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Book NowSarah (not her real name) came to our clinic suffering from extreme fatigue. Her health was generally fairly good, however in the last 12 months she had contracted COVID and RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). Since having COVID, she had twice experienced a terrible taste and smell.
Sarah had previously contracted Glandular Fever. 8 years ago she underwent sinus surgery.
We carried out a Comprehensive Assessment, which showed that
Your sinuses are a magnificent structure of tunnels and caves running throughout your head that connect to your respiratory system. They often become the site of what is called a ‘focal infection’. This is an infection in which bacteria are localised in some region (such as the tonsils or the tissue around a tooth), from which they may spread to other organs or tissues in the body. Sometimes your immune system keeps the focal infection under control, but does not completely eliminate it. Because of its nature to ‘hide out’, the person many not notice any symptoms from the infection. However, the low-grade inflammation becomes a source of irritation for the body, inflaming connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments, as well as depressing the immune system, so that other types of inflammatory processes such as bladder irritation, digestive problems or period pain may keep occurring.
(Many doctors have long been aware of the problems that focal infections can cause. The Japanese physician Dr Horiguchi has made this problem of focal infections in the sinuses his life’s work.)
Your immune system is like a country’s defence force. If a country is at war, every available resource (people, dollars, equipment, etc.) is thrown into the conflict. If the war goes on for too long, the entire country becomes depleted. In the same way, focal infections (particularly sinus infections) can last for many years, and leave the person completely drained. The immune system uses up a huge amount of energy when it is activated, so if the person has low energy and their immune system also becomes run down, they are less able to resist other infections, which can add to the problem.
Once a person has reached this state of fatigue, their body will often look for a stimulant to keep them going. They may start craving sugar, or their body may increase its normal levels of adrenaline. Because they are stimulants, both of these options will just make the problem worse in the long run.
So a plan was formulated for Sarah, involving
She received a series of 5 acupuncture and 2 naturopath treatments, and after 3 months she reported that her energy levels were now up to 7/10. She had also lost 5 kgs, mostly of belly fat (possibly due to less inflammation in her digestive system), and her clothes felt looser on her.
Disclaimer – Please be aware that each person’s body is different, so individual results may vary. If you have an appointment at our clinic, your therapist will conduct a detailed assessment of your condition, and they will be able to advise you on how successful your treatments are likely to be. A result is not promised and/or guaranteed from the act of receiving a treatment.
There are many possible causes of chronic fatigue, and to obtain good results with this condition it is crucial to diagnose and treat what is causing the problem.
We are currently offering a limited number of free Comprehensive Assessments. (Terms and conditions: the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.)
The Assessment helps to identify:
If you would like to book in for an Assessment, please give us a call on 3376 6911, or you can book online using the link at the top of the page.
Be well, and have a happy life!
Fibromyalgia is painful, often debilitating condition involving constant muscle pain over most of the body, strong fatigue, sleep problems, and often emotional and mental distress.
From a medical perspective, the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, and very little can be done to relieve the symptoms.
A study by the world-renowned Mayo Clinic was conducted on 50 fibromyalgia patients to determine if acupuncture could be used as a treatment for their condition.
It found that the acupuncture treatments significantly improved their symptoms compared with the control group.
Please click here to read more about the research.
Disclaimer – Please be aware that each person’s body is different, so individual results may vary. If you have an appointment at our clinic, your therapist will conduct a detailed assessment of your condition, and they will be able to advise you on how successful your treatments are likely to be. A result is not promised and/or guaranteed from the act of receiving a treatment.
As with any condition, in order to get results it is crucial to first investigate the cause of the problem. We are currently offering a limited number of free Comprehensive Assessments. (Terms and conditions: the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.)
The Assessment helps to identify:
If you would like to book in for an Assessment, please give us a call on 3376 6911, or you can book online using the link at the top of the page.
Be well, and have a great life!
