Question: I am a 45-year-old woman and have been suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome for three years now. It seems I have tried everything. For a short time I got better but now I feel no better off than I did two and a half years ago. Currently, I am taking an antidepressant and that helps me feel better, but I don’t feel my “problem” has ever been addressed. Can you help?
Answer: I hope so. Let me tell you about two recent patients of mine who have similar stories. Both had life-altering symptoms to the point where they were both considering leaving their careers and going on disability. Both had tried many diets, supplements, antiviral therapy, fasting programs, herbs, antidepressants, and other conventional and unconventional treatments. Basically nothing had helped. I explained to them my view of chronic fatigue syndrome which I will admit even to me seems almost absurdly simple. That is, our energy level, or our energy resource, is like a flowing river. This river has many tributaries or areas to which our energy is diverted. The main energy “drain” for most of us is the digestion of our food. When we ease this energy drain going to digesting our food, we suddenly have a huge reserve available for tasks such as muscle function, thinking, exercise or other more creative pursuits. This is the essence of chronic fatigue syndrome. There is a profound energy shift from such tasks as immune function, muscle activity, thinking and creativity toward simple digestion of food. All of the etiologies discussed in chronic fatigue syndrome such as viral infections, trace mineral deficiencies, depression, etc., just contribute to poor digestion or poor choices in terms of effective therapy. For example, being depressed often leads to sugar addiction or eating lots of chocolate which makes digestion even worse.
The main contributing factors I have found in making the digestion weak and a greedy energy drain are eating processed food and the overconsumption of carbohydrate-type food, even whole grains. The simple intervention I recommended with these two patients, which in both has had dramatic and lasting results, is fairly simple. First, they are to eat no more than 10-15% of their diet as carbohydrate-type food, including grains, pasta, flour, fruits, sugars, fruit juice, etc. and the only allowable grains are either fermented (sourdough) bread or whole grains like those discussed in Nourishing Traditions. This is to continue for six months. In this time the bulk of their food is various organic organ meats, fish, fowl, cultured raw milk products, raw butter, yogurt, olive oil, flax seed oil and some coconut milk on a daily basis. To this is added as many fresh vegetables as can be eaten and prepared in a variety of ways. Second, on a daily basis, use some fermented food or drink. My favorite suggestion is Beet Kvass, for which a recipe is given in Nourishing Traditions, because it is also helpful for liver cleansing. Drink three times a day. There are many other fermented foods and beverages described in Nourishing Traditions. These enzyme-rich foods inherently ease the energy we must use in digestion. Third, use Celtic sea salt only, as this is the only salt with the trace elements present that are so vital to proper enzyme functioning. Fourth, daily castor oil packs over the liver area for one hour each day. These packs aid digestion, detoxify the bowels, and cleanse the liver. These fundamental changes usually will have a dramatic impact on your symptoms within one month and, unlike many therapies, the benefits will increase, not diminish, over time.
Copyright: ©1999 Tom Cowan. All Rights Reserved. First published in Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Health Journal
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Sounds like good advice, except that I am bothered by a contradiction. >eat no more than 10-15% of their diet as carbohydrate-type food
>as many fresh vegetables as can be eaten
Don’t you know vegetables are carbohydrates?
He is referring to high glycemic index carbs like potatoes, grains. Broccoli is not the same…
Vegetables are carbohydrates, however they are digested very differently than the “complex carbs” refered to here, namely, whole grains and starchy vegetables.
I would be so happy if this works. I’m overweight for the first time in my life and I have no energy to even walk.
I used to teach spinning, kickboxing, core, etc., and I can’t imagine how I did it.
I don’t have much of an appetite. The only thing I seem to crave is cold cereal. I use organic and try to go gluten-free. I add olive oil, (cold pressed), blueberries, beef collagen protein, and cinnamon.
I’m constipated, have awful gas each time I eat.
I don’t know if it matters, I’ve had a massive stroke, two brain surgeries, and rheumatoid arthritis. These illnesses all happened within the last five years. I have been under so much stress, I can’t even explain it.
I hope you can help.
Sincerely, Diana Austin
Not sure about all this. Most practitioners have come to look at CFS as a mitochondrial dysfunction. Liver mitochondria might be helped by all this, but in the rest of the body?
