Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in Traditional Chinese Medicine
By Dr. Alex Huang, Master Degree in Medicine, Dr. of Ac.
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is marked by severe fatigue that worsens with physical or mental exertion. It predominantly affects women more than men.
What causes it?
The etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains unclear in Western medicine. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) attributes CFS predominantly to liver spleen kidney heart disorders. TCM views these organs’ functions differently than Western medicine, which is detailed further in the symptoms of CFS below.
Who is at risk?
Certain factors are frequently observed in individuals with CFS. These factors include:
• Gender: CFS occurs up to four times more frequently in women than in men.
• Age: While CFS commonly affects middle-aged individuals, it can occur at any age.
• Occupational Stress: In clinical practice, I often treat individuals who experience high mental stress or use their minds extensively, such as students, office workers, IT professionals, police officers, accountants, etc.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of CFS vary from person to person but commonly include:
- Foggy mind and heavy eyes (In TCM Stomach meridian goes to mind and eyes)
- Headache (especially on the top of front of head)
- Tender lymph nodes (due to poor immune system or spleen function in TCM)
- Fatigue and weakness (digestion system can’t produce enough energy)
- Muscle and joint pain (in TCM spleen function affects blood circulation, muscle, and joint, as well as from the lack of nourishment)
- Inability to concentrate (hyper liver function gives hyper mental energy)
- Insomnia (the mind can’t calm down due to hyper mental energy)
- Forgetfulness (due to lack of nourishment in the brain)
- Mood swings (due to hyper mental energy)
- Depression (due to hyper mental energy)
The symptoms of CFS may look like other medical conditions. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a full diagnosis.
How is CFS diagnosed?
The diagnosis of CFS hinges on two main criteria:
- Severity and duration: The presence of severe and chronic fatigue lasting for more than six months, and the exclusion of other medical conditions that could explain the fatigue.
- Number of symptoms: At least four symptoms characteristic of CFS must be present.
How is CFS treated in my practice?
From my clinical experience with CFS patients, acupuncture and herbal therapy form a potent combination for treating CFS. Many of my clients experience noticeable improvements after one or two acupuncture sessions, although complete recovery takes time.
CFS patients receive my treatment once a week or once every two weeks to adjust or balance both mental and physical energy. Acupuncture helps tremendously in boosting the physical energy while it simultaneously calms the mind promoting better sleep. The treatment is also aimed to stimulate and improve digestion and immune system which aid in the effective absorption of nutrients and energy from food.
Herbal Chinese medicine that is prescribed for each CFS individuals enforces acupuncture treatment effects such as increasing patient’s energy. For those with very poor energy, they would benefit greatly by taking herbal medicine regularly on daily basis.
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