph nodes, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disruption, and psychiatric problems.
The condition has also been identified as a potential adverse reaction to being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Chronic fatigue syndrome and its painful cousin fibromyalgia represent the “tripping of a circuit breaker” in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a board-certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sleep, and pain, told The Epoch Times.
“It is not enough to simply turn the circuit breaker back on,” Teitelbaum continued. “You also need to address what caused the circuit breaker to overload, and this varies dramatically from cause to cause.”
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