Most people who get COVID-19 recover within a few weeks. But some people, even those who only had a mild case of the disease, might have symptoms that last a long time afterward. This ongoing condition is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome, or more commonly long COVID.
Recent modelling by the University of Tasmania estimates that up to 500,000 people in Australia could be experiencing long COVID by the beginning of December 2022, with more than a fifth of those cases suffering "significant impacts".
Dr Cysique leads a University of New South Wales team that has been studying the ongoing effects of COVID on the brain since early 2020. The team found that two years on, up to a quarter of the participants had some ongoing cognitive difficulties.
The most commonly reported symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome include:
It is not yet clear if post-COVID-19 syndrome is new and unique to COVID-19. However the more common symptoms are very similar to those caused by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can cause various symptoms of inflammation of the brain, including brain fog, lack of refreshing sleep, and things that have a minor effect on the body causing a big impact.
Researchers are now uncovering how Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes, including Long COVID, can become life-changing diseases and why patients suffer frequent relapses.
In a study published in Frontiers in Neurology, Emeritus Professor Warren Tate of the University of Otago, and colleagues from Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, and University of Technology Sydney, explained how the brain-centred symptoms of these diseases are due to a brain-body connection.
They believe that, following the initial viral infection or a subsequent stressor event, the brain can be affected by either
This causes chronic inflammation of the brain/nervous system, leading to an ongoing illness. Sometimes there will also be an ongoing cycle of mild recovery and relapses.
Their model proposes that the body doesn’t heal and recover because of a continuous signal from the brain to the body, causing the patient to constantly relapse.
Professor Tate advised that “These diseases (CFS and Long COVID) are very closely related, and it is clear the biological basis of Long COVID is unequivocally connected to the original COVID infection – so there should no longer be any debate and doubt about the fact that post viral fatigue syndromes like CFS are biologically based and involve much disturbed physiology.”
“Patients need appropriate affirmation of their biological-based illness, and help to mitigate the distressing symptoms of these very difficult life-changing syndromes which are difficult for the patients to manage by themselves.”
“This work highlighted that there is a susceptible subset of people who develop such syndromes when exposed to a severe stress, like infection with COVID-19, or the glandular fever virus Epstein Barr, or in some people with vaccination that is interpreted as a severe stress.”
In our experience, both Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are much more common than people realise. Unfortunately there is no blood test to diagnose these conditions, and conventional medicine has very little to offer these patients.
So we see both of these conditions frequently. We have found the most effective approach is
As with any condition, it is always important to treat the causes of the problem.
We are currently offering a limited number of free Comprehensive Assessments. (Terms and conditions- the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.) These help to identify
If you would like to book in for an Assessment, please give us a call on 3376 6911, or you can book online using the link at the top of the page.
Be well, and have a great life!
The human body is very complex, so we treat a very broad range of conditions. The following is a list of some of the conditions clients came to us for in a single week.
If you have a health issue and you would like to find out if we can help you, you can book in for a free Comprehensive Assessment. The Assessment will look at what is going on in your body, what is causing any problems, and the best way to resolve them. (Terms and conditions- the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.) Have a great life!
A study of 17,000 women by the University of Technology, Sydney, found that in one year acupuncture was used by around 1 in 10 women aged 34-39 years, and around 1 in 16 women aged 62-67 years.
A large proportion of the younger women had been diagnosed with endometriosis, low iron levels, anxiety disorder or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Women in the middle-aged group who consulted an acupuncturist were more likely to have low iron levels, anxiety disorder, depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or arthritis.
If you have a health issue you are wanting to sort out, we suggest booking in for a Comprehensive Assessment at our clinic. We can then have an in-depth look at what is happening in your body, what is causing the problem, and what can be done to sort it out. (Terms and conditions- the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.) Most people find their assessment to be very helpful, interesting and informative.
