Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatments

I was originally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome back in 2007. This terrible illness – the constant feeling of being tired and ‘brain fog’ affected me very badly; it disrupted my life and work. I tried to address it from practically every aspect I could think of. Furthermore, I’ve done a lot of research online and saw several specialists, and consequently, kept coming with more possibilities as to what might be causing or making my symptoms worse (I’ve not even shared everything on this site yet).

 
Now, three years later, I am much better. It is hard for me to point at one treatment that ‘made the difference’. I’m quite certain that the weekly B-12 shots and supplements helped. I also believe that my mercury poisoning, even though it didn’t cause chronic fatigue by itself, certainly made it much worse. Once the mercury was out of my body I felt much better. Finally, dealing with my sleep apnea helped. There’s another factor which I have not mentioned in any of the articles on the website, frankly, because I am unsure whether it played a part.. though it might’ve.

 
When I launched my site, my idea was that I could help others benefit from my experiences (since I had so many). Based on the steady increase in the site’s visitors, I’d like to think this has been a success. However, I would like to hear from you. Do you have any experiences and success stories to share? Any attempts that worked, or unfortunately, didn’t work? I would be very happy to hear, and if you allow it, publish it on this site.

In recent years, it’s become quite common to read about celebrities such as Madonna taking vitamin B12 injections to get more energy. Is there truth to the matter?

It is a known fact that vitamin B12 helps maintain various parts of the body, including the skin and hair, the nervous system and the liver; more importantly, it has been linked to the function of the immune system – which is often a significant component in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – where it is weakened from one reason or another. Consequently, vitamin b12 deficiency symptoms can definitely result in extreme constant fatigue.

Fortunately, vitamin B12 deficiency can be found out through a simple blood test. If indeed your body does not get enough vitamin B12, which could happen from a variety of reasons: not eating certain foods, inability to absorb it properly, etc, then getting vitamin B12 shot may indeed be helpful for you.

In fact, some doctors consider getting vitamin B12 shots to be a crucial component of a treatment for CFS sufferers regardless of their cause, as it is so frequently helpful. These shots can either be administered in the doctor’s office by a nurse (or the doctor himself), or even at home by yourself, after getting some minimal training.

Vitamin B12 can be taken in many forms. You could get it in Liquid form (Vitamin B12 – Liquid, 4 oz), you could get it in sublingual form – that is, under the tongue (B12 w/B6 Sublingual – 30 tab), you can get it as lozenges (B12 Lozenges – 2000 mcg 100 lozenges). Of course, you can also get it in the form of injections.

Personally speaking, this is another one of the treatments I have tried. I’ve taken B12 injections on a weekly basis (though I’ve read online that a bi-weekly shot is recommended). Though admittedly I never gathered the courage to give the shots myself and preferred to have a nurse perform this every time. In addition, I’ve taken vitamin B12 in sublingual form, twice a day (I never really understood why it must be under the tongue – perhaps for quicker absorption?).

Since my improvement occurred roughly during this time, I can only conclude that this is one of the few treatments that has been helpful for me. My own B12 deficiency was pretty bad according to the blood work – probably it was some kind of poor absorption issue.

Although I cannot say I’m cured, my condition has definitely improved. However, I wouldn’t recommend that you just start giving yourself B-12 shots. Discuss this with your doctor and find out whether you have a B12 deficiency. And in this case, work out a plan to treat it – preferably with a specialist who is very familiar with these issues.

On a final note, if you live in New York City, I’ll be more than happy to give you the name of the doctor who treated me (or you can just search for him on the web, you’re likely  to locate him the same way I did).

As always, please keep me – and the readers of this blog – updated whether this has been successful for you.

Summary of options in case you are interested in getting Vitamin B12

• Get Vitamin B12 – Liquid, 4 oz
• B12 w/B6 Sublingual – 30 tab
• B12 Lozenges – 2000 mcg 100 lozenges