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Ask the Doctor
About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
By Tom Cowan, MD
Question: I am a 45-year-old woman and have been suffering
with chronic fatigue syndrome for three years now. It seems I have tried
everything. For a short time I got better but now I feel no better off
than I did two and a half years ago. Currently, I am taking an antidepressant
and that helps me feel better, but I don't feel my "problem" has ever
been addressed. Can you help?
Answer: I hope so. Let me tell you about two recent patients
of mine who have similar stories. Both had life-altering symptoms to
the point where they were both considering leaving their careers and
going on disability. Both had tried many diets, supplements, antiviral
therapy, fasting programs, herbs, antidepressants, and other conventional
and unconventional treatments. Basically nothing had helped. I explained
to them my view of chronic fatigue syndrome which I will admit even
to me seems almost absurdly simple. That is, our energy level, or our
energy resource, is like a flowing river. This river has many tributaries
or areas to which our energy is diverted. The main energy "drain" for
most of us is the digestion of our food. When we ease this energy drain
going to digesting our food, we suddenly have a huge reserve available
for tasks such as muscle function, thinking, exercise or other more
creative pursuits. This is the essence of chronic fatigue syndrome.
There is a profound energy shift from such tasks as immune function,
muscle activity, thinking and creativity toward simple digestion of
food. All of the etiologies discussed in chronic fatigue syndrome such
as viral infections, trace mineral deficiencies, depression, etc., just
contribute to poor digestion or poor choices in terms of effective therapy.
For example, being depressed often leads to sugar addiction or eating
lots of chocolate which makes digestion even worse.
The main contributing factors I have found in making the digestion
weak and a greedy energy drain are eating processed food and the overconsumption
of carbohydrate-type food, even whole grains. The simple intervention
I recommended with these two patients, which in both has had dramatic
and lasting results, is fairly simple. First, they are to eat no more
than 10-15% of their diet as carbohydrate-type food, including grains,
pasta, flour, fruits, sugars, fruit juice, etc. and the only allowable
grains are either fermented (sourdough) bread or whole grains like those
discussed in Nourishing Traditions. This is to continue for six
months. In this time the bulk of their food is various organic organ
meats, fish, fowl, cultured raw milk products, raw butter, yogurt, olive
oil, flax seed oil and some coconut milk on a daily basis. To this is
added as many fresh vegetables as can be eaten and prepared in a variety
of ways. Second, on a daily basis, use some fermented food or drink.
My favorite suggestion is Beet Kvass, for which a recipe is given in
Nourishing Traditions, because it is also helpful for liver cleansing.
Drink three times a day. There are many other fermented foods and beverages
described in Nourishing Traditions. These enzyme-rich foods inherently
ease the energy we must use in digestion. Third, use Celtic sea salt
only, as this is the only salt with the trace elements present that
are so vital to proper enzyme functioning. Fourth, daily castor oil
packs over the liver area for one hour each day. These packs aid digestion,
detoxify the bowels, and cleanse the liver. These fundamental changes
usually will have a dramatic impact on your symptoms within one month
and, unlike many therapies, the benefits will increase, not diminish,
over time.
About the Author
 Thomas
Cowan, MD, is a physician in private practice in San Francisco, California,
a board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and a regular contributor
to our "Ask the Doctor" column. His book The Fourfold Path to
Healing is now available from NewTrends Publishing, http://www.newtrendspublishing.com/.
Visit Dr. Cowan's website at http://www.fourfoldhealing.com.
©1999 Tom Cowan. All Rights Reserved.
First published in Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Health Journal
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