Is this ME/CFS?

[Vynce]

Does anyone else experience/experienced Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrom (or Long Covid, which is very similar)? 

Since about a year I'm researching why my fatigue won't go away. No matter how long I relax and sleep physical fatigue prevails. And since I'm not effected by junk food, drugs, sleep deprivation, brain cancer, depression, burnout ect., I'm really suspecting my nervous system caught something very similar to me/cfs somehow. I did all the typical tests for blood, MRT scans and basic check-ups to exclude anything more obvious. Nothing seems suspicious in that part. However ->

The cardinal symptom for ME/CFS is PEM (Post Exertional Malaise), which means that fatigue symptoms get WAY worse after physical exercise or even mental stress. So that some 20 minutes of moderate exercise can send one into weeks of fever like sickness -> Which I do experience as well. 

On some days it got so bad that I couldn't walk for 10 minutes before having to stay in bed for 80% of the day. Now it got better since some time, without any understanding why. Its not gone though.

Still, anything like normal work, exercise, dating, breathwork, psychedelics or just taking a good long walk is basically impossible for me now. For some people this condition can get fatally bad, which I'm luckily far away from. 

So have you had chronic fatigue like this somewhen? Or some of your relatives? What insights can one have into this? 

So far school medicine does not have any curative medication or therapy for ME/CFS and still only just suggests to pace yourself so PEM does not happen. 

I will suggest to my doctor to do a water fast again to see if autophagy can help with them corrupted cells in my body.
Still researching though.. 

Edited March 15 by Vynce

[Norbert Somogyi]

I'm sorry to read what you are going through, and I hope you find the source to heal!

However I don't think you are going to get an accurate diagnosis here. Regardless, there are a few potential causes that come to mind. Thyroid issues, anemia, certain nutritional deficiencies (vitamin D, Bs, minerals like copper&zinc, magnesium etc.). A comprehensive bloodwork is needed, especially if they haven't look at corresponding markers.

I was looking through the web and found a comprehensive website with a shitton of resourceful information, that you may find helpful. https://cfsremission.com/model-of-cfs/

One of the things people report there is finding relief by including vitamin D in their regime, levels above 50ng providing the biggest improvements. https://cfsremission.com/treatment/symptom-mitigation/core-vitamin-d3/

The main component or culprit there appears to be gut bacteria, that is altered in an unhealthy way.

I'm not well-versed in water fasting, but I'm not sure the body can fully heal itself that way when key building components are missing, toxins are overly present, or the stores are low.

Heavy Metal Toxicity is also a potential culprit, lots of information to be found even on this site. Developing a personal protocol with a professional, especially when it comes artificial chelators like ALA, DMSO etc. Alternatively there exist more natural approaches. They involve for example increasing methallothionein production within the body (zinc, copper, selenium and cofactors - See the works of Jason Hommel here), iodine, glutathione etc.

[Elliott]

Stress also does it

[Vynce]

10 hours ago, Norbert Somogyi said:

I'm sorry to read what you are going through, and I hope you find the source to heal!

However I don't think you are going to get an accurate diagnosis here. Regardless, there are a few potential causes that come to mind. Thyroid issues, anemia, certain nutritional deficiencies (vitamin D, Bs, minerals like copper&zinc, magnesium etc.). A comprehensive bloodwork is needed, especially if they haven't look at corresponding markers.

I was looking through the web and found a comprehensive website with a shitton of resourceful information, that you may find helpful. https://cfsremission.com/model-of-cfs/

One of the things people report there is finding relief by including vitamin D in their regime, levels above 50ng providing the biggest improvements. https://cfsremission.com/treatment/symptom-mitigation/core-vitamin-d3/

The main component or culprit there appears to be gut bacteria, that is altered in an unhealthy way.

I'm not well-versed in water fasting, but I'm not sure the body can fully heal itself that way when key building components are missing, toxins are overly present, or the stores are low.

Heavy Metal Toxicity is also a potential culprit, lots of information to be found even on this site. Developing a personal protocol with a professional, especially when it comes artificial chelators like ALA, DMSO etc. Alternatively there exist more natural approaches. They involve for example increasing methallothionein production within the body (zinc, copper, selenium and cofactors - See the works of Jason Hommel here), iodine, glutathione etc.

Appreciate it! I will look into everything of that the next days.

