TL;DR: Went from about 20% of normal functioning to about 70-90% (100% being very healthy level of endurance and energy).
Routines that helped: sleep, rest, gradual exercise, stretching, diet.
Supplements that helped greatly: !!!St. John's Wort!!!, !D-ribose!, Melatonin, Phosphorylated Serine.
Supplements that helped moderately: Krebs cycle acids (mainly: malic acid and citric acid), l-carnitine, digestive enzymes, caffeine (will explain below).
Supplements that probably helped, but not sure how much: multivitamins, various vitamins and minerals (will explain below), omega 3.
Turning point (positive) was triggered by: D-ribose, St. John's Wort and gradual, systematic exercise (walking).
Here's the full story:
Hi! I'm a 29 year old male that has been living with CFS for the last 4-5 years. English is not my native language - sorry if the writing is clumsy. I should start off by saying that I was never officially diagnosed with CFS because I had a negative experience with my doctor. He did basic blood work which turned out fine and proceeded to tell me that it was all in my head. He was rude and did not listen. He said I was way too young for what I was describing and that it was only in my head. Back then my mental state was vulnerable and this experience just scared me off and I never went back to talk to him or another doctor. That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but that's what's happened.
Now, I should mention that I have been interested in topics of health, diet, healthy living, mental health, exercise, CFS (for the last 4 years) etc. for about 8 years. I have spent over 5000 hours researching various related topics. That's what I've been doing most of my free time for the last 12 years - researching different topics from health, diet and well being, to philosophy, religion and sciences. So when I didn't get help from a doctor, I was hoping to solve my CFS mystery by myself, considering how much research into related topics I have done and was willing to do.
My CFS is probably described as a mild case. I was still able to function "normally" on the outside: I continued studying in the University, working part time and having some limited recreational activities, but it sure was very, very, very hard. I had to regularly skip classes, work for only a couple hours at a time etc. On the inside it was extremely, extremely difficult to function normally. The main symptom was of course fatigue. Morning to evening I felt tired. In the morning, getting out of bed was very hard. I had troubles falling asleep and became a super light sleeper, even though previously I used to sleep like a log. I was depressed and had 0 motivation to do anything. Living became a chore, a struggle. Waking up and falling asleep I was thinking that my life sucks, because I wasn't anymore able to enjoy it and everything was a struggle. I always felt either tired or wired and tired. Mental fog was a huge problem. It took extreme amounts of willpower to continue researching CFS. Was very hard to concentrate. I felt constantly anxious. Muscle and joint pain. Decreased libido. Lowered immunity. Migranes. Often felt cold for no reason. Light sensitivity. Confusion and anxiety in places with lots of people. Stressful situations were taking a huge toll each time. Mental and emotional endurance went down the drain. Etc and so on. It's a huge list that is familiar to anyone with CFS.
What I think has triggered CFS was me being raw vegan for 4 years and possibly over-training. I have done sports my whole life and had crazy good endurance. I used to compete in swimming and tennis, did weight lifting for 12 years, regularly jogged for years, did various martial arts for years etc. I used to excercise 7 times a week, often twice daily for years before CFS with no signs of over-training and I had a lot of fun doing that - it was a benefit of going strict raw vegan. Endurance and energy were through the roof. Then some minor health problems followed and I got generally tired of such strict life style, so I stopped. Some time during the following year CFS has started and got to its worst point in another year.
At first,
I tried to rule out other conditions. Spent most of my time researching and trying various supplement protocols and diets. Things I've tried are numerous. By adjusting diet, supplement protocols and using some tools like blood sugar meter, thermometer, pH strips, blood pressure meter etc. it possible to rule out many diseases that can be confused with CFS like (off the top of my head): celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, leaky gut, gut disbiosis, some infections and parasites, food allergies, chemical allergies, pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, iron anaemia, b12 anaemia, various vitamin and mineral deficiencies and so on. After years of experimentation I haven't been able to rule out CFS or determine it's root cause. Perhaps I have reached a limit as to what can be measured and ruled out without expensive medical equipment with the exception of basic blood work, hair mineral analysis via Dr. L. Wilson and DNA report via "23 and me". However I did find plenty of things that have helped me.
So, what has helped me. First I tried Nutritional Balancing (sent my hair to Dr. Wilson's practitioner), so we determined my mineral levels and I started the programme to correct the imbalances. I did that for about a year and I did see definite progress during that year. However I was still very far from being healed.
I soon found out that I need plenty of rest, avoiding stress and exactly 8.5 hours of sleep every night.
To combat insomnia I used melatonin and it was just OK, but it was still there. But then I was looking for a way to correct what looks like a cortisol spike in the evening and while trying various supplements, stumbled on phosphorylated serine (Seriphos) that has help my sleep greatly in combination with melatonin. I take 1 mg melatonin and 1 Seriphos pill 45 minutes before going to bed.