Most practitioners only look at a part of the body, not the body as a whole. They will pinpoint something like mitochondrial dysfunction and then make a drug to relieve the symptoms. If you look at the body as a whole then you must think, what is causing the mitochondrial dysfunction? Digestion is the first place I would start.
John Bridges, NTP
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
I have been eating organic and avoiding gmo for about 20 years. I had little to no carbs and was eating home grown and wild caught. My diet wasn’t perfect but definitely no processed foods or from cafos. I had highly active lifestyle, a stressful period + trauma, After that I started having energy issues, all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue. I have a child and no one o can depend on and after all this I had identity theft and other external situations which I had to push through even when tired. I tried moving and ended up someplace with no access to clean food and also got exposed to illegal Paraquat spraying. I am now with fairly easy access to health foods but I have flu like symptoms, pain that seems like inflammation, swollen lymph nodes and the rest of the symptoms from before (brain fog, extreme fatigue etc) It is very frustrating to see here that the things I have already been doing is what is suggested.
I am still digging myself out of a hole, working, homeschooling restarting a business. But I can’t function more than a few hours a day.
If I can’t feel somewhat normal I can’t keep spending all the $$ on food and even supplements (which only help for a week).
What can I do? I don’t know. From diet to manifesting, nothing is working. Some days I feel like I am dying which trigger anxiety of actually dying and leaving my child alone. Catch 22. Seems the only thing that works is resting when I am tired, eating what my body craves (healthy of course) and being stress free. BUT I can’t realistically do that, I am playing catch up and even 8 hours of work is not enough. I still need energy for running a home and raising a kid!
Everywhere l look is “there is no cure for ME” unacceptable.
Hopefully something revelas itself to me soon.
Diana I hope your feeling better.
Do you have mould in your home?
Have you even tested with functional lab tests ?
Joel radley
Functional & Root Cause Nutritionist
Hi Vivian,
I so get what you’re saying. Have you looked into any somatic movement online courses? You may have trauma trapped in your nervous system. Sometimes I find that what feels like fatigue is disassociation. One thing that has helped me tremendously is getting involved in a safe community of people- for me that has been a local church. We help each other a lot and I think that shared burden is something most of us single moms are missing. Praying you will find the help and strength you need to move forward one day at a time and know it’s not in vain. The love you’re investing in your kiddo will grow and you will reap beautiful fruit from it, I believe!
I can relate so much to Vivian’s comment.
I’m a 36 year old single mom, years of trauma and stress, have been working through things in therapy for a long time now, but regular life often feels so draining.
I have a lot to do and it seems if I get thrown off by just a few things in a row before I can “recover” (getting food poisoning and losing sleep, getting physical anxiety from a surprise dog barking at me, my kid has a meltdown, etc.) I can start having symptoms for days (Achy body, fatigue, sore throat, etc.) The symptoms sometimes make it impossible to function, then I get behind, creating more work for myself. (And financial stress if I have to take off work.)
I think it’s my nervous system.
Was dairy free and sugar free for 3 years and stayed at 160lbs. Been eating dairy again for six months and am at 180lbs. (Also eating sugar and non grass fed dairy often). Was in a horrible relationship that ended six months ago and during that two years was extremely physically sick most of the time. ADHD/autism spectrum diagnosis. Not surprising (more like developmental trauma). Diagnosed with EBV after flare ups and tests. But the flare ups felt like this. Exhaustion. I’m sure my body can heal from this!!! I just need to know HOW.
Have been on an antihistamine for anxiety for 9 months and have been weaning off of it. Normally have terrible allergies to dust and fragrances, too.
I grind my teeth at night and clench often. Headaches and sinus/face pain from this. Hypertonic and weak pelvic floor.
Used to exercise a lot (strength training, hiking) and now nothing.
GI is usually fine though when I was gluten free for 12 years I had gas and bloating all the time. Anxiety causes gas for me.
Now only eating dairy that’s grass fed. Only grass fed meats. Plus organic veggies and fruits. Sourdough. Considering GAPS diet. I like the ideas Dr. Cowan suggests here. Keto and whole 30 made me crazy sick and dizzy. But I do struggle with sugar cravings and family hx of diabetes.
Hmm. There’s about 75 percent of my health story. Can’t think of it all at the moment. But any feedback is appreciated!