Chronic fatigue syndrome, once thought by some doctors to be a psychological problem or even a excuse for malingerers, is a real disease that affects more than a million Americans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
And get this:
Up to 80 percent of people with chronic fatigue do not know they have it, the CDC said.
Its causes are unknown but it can cause profound exhaustion, sleep difficulties, and problems concentrating and remembering. The CDC launched an awareness campaign about chronic fatigue and published a dedicated Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/.
And this:
There are tens of millions of people with similar fatiguing illnesses…
No one therapy works but reducing stress, dietary restrictions, gentle stretching and nutritional supplementation have all been shown to help.