Do you still feel tired when you wake up, even if you have had a really good sleep? If you feel like you have poor energy all the time, you could be suffering from Adrenal Exhaustion or Adrenal Fatigue. Your adrenals produce adrenaline, which is part of your body's emergency response system. If a tiger jumps out at you from behind a tree, your heart suddenly beats faster, your breathing gets faster, various muscles will tighten, your blood sugar levels rise, and non-emergency systems in your body are suppressed (such as your digestive system). Your body is now in 'fight or flight' mode. This is great for emergencies, but if your body gets stuck in this mode, it will eventually make you feel very run down, and it doesn't seem to get much better no matter what you do. (In the long run, it can also put a strain on your heart, and increase your chances of developing diabetes).
The main symptom of adrenal exhaustion is constant tiredness, but because the body gets very run down it can often cause stress, irritability, depression or anxiety. The immune system is very sensitive to your energy levels, so immune weakness, allergies, or auto-immune diseases can develop. Adrenaline is part of your hormone system, so adrenal exhaustion can also cause all types of hormone imbalances, including PMS, menopause symptoms, thyroid problems, or low libido. Poor sleep and digestive problems are also very common symptoms.
Adrenal Exhaustion is a quiet health epidemic that is becoming increasingly common. In fact, it may surprise you to learn, that adrenal exhaustion is an underlying factor in almost all illnesses. Adrenal exhaustion is often caused by an overly stressful and busy lifestyle. The links between problems with the adrenal gland and excessive stress are well-known but recent research also suggests they can be exacerbated by poor diet, caffeine and smoking. Because adrenaline is the body’s ‘fight or flight’ hormone, the body is very sensitive to there being too much or too little of it in the blood stream. Almost any type of stress, whether it is physical or psychological, will cause an increase in adrenaline levels.
In this fast paced age, we hear that every minute counts. Day after day, week after week, all this pressure to achieve, meet goals, finish daily tasks, begins to build up inside of us until one day we are locked in the throes of time pressure. A chief contributor to time pressure is emotional identity. This happens when you invest a great deal of mental and emotional energy in a situation. All that energy can create tunnel vision, leaving you unable to see or appreciate other important things in your life. When someone or something interferes with that focus, the result frequently is irritation, anxiousness and frustration, especially when deadlines must be met. You push people away, neglect other areas of your life, but still proceed until eventually you lapse into emotional chaos. In the end, time pressure can seriously damage not only your relationships and quality of life, but even the situation in which you buried yourself to the exclusion of all else. Time pressure takes a toll on our nervous, immune and hormonal systems, and left unattended will likely produce cycles of anxiety, chronic fatigue and temporary despair. As this process continues it makes us more susceptible to health problems.
Always rushed, too much to do, not enough time; mentally scattered, not feeling in control, tunnel vision, irritation at anyone or anything that breaks your focus, internal pressure, a gnawing feeling in you solar plexus, impatience, lack of compassion for self and others, feeling a constant slow burn inside, low-grade stress and strain, feeling disconnected from life, decreased enjoyment of projects, relationships or life in general.
Other causes of adrenal exhaustion are
When treating Adrenal Exhaustion, it is important to address 3 areas.
If you suspect that you may have Adrenal Exhaustion, please book in for a free Comprehensive Assessment so that we can check and let you know if you do, and inform you on how best to treat it.
It can sometimes be hard to tell if we're just tired, or suffering from adrenal fatigue. Only a trained medical specialist will be able to tell you for sure, but here are some basic hallmarks to help you figure out whether you should see a doctor - or (and!) just try to get some more sleep.
Tiredness:
Fatigue:
If you suspect you’re suffering from chronic fatigue, it’s important to see a medical professional sooner rather than later; early detection and treatment can shave weeks, months or even years off your recovery time and rule out serious disease or dysfunction as the cause of your ongoing exhaustion.
How is your immune system? If you came through the cold and flu season without coming down with anything, you would assume that it is pretty good. But preventing colds is only a small part of what the immune system does. And looking after it can make a huge difference to your future health. Imagine how our streets would end up if we had no police force and no rubbish removal system!
