This is not news exactly but it's news to me. And I will share this "discovery" here since there might be a reader for whom this information could lead to a better life, effectively dealing with the symptoms of CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME. But if you don't have ME/CFS, don't stop reading just yet.
This disorder has been misunderstood or dismissed by medical researchers and clinicians who, until recently, could offer little help, even if they considered it a valid medical condition. I saw these--and fibromyalgia sufferers--daily as physical therapist in a Pain Management Center where I worked with a multi-disciplinary team for five years.
The punchline is that it is now believed that people who have survived viral infections of many types suffer a very similar set of symptoms.
And now, LONG COVID suffers add millions to the ranks who might have crippling fatigue, post-exertional malaise or "brain fog," shortness of breath, or muscle pains.
So if your long-covid-suffering friend has been told to push through the malaise and make themselves work longer or harder or walk farther and get more exercise, that might not be sound advice, though it still comes from clinicians who should be better informed.
Viruses are not even "alive" and yet can deal so much misery to the living cells, organs and organisms they call home. You have had more than your share of experience with them!
Really interesting - thank you. Covid climbed aboard in mid July for only a short visit, but the lingering effects have presented some changes in my normal habits. One is the inability to read long narratives -- after only a few sentences, my brain sort of glazes over with disinterest - such a change from my lifetime of cherishing the written word. The attention for working on a memory card full of photos is also quickly dulled. For the first time in my life, I transfer the files to the computer and seek the best of the batch and dump the rest in the 'pending' section! In October and then in November I've had two 'almost fainting' spells, when my blood sugar/blood pressure dropped --- something that affected me when younger but I learned to manage by avoiding anything with MSG as well as dodging sweets. The only connection to this hyper sensitivity is to roll back to 'covid' - as these spells started after covid but had been absent from my life for about 20 years...
It's somewhat comforting to know that the covid virus side effects might be to blame, especially since my body has also experienced dengue twice and chikungunya as well.. It's saying, 'Please! No more viruses!'
Viruses are not even "alive" and yet can deal so much misery to the living cells, organs and organisms they call home. You have had more than your share of experience with them!
Really interesting - thank you. Covid climbed aboard in mid July for only a short visit, but the lingering effects have presented some changes in my normal habits. One is the inability to read long narratives -- after only a few sentences, my brain sort of glazes over with disinterest - such a change from my lifetime of cherishing the written word. The attention for working on a memory card full of photos is also quickly dulled. For the first time in my life, I transfer the files to the computer and seek the best of the batch and dump the rest in the 'pending' section! In October and then in November I've had two 'almost fainting' spells, when my blood sugar/blood pressure dropped --- something that affected me when younger but I learned to manage by avoiding anything with MSG as well as dodging sweets. The only connection to this hyper sensitivity is to roll back to 'covid' - as these spells started after covid but had been absent from my life for about 20 years...
It's somewhat comforting to know that the covid virus side effects might be to blame, especially since my body has also experienced dengue twice and chikungunya as well.. It's saying, 'Please! No more viruses!'