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Chronic fatigue syndrome affects some, is ignored in those who have anything-at-all wrong, might be accepted with a shrug and a pat on the back for the otherwise healthy, and is otherwise unknown. Until now, no one has had anything to go on — but now, there's a way to show that seemingly healthy people are, in fact, affected by something. Well, it's a start.
Using a test to judge the stress of the immune system, researchers at Stanford have now identified those symptomatically diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as having a condition that is not identified in a control group. While this is very little to go on, it is more than nothing to go on, and so could start a search for a treatment for an otherwise clueless grab at nothing. The simple fact that there is now a distinction is itself news, but also that the research uses a lab-on-a-chip to assess change in current of a sample of immune cells, giving them an indicator of the health (or stress) of the sample is an example of a technology that hasn't been considered until the last few years — and a hint at advances offered by even simple, routine advances of technology.
As a shameless plug, I consulted a trusted holistic health friend (note: whole-health/holistic, not homeopathic/pretend) about CFS, and she mentioned that she feels it's a general toxicity problem. The immune system does play a role in clearing various toxins from the body, so perhaps another clue for researchers to pursue. (Tip: up until 1990, lead-based solder was used in household plumbing. How much that matters, perhaps not a whole lot.)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:19PM (18 children)
I complained about it. Doctor checked blood oxygen. Ah ha, a quart low! Blood work. Need to take iron supplements. Easy fix.
Advice: tell your doctor if you really are fatigued! What an idea!
Another reason: I don't drink much caffeine, and only before noon. (But I decide to maintain that, sleep is a poor substitute for caffeine, see below)
Later I get diagnosed with particular type of arthritis. That also explains the anemia / iron supplements, as well as other things seemingly unrelated.
Even when you can live with chronic pain (yes you really can!) it still drags you down -- in a fatiguing way. But not dragged down enough to stop me from inflicting bad jokes on people.
Narcotic pain killers can make you fatigued. Yes, really sherlock. So don't take them unless you must.
Advice: get plenty of sleep! This seems so simple. Just give up a stupid TV program and sleep! You won't believe how much better you can feel. Better yet -- get rid of cable tv completely. Guard and protect your free waking hours so you can enjoy them. Learn how to enjoy life. It may not be the things you immediately think of at first.
At most recent visit, the arthritis specialist describes that his patients seem to fall into two groups. Some become more pleasant, happy, peaceful while others become more grouchy and angry. I wonder which group seems more fatigued?
Getting old makes you fatigued. But it doesn't have to make you grouchy.
Using Perl can make you fatigued. Ah, nevermind.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by HiThere on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:26PM (7 children)
Anemia is not "chronic fatigue syndrome". And there have been tests for that for a very long time.
Yes, anemia will make you chronically fatigued, but that's not sufficient to qualify for the syndrome. So will being very overweight, not exercising, and eating lots of sugar, and that doesn't qualify either.
Don't confuse the name with the thing. I'll admit that when they say it's a syndrome they clearly say that all they have is a collection of symptoms, but one of the symptoms, e.g., is normal levels of blood iron.
The questions are:
1) What's the false positive rate on the test, and
2) What's the false negative rate on the test.
Answering these questions probably requires much larger studies, which are difficult because without the test it's quite difficult to ensure that the patient you're examining actually has the syndrome. Which is why there are so many questionable diagnoses. So the test is really needed.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:34PM (2 children)
My uncle had "full blown" CFS about 20 years ago - they did the full battery of tests, in hospital sleep study, etc. and basically came away with the big shrug. Lots of M.D.s at the time thought it was a psych condition, which is pretty absurd for a recently retired fishing addict who's too tired to get on the boat.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:39PM (1 child)
I would tend to diagnose primary cryptogenic essential (iodpathic) chronic fatigue symptomology..
(Score: 3, Insightful) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday May 07 2019, @06:43PM
The iodpathic is the worst. The absolute worst. Fancy way of saying, Doctors have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER. I call it Noideapathic!!!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:41PM (3 children)
I'm not saying anything about the syndrome. Just pondering reasons one can feel fatigued most of the time.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 08 2019, @02:12AM (1 child)
Masturbation. Next question?