Your immune system is designed to maintain your body by
1. Dealing with any attack
2. Repairing any damage
3. Controlling your own cells
4. Helping your body adapt to changes in temperature and climate
There are far more microbes living in our body than you would think- around 100 trillion of them! So our immune system is constantly fighting to keep the right balance of good and bad bugs in and on our bodies.
If your immune system is not strong, it won’t help your body cope well with changes in temperature, season or climate. This is why many people get colds and flus after they are exposed to a cold wind or draft (get a ‘chill’), or during the cold and flu ‘seasons’, when the temperatures are fluctuating as the seasons change (especially around the start of winter or spring).
If your immune system isn't working well, you can end up with
Allergies and food intolerances occur when you immune system is overstimulated and reacts to something that has come into your body or on your skin. The number of people with allergies is increasing rapidly, with 1 in 4 children now suffering from them. Autoimmune conditions happen when your immune system is so overstimulated that it starts attacking parts of your own body. It is thought that one of the main reasons for all three conditions is because we have made our environments and our bodies too clean and sterile. We have removed many of the evolutionarily protective microbes (bacteria, viruses, parasites) we have evolved to have in our bodies, under the assumption that all such bugs are harmful[1]. So your immune system cannot behave and act in the way it was designed to. Biologists used to think that the human body is capable of doing all it needs to on its own to exist. However, recent research shows that the right bacteria in our bodies provides vital help with many of the body's basic functions, including growth, digestion, and self-defence[2]. And upsetting the balanced ecosystem between the correct bacteria in our bodies and our own cells could be causing unprecedented numbers of children to develop autism, ADHD, food allergies, asthma and many other chronic problems.
Another very common cause of food intolerances and allergies is ‘leaky gut syndrome’. Under normal circumstances, the epithelial cells that line your small intestine are joined tightly to each other. This makes the lining of your intestine nearly leak-proof, and only fully digested food molecules are allowed to pass through. If there are strong stresses on these delicate structures, these tight joins may start to separate, creating gaps between the cells. These gaps make your gut ‘leaky’, and then large, undigested food molecules can pass through into the body, where they are collected by the bloodstream and lymph vessels of your intestine.
When your immune system spots these large molecules, it decides that they are too big to be digested food, so it must be a foreign invader into the body, such as a virus or bacteria, and it attacks them. Your immune system attacking these food molecules in your blood can cause a very broad range of problems. (For more details, please see Food Intolerance Testing Now Available.)
Getting your immune system in good shape involves five things.
1. Getting rid of any focal infections
The sinuses are the most common area for focal infections, so these need to be carefully checked and treated if needed.
2. Strengthen your nutrient levels
Vitamin C and Zinc are the most important, but other nutrients, such as vitamin D, are also essential. (Vitamin D is necessary for the ‘killer T-cells’ to hunt down and destroy cells that are infected with germs or that have become cancerous.)
3. Improve any lifestyle factors
Low energy and stress both drag your immune system down. If it is not possible to change your lifestyle factors, naturopathy and acupuncture can help compensate. Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but not too much!
4. Getting your bacterial ecosystem right
Since 70- 80% of your body's immune cells are in your digestive system[3], it is crucial to have the right bacterial balance in your gut to have a good immune system. If your diet isn’t right, you will end up with bad gut bacteria, and these bugs send the wrong messages to the immune system, creating illnesses in the body. (For more details see our article How Bad Gut Bacteria Can Cause Diabetes, Asthma, Ulcerative Colitis, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism, Allergies & Autoimmune Diseases.) Probiotics can provide the good bacteria we need, however since our internal ecosystems are so complex, there is no one probiotic that can sort out everyone’s systems. For example, we supply ten different probiotics for different purposes. (These are Practitioner Prescribing Only products, so a trained therapist has to determine which is the correct one for you.)
