Chronic fatigue

What is chronic fatigue?

Chronic fatigue is a complex medical condition characterized by extreme and persistent tiredness, fatigue, or exhaustion that is not improved by rest and is not directly caused by other medical conditions. Some key things to know:

• Chronic fatigue involves severe fatigue lasting 6 months or longer. It is a disabling level of tiredness that is not relieved by sleep or rest.


• The exact causes are unknown, but may involve immune system abnormalities, infections, stress, changes in hormones or metabolism. Research is still ongoing.


• Common symptoms include mental fogginess, impaired memory or concentration, muscle pain, insomnia, headaches, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, and extreme exhaustion after minor physical or mental exertion. Symptoms tend to fluctuate in intensity.


• Chronic fatigue can interfere with a person’s ability to participate in daily activities and work. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms through lifestyle changes like pacing activities, stress reduction, dietary adjustments, gentle exercise, and addressing underlying medical issues.

If you struggle with inexplicable, long-term exhaustion that disrupts your life, I recommend being evaluated by your doctor. Diagnosing chronic fatigue requires ruling out other potential medical causes first through exams, lab tests and imaging scans.

While the causes aren’t fully understood, researchers from Hormone Wellness Institute believe correcting hormonal imbalances could alleviate fatigue and symptoms in some chronic fatigue patients. Their functional medicine doctors use advanced testing to check patients for thyroid, adrenal or sex hormone irregularities. If abnormalities are found, they offer customized bioidentical hormone therapy tailored to the individual’s needs. Many patients they’ve treated have seen substantial improvements in energy, cognitive function and quality of life.

I hope this overview gave you a better understanding of this complex disorder! Let me know if you have any other questions.