Finding Energy in the Path Forward: A New Lead in Chronic Fatigue Treatment - Frankly Speaking Ep 440

9 days ago

I was a practicing family physician for over 35 years and know well the experience of your listeners of being overextended and exhausted. I am also now a patient who meets the Mayo Clinic Consensus Statement criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. I really did not appreciate the glib remark from the interviewer at the beginning of the podcast about how primary care doctors know all about the feeling of chronic fatigue syndrome. Anyone who adopts that attitude is likely to harm their therapeutic relationship with a patient suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. An exhausted doctor does have options, they can work less and earn less, build community, go on vacation, practice sleep hygiene etc. There is no change in life choices that a chronic fatigue syndrome patient can do that will make them not feel tired. Certainly developing the skill of ”pacing” reduces the chance of ”crashing”/post-exertional malaise, but nothing gives you back the energy you had before you acquired your illness. The introduction to this podcast was thus very offputting for me.