US: Consumer Health Digest: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Exercise Therapy

[Sly Saint]

Chronic fatigue syndrome is defined as a disorder indicated by extreme fatigue. Learn how exercise can help with the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

By Dr. Anthony J. Mele Reviewed by Medical Professionals Updated: 2023, Apr 13

Medically Cited |

Fact Checked

Since exercise therapy is dubbed as the best possible treatment for this condition, it is important to know the answers to basic questions to prove its efficacy.

For example:

• Is it more effective than passive treatments such as relaxation?
• Is it more effective than other active therapies like adaptive pacing or cognitive behavioral therapy?
• Is it more effective alone or when combined with other treatments?
• Is it safer than other treatments recommended for chronic fatigue syndrome?

To answer questions listed above, we turned to scientific researches as the only accurate and most reliable source of information regarding CFS.

Lauren L. and team of scientists of the Norwegian Knowledge Center for the Health Services from Oslo, Norway conducted a thorough review of studies to inspect the benefits of exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. [2]

Study was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and scientists searched and analyzed previous studies where patients with CFS were inspected. [3]

Criteria for the included studies were quite simple; every study had to include exercise therapy and other, passive control therapies such as psychological therapy, adaptive pacing therapy as well as pharmacological therapy.

The scientists included 8 randomized controlled studies and have reported data from 1518 participants.

Seven studies which were included in the review used variations of aerobic exercise therapy like swimming, walking, dancing or cycling while one study used the anaerobic exercise.

On the other hand, control groups consisted of passive control therapies.

Scientists Discovered that

• Seven studies showed a reduction in fatigue after exercise therapy for CFS at the end of the treatment
• Adverse reactions were very rare in both groups of participants
• Only one study reported little to no improvement after exercise therapy
• One study discovered a general benefit of exercise over adaptive pacing strategy
• One study revealed a benefit of exercise over supportive listening
• Exercise therapy was more effective at reducing fatigue comparing to passive treatment or no treatment at all
• Exercise therapy had a positive effect on participants’ daily physical functioning and self-ratings of overall health
• Exercise therapy proved to have a positive effect at the end of the treatment with respect to sleep
• Exercise therapy is a safe treatment considering the absence of severe side effects
• Information about pharmaceuticals and their efficacy was insufficient to draw conclusions.

How to Overcome Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Exercise therapy is one of the effective ways of combating chronic fatigue syndrome.

This is because it helps a person to relax and get relief from stress which causes fatigue.

Also exercising enables the person to raise the heart rate and cause dilation of the blood vessels and promote the health of the blood vessels.

After the exercise sessions, it is possible to have quality sleep hence reducing the chronic fatigue syndrome.

Exercise Therapy for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome You Must Know (consumerhealthdigest.com)

 

[Trish]

One of the worst I've seen. He clearly hasn't a clue.

The author is a psychologist. His only references are another crappy health site and the outdated Cochrane exercise review.
You can leave a response but it requires your name and email address.

 

[Shadrach Loom]

Why do charlatans always have such gleaming teeth?

 

[rvallee]

Ah, someone just looked at PACE and did a copy-paste. APT isn't even a thing. Relaxation obviously isn't a treatment. This is nonsense.

 

[Mij]

Specializes in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

https://harbormentalhealth.com/doctors/anthony-mele-ph-d/#

 

[Charles B.]

I think it’s worth leaving responses on this one. It’s illiterate nonsense. It even reads like a random sentence generator vomited it out.

 

[Hutan]

Label on the article:

Reviewed by Medical Professionals

On the panel is a chiropractor.

Dr Mele's qualifications to be giving advice on "chronic fatigue syndrome'?

• LaSalle University: Master's degree, Religious Education
• Boston College: BA, English, Psychology
• Widener University: Psy.D, Clinical Psychology
• Center for Creative Leadership: Manager Development, Executive Leadership

 

[Binkie4]

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/joint-pain/exercise-therapy-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html

Two health supplements are recommended at the end of the article/ non article. Perhaps it's a puff piece written to promote these.

Later is written under Sources

"We review published medical research in respected scientific journals to arrive at our conclusions about a product or health topic. This ensures the highest standard of scientific accuracy"

Puff piece? It seems to be using Larun/ Cochrane to try to validate the rubbish they have written.

 

[DokaGirl]

Why do charlatans always have such gleaming teeth?