Do you have CFS?

• Do you wake up in the morning feeling so tired (or drained to your last drop of energy) even after a good night’s sleep?

• Do you often lack the drive to get up in the morning (not even a fire could pry you loose from your precious bed)?

• Do you have trouble concentrating that even the littlest task seems like a herculean job?

• Do you have low-grade fever from time to time?

• Is your throat occasionally dry and are the glands in your neck tender?

• Are you losing your appetite?

• Do you feel stressed and depressed?

If you have any or all of the symptoms above, you may be suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), something to add to your growing list of today’s lifestyle diseases you may get tired just listing them down.

But before you get tired of reading this, health editor and author Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld stresses (pardon the word) in his book Doctor, What Should I Eat? that CFS is real – it’s not just in your head as some doctors would probably tell you. However, at first, Dr. Rosenfeld wasn’t quite sure that CFS was a real disease. "... I concluded that most of these people were probably stressed, depressed and anxious, and that their physical symptoms were of psychological origin."

Untiringly searching for clues, doctors have implicated a virus – the Epstein-Barr virus – whose antibodies were commonly found in the blood of persons with CFS symptoms. "Since EBV causes infectious mononucleosis, these doctors conclude that CFS is caused by the reactivation of that viral infection," Dr. Rosenfeld notes.

The good doctor further reports that EBV antibodies are present in the blood of 90 percent of Americans.

But the indefatigable Dr. Rosenfeld is convinced that it’s not the EBV that’s causing CFS but a still-unidentified virus, which explains why some people show some abnormalities in the MRI, nuclear and PET scans of the brain.

According to Dr. Rosenfeld, he’d do everything to treat his patients – give them a complete physical exam, blood test, chest x-ray, the works! But there’s one thing he won’t do, he says: Tell his patient to go home and "wait it out." He believes that will only drive sick people to desperately go to another doctor, sometimes ending up with a quack doctor.

CFS patients’ best (and safest bet) is good nutrition. Here’s Dr. Rosenfeld’s prescription: "... a generous intake of protein – approximately one-half gram for every pound of body weight, provided that they have normal kidney function. (One does not want to burden a sick kidney with an extra protein load that it cannot handle.) That adds up to about 80 grams a day for a 180-pound man, which you can consume by eating 10 to 12 ounces of lean, skinless chicken, turkey or fish. (A woman who weighs 135 pounds should have 60 grams or eight ounces of lean protein.) Egg whites are an excellent source of high-quality protein without fat, and they make tasty yolk-free omelets. Your diet should also contain three or four servings of fresh fruit daily and four or five servings of fresh vegetable (steamed or in salads) as well as two or three cups of skim milk or nonfat yogurt. Your remaining calories should come from such complex carbohydrates as pasta, potatoes and whole-grain breads. Limit your intake of oil and fat, most of which should be monounsaturated (olive or cnaola oil)."

On top of that, one should supplement his diet. Dr. Rosenfeld prescribes, " ... multivitamin supplements because of their vitamin B complex content, as well as the trace metals and minerals, such as magnesium and zinc, that they contain. The supplement should meet 100 percent of the RDA (virtually, all of them do) and contain no added sugar, salt or chemical additives.... "

The doctor warns that you’d better watch out and check the label twice. And don’t forget to take your vitamin immediately after a meal – to enhance its absorption.

Although he’s not aware of any proof of its effectiveness in people with CFS, Dr. Rosenfeld prescribes 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E daily – if only to help strengthen one’s immune system and boost one’s resistance to disease. No danger of overdosing, Dr. Rosenfeld assures. And it won’t hurt your pocket, too.

If we may add: Eat well, sleep tight and don’t tire yourself thinking about being tired!

* * *

Texting all cell phone owners!

’Tis the season for snatchers who will surely be merrily going about their hideous business as Christmas draws near. Late last week, we got this text message from PR lady Amor Maclang: "Christian Reyes, 20, son of Les Reyes of Reyes Haircutters, was shot to death last night while driving along Quirino Ave. because he refused to give his celfone. His window was partially open. This is the second incident report that I have received about crimes in the area. Avoid the area. FYI." Our sincere condolences to the Reyes family.

Perhaps with the city’s criminal elements increasing in number as the days to Christmas decrease, the authorities should double their efforts to provide security especially in crime hot spots.