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday May 08 2019, @01:47PM
It is unclear if you are proposing that as:
* a cause of being fatigued?
* a cure for being fatigued?
* a method of inducing sleep?
* a distraction from being fatigued?
* other?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Wednesday May 08 2019, @04:14AM
There's lots of reasons. Starvation can do it, or perhaps that was vitamin or mineral deficiency. IIUC simple vitamin C deficiency sufficient to cause scurvy can cause lethargy, so probably other vitamin deficiencies could also. Untreated sleep apnea can definitely cause chronic fatigue. So can lack of sleep for other reasons. Anemia (ok, that's another mineral deficiency). Etc.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday May 07 2019, @04:31PM (7 children)
Easily said, less easy to do... So many "enjoying life" activities depend on weather, coordination of multiple people, etc. that it becomes a tiring activity just to enable the possibility of doing them... much easier to just flop on the sofa and turn on the AV stimulator - and if you want to engage cognitive stimulation with the AV, then you have to stop doing things (restful) and pay attention to the sound and light... unfortunately this cognitive stimulation can become addictive, leading to loss of sleep, neglect of simple household chores (which often then end up getting done before bed), etc.
I say the same about nearly all Microsoft development enviro/language/IDE/things, and most of their "productivity" apps too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday May 08 2019, @01:28AM (6 children)
...whether or not you're done with your mortgage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 08 2019, @02:06AM (5 children)
Pro tip: getting rid of your mortgage is nice, but is far from the whole answer.
We got rid of our mortgage by moving from Miami to Houston - same pay, better benefits, and the house was in a nicer neighborhood, twice the square footage, 4x the lot size, and 1/2 the price. Strangely, property taxes were still $5K per year, insurance didn't go down, cars cost the same, as did travel, clothing, food, saving for retirement, etc. Ultimately, the unhealthy air drove us out, and back into a house twice the price.
The mortgage is a big bill, but after you have slain the big beast, you notice the horde.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Thursday May 09 2019, @07:06PM (4 children)
Never mind the horde... Just a car will do it. A new mid size suv loan is the same as the principle and interest part of my mortgage. A standard student loan payment is not far behind these days. If the wife and I didn't have our young adult professional starter kit debt we could take an all inclusive vacation every month. I can't even imagine being one of the people who fell for credit cards.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday May 09 2019, @08:47PM (3 children)
My wife's older sister fell for credit: cards, home refinance, buy this couch on credit, you name it.
She had a net worth of essentially zero on her 60th birthday. We've let her squat in her deceased parent's mobile home and essentially given her our half of it without a legal fight - maybe someday she will give us our half when she sells? Not likely. But, rather than give 40% of the value to probate lawyers, and earn her scorn, we've opted to let her earn our scorn instead. So, now she has a net worth of one mobile home, which I expect to see squandered to zero over the next 10 years, at which time she can take her chances with state run elder care.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Friday May 10 2019, @05:28AM (2 children)
Our current rate of pay has us free and clear in a decade despite the current situation. I could understand still digging out but to not even see the hole at that age is crazy. That kind of behavior is why a lot of people think we shouldn't help others.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 10 2019, @01:26PM (1 child)
I forget our mortgage rate, it was a 2013 deal somewhere around 2.75%. At that rate, it's a strategic leveraging - we're getting higher returns on our investments, so pay that debt as slowly as possible, and home mortgages have been our only debt incurred since ~1999, my last car loan was in 1992 and that was just leveraging to buy a first home (against the rules, but there are ways....)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Friday May 10 2019, @08:03PM
I like the leveraging idea with the mortgage. I will definitely consider it when I get to that point. I'll probably clear PMI then slow down.
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Tuesday May 07 2019, @08:38PM (1 child)
I am sure it is simple, for those people who don't suffer from Sleep Apnoea.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday May 07 2019, @09:07PM
A CPAP / APAP machine may be able to help.
Some years ago, my experience and the same experience related by a friend: once on the machine I started dreaming again. I couldn't remember any recent dreams before the machine.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.