5. Address any allergies or food intolerances
We can check the health of your digestive system, and also perform a Food Intolerance Test. Treatments for leaky gut syndrome, overactive immune systems, food intolerances and allergies are available.
If you want to take care of your immune system, or if you have any immune issues or weaknesses, please book in for a Comprehensive Assessment at our clinic. We can then have an in-depth look at what is happening in your body, what is causing the problem, and what can be done to sort it out. These Assessments are very thorough, and you will learn a lot about how your body is working. Our clients find them very helpful, interesting and informative. We currently have a limited number of free Assessments available, so please contact the Clinic soon if you would like to book in for one.
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841828/
[2] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ultimate-social-network-bacteria-protects-health/
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10564096
Does fatigue drag you down day after day? Do you have excess weight, brain fog, poor sleep, hair loss, or often feel anxious? Your thyroid could be to blame. This gland controls the rate of activity of all the cells of your body, so if it is underactive, everything slows down. Your metabolism, energy production, digestion, moods, libido, or temperature control can be affected. Getting your thyroid right is critical to having good energy levels, feeling your best, and avoiding some important health problems. The most common symptoms of low thyroid are:
When left untreated, low thyroid function can also raise your cholesterol levels, and so increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
Your pituitary is a gland attached to your brain, and it releases Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to control your thyroid. The less active your thyroid is, the more TSH your pituitary will produce. Your thyroid gland then produces the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 (thyroxine), which control the rest of your body.
The names T3 and T4 refer to the number of iodine atoms in each hormone, as iodine is the key nutrient needed to create them. Iodine is particularly important for women who are pregnant or trying to fall pregnant, as the mother’s thyroid hormones are needed for proper brain and nerve development of their growing babies. During pregnancy, the mother’s T4 production doubles, increasing her daily iodine requirement. If she is low in iodine and cannot produce the right level of thyroid hormones, the baby could be born with mental impairment and learning delay. Even a moderate iodine deficiency in a pregnant woman can lower her infant’s IQ. In 2007 the WHO estimated that over 30% of the world’s population (2 billion people) have insufficient iodine. Because iodine deficiency is so common, it is one of the leading causes of mental retardation. (As low iodine intake affected a massive 43% of our population, the Australian government has made it mandatory for iodine to be added to bread. However, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or considering becoming pregnant frequently still need iodine supplements.)
Other important nutrients for proper thyroid function include:
The most common cause of low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) is Hashimoto’s disease. This is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks the thyroid gland. The damage to the thyroid prevents it from producing enough hormones. Other causes include:
Often a client will come to us who has had a blood test, and their doctor says that their results are within normal range, so their thyroid is fine. However, when we check their blood test, their TSH levels may be toward the higher end of the range. (The higher the TSH, the weaker your thyroid is working.) Most pathology laboratories use a TSH range of 0.4 to 4.0 mIU/L to determine if there is a thyroid problem. However, the National Academy of Clinical Biochemists advised that 95% of people without any indication of thyroid disease have a TSH concentration below 2.5 mIU/L, and so it has been advocated that the upper level of the TSH range be lowered to 2.5 mIU/L. And many highly experienced natural therapists consider any level above 2.0 mIU/L to indicate a sluggish thyroid.
In addition, blood tests will normally only check the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels. Testing for T3, T4, and thyroid antibody levels gives a more accurate picture of how the thyroid is functioning. However, doctors are reluctant to do these tests unless a thyroid disorder has been established.
If your TSH levels are above the ‘normal’ range, you would normally be put on thyroid medication for the rest of your life. We believe it is better to improve your thyroid before that happens. So if you think your thyroid may not be working well, or you have been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, please book in for a free Comprehensive Assessment. We can evaluate how well your thyroid is working, what has probably caused the problem, and the quickest and easiest way to get it working well again.
From time to time we come across people with complex symptom combinations looking for help in online health forums because they don't know where else to turn. To give you some insight into the diagnostic process that we frequently treat and the detail that is often involved, the following extract is a thread from one such forum.
