The 2 most important of the 7 Foundations of Health for chronic fatigue syndrome are Food Sensitivities and Rest.
Food sensitivity: Knowing your body
The following might seem an obvious fact, but when you stop at the fuel station you do not put diesel in your petrol engine, you fill it up with the right fuel!
Our bodies work the same. In our last 14 years of joint practice experience between the Optimum Care team doctors we have helped hundreds of children and adults to cure irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue to name a few, by indentify the right and wrong foods for their body. Fuelling the body with the wrong foods will cause fatigue, inflammation, irritation and pain. These foods are not recognised by the body or digested, absorbed, or eliminated optimally. They can remain in our body for 6-8 weeks causing fatigue, discomfort and disease. We at Optimum Care use the BEST system to test the various food and we recommend patients young and old to have themselves tested to understand how to fuel their bodies optimally. (Click here for
BEST Test
information and
practice contact information for best tests.)
Rest: Supporting the stress response systems of the body
Stress is more than just an emotion, it is a primal physical response to survive that travels throughout the entire body. Our nervous and hormonal systems do not differentiate between the stress of a deadline or the stress of being chased by a lion; both stressors trigger the same chemical response in the body.
Stress can be beneficial but when activated too regularly or for extended periods of time our primitive fight or flight response to stress can damage many of the organ systems in the body. Physical and/or emotional stress is commonly reported as a pre-onset condition to the development of CFS. Stress is perceived by the body not only in the form of mental/emotional types of stress but also the stresses that eating irregularly/skipping meals (starvation/famine mode), incorrect food choices/eating foods that your body is intolerant to/lack of vital nutrient consumption and absorption, toxins/foods/medicines damaging gut lining, inflammation, dehydration, shallow breathing and lack of optimal oxygen supply, jaw tension and teeth grinding, as well as very importantly, the neurochemical signals associated with prolonged mental and emotional stress, grief, anguish and upset.
Rest and repair time is vitally important to healing chronic fatigue as well as for the long term health of your musculoskeletal system, nervous system, hormonal system, digestive system and your skin. We recommend 7-8 hours of sleep per night for adults, and 10-12 hours sleep per night for children under 12.
Another important aspect of stress support is having emotional support and involvement in community, social, family, or religious groups/projects/events. Be kind to yourself and take one day at a time, focus on what you can do and how you are feeling day by day.