TEST FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE

Understand What It Is

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), is a chronic and complex disease where you have difficulty in physical activities due to extreme tiredness. It can affect multiple body systems, including the nervous system, brain, hormones, immune system, or gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms vary from person to person, but some of the common ones are fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest or sleep, muscle pain, and cognitive impairment.

What Test Is Like

There is no specific test to diagnose CFS, so it can be challenging for doctors. Dr. Shomo usually looks at the symptoms and order some testing to see how well your body is functioning. This approach also helps him understand what’s causing the problem so that therapies can be targeted specifically for them.

Some of the common tests done include saliva or blood testing to check on adrenal fatigue, food sensitivities testing, endocrine health tests, external stressors, and more.

Saliva or Blood Testing to Check on Adrenal Fatigue

This testing looks at the levels of cortisol and DHEA in your body, which can give a better understanding of how your adrenals are functioning. If they’re low, it might show that you have fatigue or tiredness because your adrenals aren’t doing their job effectively to produce energy.

Low blood sugar may also be an indicator if you tend to feel fatigued after meals or experience brain fog due to hypoglycemia (low glucose). These symptoms definitely indicate that there’s some stress going on with the endocrine system.

Food Sensitives Test

These tests will measure the blood’s reaction to different foods and chemicals (i.e., natural vs. artificial dyes). If you have any sort of allergy or intolerance, this testing might help determine what those are so that you can begin removing them from your diet.

Endocrine Health Test

These tests look for any abnormalities in the thyroid, adrenals, and reproductive organs. They also look for any hormone imbalances, including estrogen dominance. This is a very important test because it can help determine what’s going on with your body and why you may feel the way that you do. If there are abnormalities in these tests’ results, then your doctor will focus your treatment plan specifically on those systems and organs first.

External Stressors Test

This looks for heavy metals, chemicals, and anything else that may be negatively impacting your system. If your doctor finds a high amount of anything particularly stressful to the body, they will put you on an elimination diet and supplement program.

Hormonal Imbalances Test

This test looks for any of the many hormonal imbalances that can be linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. This test can show if you’re deficient in some of the following: Vitamin D, estrogen/progesterone/testosterone levels, cortisol, or other stress-related hormone imbalances.

With these tests done, your doctor will know exactly what the next steps should be, which ultimately leads us down a more effective path towards recovery with less trial and error along the way. So, while CFS may seem like an overwhelming diagnosis at first glance – rest assured there’s hope as long as diagnosis and treatment are accurately made.

Symptoms

There are many symptoms of CFS, and the ones listed below are just some of the most common ones. Tell Dr. Shomo if you believe you may be experiencing any of these because help is available if the syndrome is caught early enough. The main symptom, though, is extreme fatigue that doesn’t go away.

Other symptoms include:

• Headaches/Migraines
• Muscle aches
• Joint pain
• Trouble sleeping or sleep disturbances
• Irregular or fast heartbeat
• Feeling dizzy
• Sore throat
• Flu-like symptoms
• Coughing at night.
• Difficulty thinking, concentrating, and multitasking
• Blurred vision or light sensitivity

Testing for chronic fatigue syndrome is definitely recommended and certainly helps to diagnose the condition. After testing is completed, a few different treatments can be used, including medication, getting plenty of rest, and natural remedies. Make an appointment with Dr. Shomo to get tested.