Of course if you 'don't know where else to turn', and you are located in Brisbane or the surrounding areas, please contact us to discuss your symptoms or take advantage of our Free Comprehensive Health Assessment offer.
YEARS of FATIGUE, adrenal exhaustion, 26/f, constant napping and oversleeping HELP
Ok so … I've had some symptoms over the past few years and whenever I go to the doctor there never seems to be an explanation for much, so I appreciate any input because I am at a loss.
Lets start with the basics. I am a 26 year old non-smoking female. I do not drink alcohol, wine, or caffeine, with the exception of an alcoholic drink on my birthday.
From 12-15 I had anxiety-induced IBS symptoms. Had an upper GI exam done and they found nothing abnormal. These days I'm nausea frequently and can't eat a lot in one sitting or I will barf.
I developed moderate psoriasis at 15. Since 19 it has been very mild and does not interfere with my everyday life.
From 12-23 I had painful TMJ in my jaw - I finally had corrective jaw surgery at 23 and have had no jaw issues since.
At 23 I had mononucleosis (verified positive by blood test) and had it for about 2 months before I felt bad to normal.
But since age 19 I've have been EXTREMELY fatigued, always tired, joint and muscle pain, frequent anxiety, feel physically weak a lot of the time, nauseous, brain fog, poor concentration (I'm going on my 7th year of being in college, the past 5 years I've been a part time student and part time employee because I cannot mentally or physically keep up).
I need to sleep at least 8-9 hours a night and most days I end up taking a 3-4 hour nap. If I don't allow myself to nap I will get a headache. I've tried multiple anti-depressants, probably 10 by now and they did not help. I'm a healthy eater, have variety in my diet, drink sufficient water, and I'll treat myself once in a while. I'm physically fit compared to most and have only about 20% body fat. I do some weight training at home when I feel up for it but aerobic activity causes me stress that I give up after usually 5-10 minutes. From time to time my words are slurred, charley horse cramps in my calfs at night, and am VERY sensitive to cold, especially my legs, although we live in a warm climate. I had an ultrasound on my legs, no clots.
I have also been very susceptible to UTI's. In 2012 I had 6 UTI's averaging one every two months but in 2013 I had only one. My husband and I pee before and after sex and are always fresh and *clean* so hygiene is not an issue. Saw a urologist who did an ultrasound of my bladder: normal. And when it comes to alcohol or even wine, I feel toxic after just two drinks. Toxic, not even tipsy. I do not feel better after drinking water or eating.
The last time I had blood work one of the abnormal things found was my CRP level. My CRP levels came in at 10x the max risk at 32.9 mg/L indicating 'obvious source of infection or inflammation'. A few other things were borderline but the doc said everything is "normal". This blood test had been one year since I recovered from mono.
Another doctor noticed that I had deficient testosterone levels (for a female!), and said it could contribute to the fatigue but not necessarily. I used a LOW DOSE testosterone rx cream daily for 5 months which boosted my testosterone level to a normal female level (and I did NOT grow a mustache! lol). But I did not feel better. This doctor also checked my thyroid and said levels came back normal. He said I may have adrenal fatigue (saliva kit was slightly off) but did not order any other tests or treatment.
My life has gotten to a point where it's difficult to enjoy things because I do not have the energy to get much done. Yes my house is clean, and my homework gets done eventually, but I had to quit working just to focus on finishing school and because I can hardly get through a day without napping. It's gotten that ridiculous. My husband doesn't understand and my friends say that I'm just lazy … that really hurts me.
It's getting back to that time of the year when I go for a routine physical and blood work, and I don't know what to tell my doctor other than I still feel the same as I did 5 years ago. Exhausted. Tired. I'm over feeling awful all the time. I would like to ask for maybe some specific tests but I don't know where to start anymore.
