Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Editor's Choice

My CFS started when I was a freshman in high school, 1957! I had a really bad case of the flu. Although I finally got up and went back to school I still ran a low grade fever every day, My glands were swollen and painful, my throat sore, and I felt ill, all the time. I kept a sinus infection and bronchitis at least half of the time. It lasted 5 years that time. I relapsed a couple of years later after falling and hurting my back. It stayed with me that time until I was 38 and had myself tested for allergies. By that time I had Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, couldn't eat most foods, and was sensitive or "allergic" to most chemicals and medicines. After being treated for Candida I finally regained my health, at least to a degree. I was given a heart medication in November '06 that brought on a relapse. I hadn't been able to shake it this time no matter how much time I spent in bed or what health supplements I take (and I take a lot of them). Lol AND THEN I READ ABOUT COLLOIDAL SILVER IN EARTH CLINIC!! I was skeptical at first, and only used it in a mixture of salt water for my sinuses. That worked so well that I decided to take some by mouth. At first it didn't seem to do anything, but I was being very careful about the dosage, and I am well aquainted with Jarish Herxheimers so I didn't want to overwhelm my system with die off. But when I started taking a teaspoon or more of CS 3-4 times a day I began to get better. My sinus infection got better right away, so that my immune system wasn't fighting virus, and Candida, and infection at the same time. I finally decided to try my hand at making my own CS as I could see that I would never be able to afford enough of it commercially to ever get well. I checked Amazon and found some. 9999 silver, got a gallon of distilled water, went to the hardware store and got a lantern battery and 2 small alligator clips. I had some copper wire here at home. It is an extremely primative (simple) method that works fantastically. As I was able to take more CS, about 3 tablespoons a day, divided into 3-4 doses, I felt better and better. My health began to improve by leaps and bounds, as did my back pain, etc. ( I was taking Vicodin and pain shots in my spine) just to be pain free enough for the sleeping pills to work. But, still I lacked something. So I tried some L Lysine..... Which seemed to be the missing ingredient. Not only is my health greatly improved now, but the vitamins, minerals, herbs and other concoctations I take actully STARTED TO WORK!! Instead of seeing a small improvement from what I was taking, I had to cut back on some supplements because I was seeing the kinds of improvements that other people talk about when they start a supplement. I am not well, yet. But, I am better than I have been in years. I no longer take 3 different herb products, Vicodin, a muscle relaxer, 10 mg of Ambien (or more), melatonin, and liberal amounts of alcohol to make them work just to go to sleep at night, and throughout the night, because I was going to wake up several times a night and couldn't go back to sleep. You can't heal if you can't sleep! I am now sleeping through the night, without waking, (for the first time in years! ) by only taking some Valarian, Hops, and half a muscle relaxer. Since drinking very much alcohol always gave me an aversion to alcohol, I am pleased to be able to skip that item altogether. If you've never found yourself at 4 AM having never gone to sleep that night, and sitting in the kitchen with a double shot of 40 proof in a glass, telling yourself that if you throw it up you'll just have to do it again (big sigh and a grin)... Because it triggered a memory of my mom telling me the same thing when she gave me castor oil! Ha ha Now don't be fooled, I still have to take some Diflucan from time to time when I've over indulged in sweets. The holidays are all the more difficult when you think because you are better you can handle the wheat and sugar. I can, a little, but thinking about ever getting where I can eat the Standard American Diet (SAD) is insanity talking. And, if you eat wheat and sugar several days consectutively, you may relapse, like I do! Grrrr I realize that I must stay on my allergy diet to get well but am able to tolerate more of regular foods when I do eat off my diet for a meal. Other people may not have the immediate results I've mentioned. I have come to realize that the vitamin C palmitate I take and the Allergy Multi that I take are free of most common allergens and make a large difference in my health. The vitamin A that I take is vitamin A palmitate, I am allergic to carrots and fish. I take chelated minerals when I take separate minerals. I take CoQ 10, and L Carnitine for my heart problem (aortic valve). But, all the extra supplements I was taking were only helping keep me alive. I have been battling CFS for 55 years, years longer than CFS has been even recognized by some of the more astute medical establishment. It was called Nuerasthenia in the first edition of Adelle Davis' book, Let's Get Well, in the 50s. All that was recommended as a cure at that time was bed rest, preferably in a clinical setting, good nutritution, and importantly, no stress whatsoever. Oh yes, a little psychiatry to help you get over being a hysterical female. LOL I will be happy to have my email address published in EC if I can be of any help to those who have spent their life being called a hyperchodriac, drug addict, and just a plain old nut case, as I have. Contact me at ladylauranwaco(at)yahoo(dot)com. I cannot prescribe, or suggest treatments. But, I can tell you what has worked for me. I will be the first to tell you all bodies don't work the same. But, nobody should have to spend most of their lives sick and be degraded for being ill. I assure you, your friends and family don't have a clue what you are going through, nor does your doctor!

