As the name says, chronic fatigue is a persistent or reoccurring fatigue (tiredness) that can last up to or longer than six months and often for years. This fatigue is generally accompanied by a combination of other symptoms, which may include headaches, poor concentration, short-term memory loss, muscle and joint pain, and sleep disturbances characterized by un-refreshing sleep.

The severity of CFS symptoms varies greatly among individual cases with more severe cases also showing more intense or changed patterns of headaches, tender lymph nodes and recurring sore throats. 40 percent of CFS patients tested also show symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety or depression.

In the United States, it is estimated that as many as half a million people have a CSF-like condition. Eighty percent of the diagnosed cases occur in white women with the average onset in her mid 20’s to late 40’s. There is no evidence that CFS is contagious and human and/or pet transmission does not seem to be involved with the illness.

CFS does not appear to be a new illness although the name "chronic fatigue syndrome" has recently been assigned to it. Similar disorders have been reported in medical journals since the 1930’s and case histories of comparable illnesses date back several centuries.

Though the exact cause of CFS is unknown and opens doors of great debate and speculation in the medical community, some viruses that cause chronic infections that lead to stress and fatigue such as Epstein-Barr virus, herpes virus, T-cell leukemia virus, and intestinal viruses have been investigated as possible causes. In one third of the cases studied, the sudden onset of CFS followed a respiratory, gastrointestinal, or other acute infection with flu-like symptoms. This has led to some speculation as to the possible connection of long term and over use of antibiotics in the role of the illness. Other cases develop after emotional or physical traumas such as bereavement or surgery.

The diagnosis of CFS is generally as difficult to determine as the cause and is usually done by excluding other known illnesses with similar symptoms. This method of diagnosis is controversial because it is not always possible to confirm that an individual has CFS and not some other fatigue-causing disorder, such as depression or fibromyalgia.

Studies have also shown that allergies are significantly more common in CFS patients than in the general population.

Physicians prescribe medications to relieve many of the symptoms of CFS, but some treatments can be dangerous if the diagnosis is incorrect. In cases with related allergy symptoms, it is important to identify the symptoms caused by allergies so they can be treated independently.

The general view of the medical community as a whole is that there is no known cure for this disease. The course of illness varies widely with some people becoming progressively worse, some experiencing partial improvement, and only a few of the others recovering completely but only after many years. Others recover and relapse.

With the return of some older and more traditional forms of medicine into mainstream popularity such as Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, herbal and homeopathic medicines, and Chiropractic and Massage Therapy, patients with CFS now have a much broader base of alternatives to choose from in there quest to heal and recover from this debilitating disease. While the results in each case will be different and no promises can be made as to the long-term prognosis, many patients will be able to recover from some, if not all, of their symptoms without having to suffer for many years.