Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients Relieved by Repeated Thermal Therapy

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by sleep disorders and disruption of the immune system. It is also called chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome.

The cause of CFS is uncertain. However, it is characterized by

  • persistent and severe fatigue
  • impaired in short-term memory or concentration
  • sore throat
  • tender lymph nodes
  • muscle or joint pain, and headache
  • an onset at about 30 years of age

Recently, I met a lady who has chronic fatigue syndrome. She tried to offset her persistent fatigue by being disruptive. She tried to seize every opportunity to get to speak by raising her hand during our workshop sessions, even when she had nothing in mind to say.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and repeated thermal therapy

An article in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2005) describes the treatment of two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome in far-infrared ray dry sauna as "successful."

  • Prior treatment of these patients with  prednisolone was described as unsuccessful.
  • They were then given far-infrared ray dry sauna treatments at 60 °C (140 °F) and post-sauna warming.
  • The treatments were given at the Kagoshima University Hospital in Japan, and included 35 sessions (one session each day).
  • After discharge from hospital, the patients continued with 1 or 2 treatments per week (on an outpatient basis) for one year.

Is the infrared sauna a chronic fatigue syndrome treatment option?

In the case cited above, the patients are said to have had dramatic improvements in such symptoms as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and low-grade fever in 15 to 25 sessions. That is before they left the hospital.

Their medication was also discontinued before they were released from hospital. Within six months they were " socially rehabilitated," and there were no relapse or worsening of symptoms after the first year of discharge.

Actually, the researchers found the results more than encouraging. They concluded that repeated thermal therapy might be a promising method for the treatment of CFS.

Notice that this was not a "quick fix." However, results were positive. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are more than a million people in the United States who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. That is over 1,000,000 people experience profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest; a condition that may be made worse by normal physical and/or mental effort.

This results in significant loss in productivity every year.  It is evident that drugs such as prednisolone - a synthetic steroid - do not work. But according to the current research, there is hope in thermal therapy - something that you and I can do at home, without side effects.

Maybe you, or someone you know, need to look more at the light in an infrared sauna. What have we got to lose? Click to go to the Pain Relief page or the Home Page. But more than that...

We recommend you visit the top infrared sauna distributor on the Web.

References

  1. Masuda A., Kihara T., Fukudome T., Shinsato T., Minagoe S., Tei C. (2005). The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2005 Apr;58(4):383-7.