I'm certainly not advocating exercise (or anything else) as a "cure-all," but I am a strong advocate of "stacking the odds in one's favor" for the best possible outcome. The message here is that many, MANY people have found that light or moderate exercise is within their power to improve their situation with chronic pain & chronic fatigue. I thought I read that you had given up on it recently, but I must be mistaken and hadn't followed that closely.
You probably know that eating very healthy diet is also prescribed to improve quality of life in those with chronic pain/fatigue. But in case you didn't know, and for the benefit of others here, you should know that specialists in chronic fatigue recommend a low-carb diet of unprocessed and organic foods to improve CFS symptoms. Avoid processed, refined carbohydrates, such as the sugar or white flour found in foods such as white bread, crackers,
cookies or cakes.
“Sugar has multiple detrimental effects in CFS patients. It suppresses the immune system, increases inflammation, and stimulates yeast overgrowth in the intestines,” says Kent Holtorf, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist and founder of the Holtorf Medical Group in Torrance, Calif. “It also causes a rapid rise in blood sugar, followed by hypoglycemia [not enough sugar, which is needed for energy conversion, in the blood]. This hypoglycemia causes fatigue, anxiety, and sugar cravings, [creating] a vicious cycle."
The list of what you can eat/should eat to help restore natural energy is much larger — and much better — than what you have to avoid. And here again, these are foods most people should be eating anyway. Wild-caught fish, grass fed meats (although infrequent; avoid or completely eliminate other red meats), dark fruits, etc. These have been widely discussed to help prevent or slow (not "cure") PC progression, heart disease, etc., etc....it turns our that they are good for chronic fatigue, too! Bonus!
Post Edited (Casey59) : 9/29/2011 2:02:41 PM (GMT-6)