Childhood Trauma Tied to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Children who are traumatized by sexual, physical or psychological abuse are more likely to develop chronic fatigue syndrome as adults, new research suggests. Read more

Health Tip: Living With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

(HealthDay News) -- Chronic fatigue syndrome is an illness of unknown cause that can make a person feel excessively tired for prolonged periods.

While there is no cure, medication and lifestyle changes can help keep symptoms under control. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these suggestions:

• Keep a log of activities that trigger extreme fatigue, and try to avoid those things.
• Try to get some light exercise. But always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever for the aches, muscle and joint pain, and headaches that can accompany the syndrome.
• Try a non-drowsy antihistamine to help with allergy-like symptoms.
• Talk to your doctor about whether an antidepressant can help you feel and sleep better.
• Join a support group.
  

Sleep Problems Plague the Older Set

(HealthDay News) -- Older Americans often have difficulty getting a good night's rest. It's a huge quality-of-life problem, experts say, because contrary to popular belief, seniors require about the same amount of sleep as younger adults.

"Sleep problems and sleep disorders are not an inherent part of aging," said Dr. Harrison G. Bloom, a senior associate at the International Longevity Center-USA and associate clinical professor of geriatrics and medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

"It's pretty much of a myth that older people need less sleep than younger people."

Yet, in a study published recently in The American Journal of Medicine, researchers found that more than half of older Americans have problems getting the shuteye they need.

Older people tend to have "sleep fragmentation," meaning they wake up more often during the night, said study author Dr. Julie Gammack, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at St. Louis University.

They also seem to get less "REM" sleep, the type of sleep during which rapid eye movement occurs, Bloom added.

It's unclear what role these naturally occurring changes in sleep patterns have on a person's quality of life, Bloom said. "What is important, though, is that older people often have actual sleep disorders and problems with sleep," he said.

And, experts say, there is usually more than one cause.

"Sleep disturbance in older adults is typically associated with acute and chronic illnesses, including specific sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome that appear with greater frequency in older populations," said Michael V. Vitiello, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate director of the University of Washington's Northwest Geriatric Education Center.

As people age, they typically develop more diseases and suffer from aches and pains. "These things can disrupt sleep, so what they may perceive as a sleep disorder may actually relate to the effects of some of their other medical problems," Gammack noted.

Taking multiple medications, as many older people do, can also lead to fatigue and "hypersomnia," or being tired all the time, Bloom added.

Another big problem, he noted, is depression and anxiety. "Those are very commonly associated with sleep problems."

Despite the prevalence of sleep difficulties in older adults, many patients aren't getting the help they need.

"The average physician receives very little training about sleep disorders and typically does not routinely screen patients for them," said Vitiello, who serves on the board of directors of the National Sleep Foundation. This may be due to a lack of time or training or the belief that there is little that can be done to improve sleep, he explained.

As a result, problems like insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea and circadian rhythm disorders are underdiagnosed and undertreated, Bloom said.

To rectify the problem, a national coalition of aging, geriatric medicine and sleep organizations is currently developing guidelines to promote prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems in older adults. The National Coalition for Sleep Disorders in Older People expects to publish its recommendations by mid-2008.

"The reason we're concerned with these [problems], besides a major issue on quality of life and being tired the next day and not functioning properly, is that these sleep disorders are associated with hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart disease, depression and anxiety," said Bloom, chairman of coalition's expert task force.

A cause-and-effect relationship has yet to be established between sleep disorders and these chronic health problems, but Bloom suspects they at least contribute to each other. And he believes a causal relationship may be found in years to come.

"This is very, very much a tip-of-the-iceberg problem," he said.

More information
For tips on better sleep, visit the National Sleep Foundation.

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Scanner instantly checks for present state of health

A woman with headphones sits by a desk where a physician is examining her. As she listens to the beeps, her eyes fall on a computer screen where the graphics of internal organs appear constantly, each of which has a number of signs painted in several colours, indicating the condition it is in.

For the health conscious, here comes the new alternative treatment that will allow health-concerned persons to get checked and scanned whole body without need to contact with all types of chemical substances or radiation.

A team of Russian scientists has developed this piece of equipment using Molecular Resonance Imaging Technology (MRIT). The machine sends out a high-amplitude vibration to the body to find out how much energy a cell has in store.

Orion, the result of a 10-year-long research effort, aimed to make a rapid medical screening check up but also to help support medical diagnostic and deliver what is called in early warning detection and early prevention of future diseases specifically.

The gadget applies theories of quantum entropy logic and molecular imaging to analyse, evaluate and balance the biological system at the molecular level. What’s more, it combines cutting-edge technology with holistic and conventional medicine.

“Not only can we find out what you ate or drank last but also if your organs are functioning as well as they should be,” said Marina Lobova, managing director of Meta Med Co Ltd.

The device comes with bio-sensor headphones with built-in MRIT wave scanner, an infrared camera and the MRIT main board processor, apart from the embedded Orion software. Once vibrations from the bio-scanner reach the target cells, signals go straight to the microchip on the main board. There, the signals are encoded before comparing them with the results stored in the machine database.

When decoded, the energy status of the body cells is displayed on the computer screen where a colour-coded reproduction of the organ pops up.

Lobova said six colours are used to denote six levels of well-being. White indicates that the organ is functionally normally, yellow denotes that the cells are doing their best, orange means they are under stress. Maroon shows that overwork has weakened the cells, brown indicates they are about to call in sick, and black suggests that medical attention is needed.

Once the problems have been determined, Orion sends a combination of balanced electromagnetic signals to the body.

This treatment can effectively root out pain, heart and lung ailments, and the chronic fatigue syndrome, besides preventing disorders.

Since the machine collects information over many sessions, the doctor is able to know how much has taken place in the body in the interim period.

Lobova said the body scan takes between five and 20 minutes, depending on the person’s age and level of general health. She said the machine is safe for infants, children and pregnant women since it does not give off radiation, nuclear magnetic resonance or any other harmful energies.

Yaowapa Dhachalupat, department manager of B Grimm Healthcare’s medical engineering division, the firm that markets Orion, said other than full-body scans, patients can also ask for organ-specific examinations.

“With Orion, there is no need to take a blood sample to the lab to be tested. Without any painful needle prick, the machine will tell you which organ or part of your body is playing up,” she said.

Suchalee Pongprasert
The Nation