Acupuncture treatment for adrenal fatigue |
Hi All, I hope this post will be helpful for anyone with a friend or relative with chronic fatigue.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Chronic fatigue, sometimes called chronic fatigue syndrome is a catch-all term for long term exhaustion - be it mild, moderate, or severe. In my case, the cause was adrenal fatigue, a condition which is very common.
I am making a big comeback from years of chronic fatigue by receiving acupuncture treatments. You might not know it, but people with CFS can tell a lot about you by the way you react to us. I've noticed that some people who are a bit out of touch with their bodies seem to have somewhat low empathy for people with CFS.
One of the most caring actions is to steer clear of offering unsolicited advice to your friend or relative with CFS.
Offering unsolicited help can make you come off as uninformed and off-base, so be sure to listen and "empathize rather than advise." Unless you are a holistic health professional, you may not be very well informed, and giving uninformed advice can be counterproductive.
Acupuncture
It is interesting to me that when the swimmer Michael Phelps was pictured with cupping marks on his back during the summer Olympics, one article talking about this dismissed acupuncture and cupping as mere superstition. How ironic that the author of that article seemingly knew nothing about the meridians, neurolymphatic points, and had undoubtedly little experience with acupuncture.
In fact, after 7 years of searching holistic and western medical solutions, acupuncture is responsible for my steady and successful comeback.
I used to experience significant exhaustion that interfered with my life and have been called "lazy", "overly sensitive", and told that "it was all in my head" by folks who knew me.
Adrenal fatigue
Being told to "just drink more coffee" is not necessarily helpful, as too much coffee can make things medically worse. Especially if the cause is adrenal fatigue, which means the adrenals don't produce enough cortisol because they are exhausted.
Luckily, western medicine doctors are beginning to address adrenal fatigue, a milder, but exhausting type of adrenal insufficiency. Many western medicine doctors refuse to acknowledge that adrenal fatigue exists, and only acknowledge the more extreme case of adrenal insufficiency, such as Addison's disease.
Also, please don't "forget" when a loved one tells you they are chronically exhausted because this is a big deal to them. One misguided remark I heard from someone very close to me - "you should really ride your bicycle more."
If you are not familiar with CFS, there is no way someone with moderate to severe CFS is looking forward to a vigorous bike ride.
Also there can be constant pain. Many CFS people report it feels like they have been hit by a bus - we are talking about somewhat disruptive pain. (CFS can be a precursor to fibromyalgia). I've found the "forgetters" can be people who might push themselves a lot and may not listen closely to their bodies.
A great kindness you can offer is please don't blame or pressure your CFS family member to do more around the house, or to try to push them into more activity. From what my prior specialist says, it is not uncommon for spouses to accuse their CFS partner of being lazy and "get on their case."
I say all this, not to be critical, but to really paint a picture so you can understand what your friends or loved one may possibly be experiencing.
Your CFS friend or relative may even be trying to hide a difficult situation to look like they are in control or be productive at work, and may be financially challenged due to having to work only part time.
Downshifting
On the bright side, I received a gift from having to downshift my pace due to fatigue.
- The great gift in slowing my pace was waking up to the connectedness of life.
- Instead of overly-socializing, I kept a few close, very valuable friends.
- Instead of power-exercise, I took slow, relaxed walks, and spent time journaling and doing introspective work.
- As I downshifted, I observed others frantically try to "keep up" and decided I didn't have to be one of them.
- I am so grateful that I slowed down and became more observant of myself and others.
- Plus, I gained a lot of compassion for those who are dealing with long term health challenges.
If you have a friend or relative with chronic fatigue, you will score a lot of points by showing compassion, listening, and being understanding - also not forgetting. Unless you have been through a similar experience and want to share resources, it is best not offer unsolicited advice that may be off-base - this may eventually tend to drive your friend away rather than help.
A Votre Sante (Here's To Your Health), Alix