I am a 42 year old old male, and I've had chronic fatigue ever since I can remember. The doctors were useless. I've tried everything, including diet, exercise, vitamins, herbs, etc. I couldn't even exercise because I was always too tired! I've never really been able to concentrate. Also, when I would wake up in the morning, I felt as if I hadn't rested at all. You know the feeling? Not fun. I failed high school because I couldn't concentrate. Fortunately, I have a strong talent for computer programming and I am self-employed with that. Sometimes days would go by before I could even start on a project, and even if I could get started, I'd have to stop and rest frequently throughout the day, while guzzling coffee just to be able to keep my eyelids open. People were always asking me why my cheeks were always red and that gets very embarrassing after a while, no pun intended (rosacea, could never get rid of it, until... )

* * * * * NOW HERE'S THE GOOD PART!!! * * * * *

That was all until recently... Then I gradually discovered Alpha Lipoic Acid (100MG, great energy and concentration booster), Acetyl L-Carnitine (500MG), CoQ10 (100MG), and I started feeling better. Then I read about D-Ribose (750MG) and how it is vital for energy. So I drove one hour to the nearest health food store (seriously) and the guy there said I needed to take it with Creatine (800MG). BOOM. That was the key. The D-Ribose and Creatine took it too a whole new level!!!!!!!!!! I took the D-Ribose (2 of the 750MG) and the Creatine (1 @ 800MG) and gave the same amount to my mother, and after a few hours I looked at her and said, "do you feel really good?" and she said, "yeah, I feel very peaceful and content... " and I replied, "Exactly. "...

As the day progressed, we both felt better and better. Now we take it every day. The pain she was having in her legs is pretty much gone. She is 70 years old and she gets WAY MORE done now. She goes all day without stopping, instead of her usual three naps a day. The first few days of taking it, I just felt really happy, very peaceful and focused. I take all of the above supplements each morning, 1 of each but 2 of the D-Ribose. Now when I start working in the morning, my concentration level is at 100%. Four hours later, my concentration level is at 100%. Eights hours into my work day, my concentration level is still at 100%, without taking a break except for lunch. Unreal. I'm in heaven... After working all day, I have the energy level of a 5 year old boy now, I'm not joking, I'm serious, and you know hey THEY are! Oh, and my rosacea is GONE! (The Alpha Lipoic Acid really helped with that! ) My face isn't red anymore! It feels good to look like I'm not sick! And I exercise every day now. I work out with dumbbells, 10 to 25 pounds with each arm, I climb stairs for exercise for 10 minutes straight (up and down) like it's nothing. Seriously. I had already been eating healthy, so it's not like you can live on fast food and expect this to work. For breaksfast I eat oatmeal with honey and cinnamon (I also add a little sea-salt, blackstrap molasses, and coconut oil), or scrambled eggs cooked with olive oil or coconut oil and I add basil and sea-salt (ridiculously delicious), for lunch I have chicken breasts cooked in olive oil or coconut oil, and... That's right... Basil and sea-salt.

Seriously, you have no idea how delicious that is. I also make stir-fry with raw spinach, red onions, tomatoes, garlic cloves (the whole clove, although not fun to peel) and whatever other vegetables seem good at the time, and I cook those in olive oil or coconut oil and... Basil and sea-salt... DELICIOUS!!! The healthy diet didn't help me with the chronic fatigue, but it sure does taste good! I was also very bloated for a while and started taking mixing psyllium husk powder mixed in water once or twice a day and that really helped! If you don't want to take all of the supplements listed above, you would still do extremely well with D-Ribose (2 to 4 @ 750MG) and Creatine (1 @ 800MG) each morning. Everyone says to take 5 Grams of D-Ribose every day, but I only take 1. 5 to 3 grams each day. But I keep upping my dose, and I feel better each day!!! Google it! YouTube it! EarthClinic it!!! I also heard (L?)-Carnosine was really good and should also be taken with the supplements listed above... THAT'S THE KEY: all of these supplements work together synergistically and each one helps all of the other supplements work better, as opposed to taking them separately. It's 11:38 PM right now and I'm still going full throttle! ...

Even after working 8 hours and then exercising! And my concentration level is still at 100%!!! And, I sleep like a baby at night, which used to be a problem. That's whats cool about the D-Ribose... The energy is there when I need it, and the relaxation is there when I need it. It's as if it does want I want it to do when I want it to do it! Also my memory is way way way better! I want to point out that this is not like drinking coffee... I'm not bursting with energy and nervous, I feel very relaxed, but focused, and physically and mentally strong. I don't feel like I'm "on something" and I don't feel "high"... I just have a very genuine, natural sense of well-being, truly. I just feel really really really good! Have I made my point? :) :) :)

I have been taking coconut oil for five or six years now. About five years ago, my daughter,who was in college at the time, came down with mononucleosis. I overnighted her a bottle of monolaurin, the main ingredient of lauric acid, which is only found in any quantity in coconut oil and human milk. My daughter was diagnosed on a Tuesday, she got the monolaurin on Wednesday and on Friday, nine days later she had no symptoms and quit taking it. The following Monday (that's 13 days post diagnosis) she had lab work done and was completely normal. Other dorm-mates of hers had mono for months. Coconut oil, lauric acid and monolaurin supposedly lise the lipid envelopes of lipid viruses and bacteria.

Most colds are caused by lipid enveloped viruses as are a number of major viral infections.

Just last Saturday, a friend of mine called to tell me he had a horrible cold and had made an appointment to see and ENT physician on Monday. I told him to take three tablespoons of coconut oil. When I saw him on Monday, he was obviously fine. He told me he had taken two tablespoons on Saturday and Sunday and was fine on Monday so he cancelled his doctor's appointment.

I take it all the time but every now and then I run out. Usually I will get sick when I do. Then I go get some more. It is particularly effective for sinus infections. I just snort some into my sinus cavities. Most people are amazed when I prescribe it and it works. But I have seen it happen so many times now, I just expect it to work.