To wake up in the morning and combat morning malaise, I found that exactly one large serving of green tea with breakfast made me feel good. I did of course try eliminating caffeine all together, but the symptoms of fatigue and mental imparement were unbearable without it, so I experimented with different stimulants, possible uppers like liquorice root and ginseng, and found out that a serving of green tea precisely once with breakfast is OK. I do realize that most often caffeine is a no-no, but I'm just describing my experience.
For general energy level increase, I found
D-Ribose to make an extreme difference in my well being. Once I have started taking 15 grams a day, my wellbeing has changed dramatically for the better and my energy levels have much improved.
As
general uppers, I found that
Krebs Cycle acids give me an energy boost without a crash. I just eat sour fruits daily (citric acid) and apples (malic acid) when I feel a lack of energy. Sometimes I take malic acid as a powder with water. You can get it very cheap from a wine brewing shop. Just be careful not to burn your mouth, stomach lining and avoid contact with tooth enamel. So half to a single spoon of malic acid dissolved in a glass of water and never on an empty stomach. Also sometimes when I need a boost, I take acetyl-l-carnitine. If I remember correctly it boosts Krebs Cycle and helps cells generate energy. I take 1.5 grams once a day when I need it.
Any kind of stimulants used to give me increased anxiety, but
I have been able to GREATLY reduce it and most of my mental symptoms like brain fog with 1 supplement:
St. John's Wort, standardized extract. It has done wonders for my well being to a point that I feel mostly healed. It has changed everything, including my energy levels and even response to exercise. To this day I'm not sure how it has been able to do so much good, but it did. If you want to try it, experiment with different brands. An older way of making effective St. John's wort extracts is to standardize for Hypericin. "Now St John's Wort" is what I'm taking and it works. A better and more recent way is to standardize for Hyperforin, like the Perika brand. I currently experiment with it and it does work better, but is more expensive. Also research has shown that not all brands are equal in terms of claimed and actual hypericin/hyperforin content, so if one brand doesn't work or work well - try another. Now brand has never let me down and recently Perika.
St. John's Wort did give me one side effect, which is increase in migraine occurrence. But considering how much it has helped with everything else, I'll take migraines
. And they have decreased after a few months.
I discovered that
digestive enzymes make my digestion near ideal and take them to this day. I would recommend Healthy Origins Digestive Enzymes to anyone. They are the best in terms of price/performance that I have been able to find.
I have tried Fredd's B12 protocol and followed it for about half a year. Initially my fatigue and a few other symptoms increased greatly but got back to pre B12 protocol in a few weeks. That should suggest that the protocol worked for me, but it didn't produce extreme results. I got better in this half a year, but that was also about the time I discovered D-Ribose which does help me greatly. I've stopped Fredd's protocol after half a year and the way I was feeling didn't change. However when I tried stopping D-ribose, I quickly got worse in a few days. So I'm not sure exactly how much this B12 protocol has helped me. Having been a vegan for about 4 years and then a vegetarian for a year, my B12 was probably pretty low, so it probably did me good.
So
in summary, I currently take: a multivitamin twice daily (Life Extension Two-per-day capsules), St. John's Wort 3 times a day, D-Ribose at 15 grams a day, 4 g omega 3 fish oil once with the evening meal, digestive enzymes with each cooked meal, acetyl-l-carnitine when I need it, malic acid when I need it (sour apples work just as well), melatonin and phosphorylated serine in the evening, 45 minutes before going to bed.
As for exercise, I found that daily activity maintains my energy levels. Walking being the best. 30-60 minutes of walking or some other activity make a huge difference in how I feel. It has to be daily exercise for me and 30 minutes+, even if it's very light.
So all in all,
I've been feeling pretty good for the last half a year. A turning point was definitely St John's Wort, D-ribose and the discovery of 30+ minutes of daily activity. I'm now able to enjoy life again, study, spend time with family and friends, do sports (if I don't over-train) and other normal life activities.
I think I should mention that I follow a
healthy diet and have been for many years. A healthy diet is essential for good health. I've tried many extreme diets, but settled for something middle of the road. I don't eat junk food apart from occasional meal out. Eat fruits and veggies daily. I don't eat much sugar and drink about 3 liters of water daily. I eat products made with only unrefined flour. I don't usually eat bread. I don't eat too much meat. I minimize processed foods, because they often contain unhealthy additives, processed oils (trans-fats) and low quality oils. I minimise consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega 6's. Each of my meals contain: protein, fat and carbs, apart from a daily fruit meal or two. I don't snack (apart from fruits, which I consider a separate meal and a single apple after exercise). I eat very soon after I wake up and generally don't eat at least a few hours before going to sleep (and sometimes for 6+ hours before sleep). I eat soon after serious exercise. I consume only unrefined sea salt. I prioritise foods with low glycemic index. Those are the things that I remembered off the top of my head.
I hope that my story will help someone to get better. I wish all the best to all suffering from any serious illness. No one has to go through what some of you are going and you are heroes for what you are going through! I wish you all of you to get better!
Feel free to ask me questions and have a nice day!
