DO you have muscle weakness and pain, constant tiredness and fatigue or sluggishness? Do you suffer from sensitivity to chemicals, foods and medications, complain of ‘pressure headaches’ , concentration difficulties and memory loss for words and names? Then you may be suffering from the condition Doctors call the "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" or "Myalgic Encephalomyelopathy" known as CFS and ME respectively!

There are a number of blood, urine and stool tests now available to help in determining aggravating factors for CFS/ME sufferers. No two people with CFS/ME have the same history of illness. The common factor is chronic (more than six months) severe fatigue.

Until now, the diagnosis has been purely clinical because there has been no effective test. The diagnosis has been made on the clinical symptoms or signs. Sufferers from C.F.S. experiences fatigue, which is not easily relieved by rest. It is very unfortunate that some doctors in the past, refused to recognize this serious disorder (the US Government sees C.F.S. as it second largest public health problem after AIDS) on the basis of the previous absence of any specific tests to prove the diagnosis. A new urine test has also become available in which certain body substances are considered to be an indicator of fatigue phenomena.

It is possible to get help for chronic fatigue syndrome. It is not just a psychiatric illness as many would like you to believe.

Our sympathetic doctors look forward to helping you. They may do medical tests to exclude other diseases that can cause your symptoms or test you for reactions to certain allergens (allergy tests). You may request allergy tests. Priority is given to what might be triggering your symptoms.

This practical information is made available by the Allergy Centre. We can tell you if you may have Chronic Fatigue, what it is, why you may have it, whether you are suffering from allergies, how you can be tested for it, what you can do about it and the best treatment to use for your Chronic Fatigue.

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