Its interesting you mention Vitamin D, since this was the only blood marker that was a bit low. And since I spent more time outside, I did got better. Heavy metal chelation was also something I thought about. 

I get back here, when I know more. 

[ZenAlex]

I'm recovering from it now. Got covid in 2023. Haven't worked since 2024. Was in bed most of 2025.

Trying to build up my exercise and getting sad that I've become too deconditioned to do serious exercise, but having faith in rehab with physios. 

My advice - 

1) Limit technology, stay conscious with your body

2) Gradually increase

3) Look into Raelan Agle - Brain retraining and polyvagal theory. It has helped me

You gotta convince your brain it is safe to engage in activity. It may take a bit of time before your body lets you recover. I'm 2.5 years in and can do 10k steps with difficulty.

I am able to walk 10k steps right now after being bed bound up until january, but the after effect of the activity is sometimes concerning.

Try to see it as a an opportunity to get to know yourself. I was fit and active before, but now I'll probably use this as a push towards weight training and conditioning my body more carefully, as opposed to just doing carido. Maybe this expereince will lead us to developing better body conditioning to avoid pain later in our lives. 

My MH issues taught me things that saved me from suicide during the year I was unable to leaev my bed.

Edited March 28 by ZenAlex

[Vynce]

On 28/03/2026 at 1:16 PM, ZenAlex said:

I'm recovering from it now. Got covid in 2023. Haven't worked since 2024. Was in bed most of 2025.

Trying to build up my exercise and getting sad that I've become too deconditioned to do serious exercise, but having faith in rehab with physios. 

My advice - 

1) Limit technology, stay conscious with your body

2) Gradually increase

3) Look into Raelan Agle - Brain retraining and polyvagal theory. It has helped me

You gotta convince your brain it is safe to engage in activity. It may take a bit of time before your body lets you recover. I'm 2.5 years in and can do 10k steps with difficulty.

I am able to walk 10k steps right now after being bed bound up until january, but the after effect of the activity is sometimes concerning.

Try to see it as a an opportunity to get to know yourself. I was fit and active before, but now I'll probably use this as a push towards weight training and conditioning my body more carefully, as opposed to just doing carido. Maybe this expereince will lead us to developing better body conditioning to avoid pain later in our lives. 

My MH issues taught me things that saved me from suicide during the year I was unable to leaev my bed.

Yeah, as someone who was physically very active throughout life I intuitively use all my spare energy to go out and be as active as I can allow myself. Unfortunately though, this does not (as science agrees) initiate some kind of energy upward spiral with actual ME/CFS. Which also limits how much good mood and satisfaction I can have. Makes me depressed to think about not ever doing sport again tbh.

[integral]

Your problem is likely just airborne allergies. Though the idea of an allergy as taught to everyone by Society is wrong. You don't need to cough, sneeze or have any sore throat issues to have allergies. Fatigue is triggered by allergies. And you could be allergic to absolutely anything, but it's very likely synthetic man-made stuff like the insulation in your house that's giving you fatigue.

The biggest culprit is that breathing this stuff while you sleep impairs your sleep cycles creating a cycle of poor recovery, toxin buildup, weaker physiological resistance, over sensitive immune system and oversensitive nervous system, overworked liver.

I'm part of a community that has cured chronic fatigue through avoiding Airborne allergies. 

Edited Friday at 06:10 PM by integral

[integral]

On 3/15/2026 at 6:22 PM, Vynce said:

doctor to do a water fast again

The reason this works is cuz you're reducing inflammation. You're in a state of chronic inflammatory response,, chronic overstimulated nervous system, chronic autoimmune response. The fasting and even ketogenic diet will lower the total body load temporarily.

The math equation here is you want to lower your total body load so your body doesn't have to do all that work cleaning up the damage and your liver doesn't have to do as much work.

Everything you eat everything you inhale adds to this total body load.

You want to take binders to absorb toxins being created by your gut. You want to take binders that will bind to toxins your liver is trying to detox. And most importantly you want to avoid the source. Of course food is obvious but the next one that isn't obvious and very difficult to change is everything you're inhaling which goes directly into your bloodstream.

People don't understand what you inhale is directly in your blood immediately. So you're in a room boxed in that is super toxic and you're consuming that Non-Stop. 

And then you wonder why you have chronic fatigue?

Edited Friday at 06:09 PM by integral