Centenary Natural Therapies Clinics initial response was as follows:
My name is Peter Mills, and I am the owner and Head Therapist at Centenary Natural Therapies Clinic, Brisbane. We frequently see these types of cases, and I am well aware that your symptoms are genuine, despite what your doctor, your husband and your friends may think. Feeling “EXTREMELY fatigued, always tired, joint and muscle pain” are typical of some types of fibromyalgia. In our experience, almost all cases of fibromyalgia involve a chronic infection in the body, and this seems to be supported by your blood test which reveals an "obvious source of infection or inflammation" in your body. It is a bit like constantly having a really bad flu, where your body aches and you feel wiped out all the time. Your immune system is like a country’s defence force- when it is at war, all of the available resources, every man, every dollar, every piece of equipment it can spare, go into the defence force. Similarly, when your body is trying to deal with an invader, all of your resources and energy go into your immune system, which can leave you feeling exhausted constantly.
The most common source of constant infection in the body is the mononucleosis (Glandular Fever) virus; are you aware that once infected, the patient carries the virus for the rest of his or her life? In most people the immune system is able to contain the virus, but in others the virus and the immune system are in a constant state of war. However, since you started to experience the extreme fatigue at 19 and did not contract the mononucleosis until 23, the virus obviously hasn’t caused your condition, but it would still be contributing to it and making your fatigue and body aches worse.
The second most common cause of chronic infection is sinus infections. Probably about 50% of people who have sinus infections are not aware that they have them, as they are not producing enough mucous to cause the congestion in the sinuses that results in pain. The sinuses are like caves in the skull, so the body does not have good access into them, and the immune system can struggle to get rid of any infections there. It is like the viruses or bacteria are in a castle, and your own army can’t get in and destroy them, and so the two forces just keep skirmishing between each other the whole time, leaving you feeling totally drained. (Just as the immune system doesn’t have good access into the sinuses, so too antibiotics are usually not very effective against sinus infections.)
Diagnosing a chronic ‘background’ sinus infection requires a skilled therapist. Over time, the immune system usually becomes too run down to deal with the infection on its own. When the immune system is too low, some viral infections can spread to the connective tissues in different parts of the body, which can result in bladder irritation, digestive dysfunction or menstrual discomfort. It sounds like you certainly have the first two, and this lends further evidence to the sinuses being the source of the problem.
It is also important to clean out any infected phlegm sitting in the sinuses, otherwise the infection will keep recurring. Chemists often sell FESS Sinu-Cleanse kits, which can be used to rinse out the sinuses to help clear out any infected phlegm. We recommend a simple, slightly different method of doing this which we feel is more effective and is not unpleasant, so please get in touch with me if you would like me to teach you the technique.
Once the body becomes too run down, it will often resort to using adrenaline to keep you going. Typically, your body will say “I need to rest!”, and your mind will say “No, you need to keep going!”, so your body produces more adrenaline to give it a boost and some extra energy so you can function. The trouble is, continually running off adrenaline will burn you out and make the problem even worse, so it becomes a vicious cycle. You may like to read our article on Adrenal Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Treatment for more information.
Yours is obviously an advanced condition, and in these cases we often find other organs in the body start to struggle due to the lack of energy in the whole system. For example, if your liver is struggling, you will often have symptoms of nausea and sensitivity to alcohol. You will also have higher levels of toxins in your body, which can cause headaches, brain fog, lack of mental clarity, and sometimes psoriasis. (Your liver can be affected by many things apart from alcohol, such as medications or stress.)
The sensitivity to cold is typical of someone who has a low immune system and whose energy levels are very low. (Some people also experience a sensitivity to drafts or breezes.) It also sounds as if your body is so exhausted that your circulation is starting to become affected.
As you live a long way away, I hope you can find a therapist near you that understands your condition and is able to help you with it.
All the best,
Peter Mills
Valued at $120, your Assessment will help to uncover:
All this will be fully explained to you, and you can ask as many questions as you like. That way we can be sure to give you all of the right information, understanding and advice you need. Terms and conditions: This is a free, no obligation offer.