| Do you have the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue | | | | SyndromeThere has been a lot of debate about how |
| Syndrome (CFS)?Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS is | | | | best to define Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An |
| very hard to diagnose as there are no laboratory tests | | | | international panel |
| for this painful and debilitating disease, there are no | | | | of CFS research experts was convened in 1994 to |
| physical signs identifying CFS, and because chronic | | | | draft a definition of CFS that would be helpful to both |
| fatigue symptoms can vary widely from person to | | | | researchers studying the disease and doctors who |
| person.What's more, people who suffer the symptoms | | | | were trying to diagnose it. What was decided, |
| of CFS must be carefully evaluated by a physician | | | | according to the Centers for Disease Control was that |
| because many treatable medical and psychiatric | | | | a diagnosis of CFS would be made only if a patient |
| conditions are hard to distinguish from CFS. Common | | | | satisfied these two criteria. First, you must had |
| conditions that should be ruled out through a careful | | | | extreme fatigue that has lasted at least six months |
| medical history and appropriate testing include | | | | that is not the result of ongoing efforts; is not |
| mononucleosis, Lyme disease, thyroid conditions, | | | | substantially relieved by rest; and that causes a |
| diabetes, multiple sclerosis, various cancers, depression | | | | substantial reduction in daily activities. |
| and bipolar disorder.Defining Chronic Fatigue | | | | |