by Baxter
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| Floating Leaves by Melina Meza |
As we once again pass through the man-made time shift that is daylight savings time (ughh!), I always notice a general malaise and sluggishness in many of my students. The frequency with which my folks report colds and flu goes way up, and the request for longer Savasana at the end of class is a regular phenomenon. But on occasion, a student will report ongoing fatigue that goes way beyond the seasonal shifts or illness exposure of the fall and winter season. Some of these students return from a visit to their doctor with a tentative diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
It is very likely you know someone with this condition. According to a 2003 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the prevalence—the total number of cases of a disease in a given population at a specific time—of CFS is 235 per 100,000 people, with women three times more likely to develop CFS than men.
But just being tired a lot does not get you the diagnosis of CFS. The Mayo Clinic defines chronic fatigue syndrome as:
“a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can’t be explained by any underlying medical condition. The fatigue may worsen with physical or mental activity, but doesn’t improve with rest.”
In fact you have to have significant fatigue for at least 6 months, along with 4 of the following other signs or symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic:
- loss of memory or concentration
- sore throat
- enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpit
- unexplained muscle pain
- pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
- headache of a new type, pattern or severity
- unrefreshing sleep
- extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
The cause of CFS is still unknown, although there are many theories about how and why it develops, including post-viral infection complication, abnormal immune system function or endocrine system function. And there are no specific tests to “prove” you have CFS, so it is important to rule out other conditions that can be associated with fatigue, like sleep apnea, certain medical conditions (like anemia, diabetes or hypothyroidism) and mental health conditions (like depression and bipolar illness, to name a few).
Patients with CFS can a lot of variability in their symptoms, with some days better than others, and flares of symptoms can happen with minor increases in activity. However, because the condition does not get better with rest, the recommendations for treatment by your doctor will include medications, physical therapy and lifestyle modifications. Encouragingly, the Mayo Clinic site actually recommends yoga to help manage the pain symptoms of CFS. And although the studies of the effects of yoga for CFS are yet to be done, the Centers for Disease Control does recommend yoga as a part of treatment approach for CFS.
Many of the yoga recommendations I have made for other chronic illness would apply here as well. Start out slowly, with small, gentle yoga practices, even done in bed. Working with an experienced teacher or yoga therapist initially will give you the greatest chance of gaining benefits from adding yoga to your treatment. Since yoga has been shown in studies to have benefits for stress reduction (an aggravating factor for CFS), and improvements in both endocrine and immune function, systems that can be out of balance in CFS, yoga will likely affect more than just the pain symptoms.
And, as we always advocate here at YFHA, “yoga” implies using as many of the tools of yoga as are appropriate for each individual. If you added in an Ayurvedic perspective, attention to diet and sleep would be included in as well. And on days when a more active physical practice seems daunting or counterproductive, breath work, guided imagery and meditation, including yoga nidra, will allow you to still “practice.” Just the ability to do some sort of practice regularly can give the person with CFS a greater sense of control over their health, which can foster a greater sense of healing and improve their outlook. And as the student progresses to greater levels of ability with the physical poses, which a physical therapist would refer to as “graded exercise,” attendance in a gentle yoga class would be recommended to combat the tendency to social isolation that can often accompanies the lives of those with CFS. Due to the uncertainty of how long CFS may be around, establishing a yoga practice as an ongoing, daily part of your life will have benefits far beyond its effect on only one aspect of your health.
If any of our readers have personal experiences with the pros and cons of yoga for CFS, please write in and share this valuable information with your fellow YFHA readers. Thanks!
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My cfs/fm doctor recommended yoga to me when I first met him in 2005. Since then, I've practiced yoga regularly. My practice approach has had to ebb and flow with the current conditions of my symptoms. But as this article says, there is more to yoga than just the physical practice. Incorporated yoga type lifestyle modifications has been of tremendous benefit to me. I just completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training and hope that some day I am able to introduce others who struggle with cfs/fm and other illness to yoga.
I've been teaching for 25 years with cfs. It's a complex condition! Yoga helps, esp having many dif practices from which to choose.
As long as I rest, eat properly, drink my Pau D'Arco tea daily and practice or teach Yoga regularly, no one knows I have it, but my close friends. Thank you so much for this article Baxter. I do enjoy your articles so much, Jo Ann Yates
In my case of adrenal fatigue, yoga has helped tremendously. When I was in the first year of healing, a change in my yoga practice and my approach to life was necessary. I began doing restorative yoga daily and slowed down the intense vinyasa style practice I was used to. Changing my practice helped me to change my perspective with everything I do, which was/is so necessary to my own healing. Now, in my second year of healing, I am able to practice more vigorously and can feel the benefits. I know that practicing yoga has allowed me to be more in tune with my needs–physically, spiritually and energetically– and in tune with my students' needs as well. 'Burning out' was probably inevitable for me and I am so grateful for it– because the transformation I'm experiencing was necessary.
I find that there are not many yoga teachers with an awareness of yoga practice specifically for cfs. I was diagnosed with cfs 6 months ago and am doing graded exercise therapy which includes walking. I would love to practice yoga every day, but am lost as to where to begin. Any help would be much appreciated!
I would recommend looking for a studio near you that has gentle yoga or restorative yoga. Talk with the owner/teacher about your condition and know that you can take modifications at any time during the practice. I also recommend a non-heated studio. Best wishes to you!