How to find the right CFS doctor



S

Steve

Guest
Hello,

I would like to find a good doctor in the midwest who is skilled in treating Chronic fatigue. I have
seen one Oseopath here in minnesota and we ran every test under the sun with no conclusions.

I have read the book 'The alternative medicine guide's Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia....' I get the
impression that each doctor has a prefered approach (viral, thyroid, mercury, etc). Is this the
experience of people here? Who are the recognized leaders in treating this condition?

Thanks for all help.
 
Steve wrote:

> I have read the book 'The alternative medicine guide's Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia....' I get
> the impression that each doctor has a prefered approach (viral, thyroid, mercury, etc). Is this
> the experience of people here? Who are the recognized leaders in treating this condition?

Correct, theories abound as to likely causes of CFS, and every alternative practitioner you are
likely to encounter will have their own take on it.

You've already mentioned a few popular theories. A couple you haven't mentioned are:

a) Chronic Lyme Disease -- you have a subclinical chronic infection with the Lyme parasite, but not
so severe as to be easily diagnosed by conventional medicine or conclusively demonstrated by
conventional medical tests. It may be diagnosable with less reliable tests that aren't recognized
as having diagnostic value by conventional medicine.

b) Occult Carbon Monoxide Poisoning -- you are being poisoned by excessive carbon monoxide in your
environment, but at a subacute level not easily diagnosed by conventional medicine. If the
poisoning is still occuring, it should be detectable with a carbon monoxide detector that
provides a numerical readout (the Nighthawk from Kidde is popular for this purpose). BUT -- it is
possible the carbon monoxide exposure took place quite some time ago (simultaneous or previous to
the onset of your symptoms), and you are feeling the aftereffects of neurological damage done by
the exposure after the exposure has passed. This is a condition recognized by conventional
medical science, but it is difficult to diagnose while the patient is alive (before brain
sections can be taken), and it is likely to be overdiagnosed by alternative practitioners.

It has been proposed in the conventional medical literature that CFS, multiple chemical sensitivity,
and chronic Lyme disease are different forms of the same disease. The proponents of this view tend
to believe these complaints are psychiatric in origin, rather than having a physiological cause.
 
I think you need to go to the chronic fatigue newsgroup. Better yet go through the old posts
of the group

alt.med.cfs

on a Google Groups search. The good posts and info there go back years.

Look for books by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, which gives a good overview.

My personal take on it is that a lot of it is secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism. You could do a
search for Broda Barnes Foundation and see what you think (but I don't think I would pay for their
expensive urine tests, just try to get a doctor's name).

If allergies are a problem at all, try NAET.

BL

"As the waves pass the rock, their shape is changed. There is a hologram of the rock within the wave
that comes forward and crashes on the beach, then there's a reflected wave back." Ralph Abraham

"I'd like to learn to windsurf." BL