Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is characterised by severe, disabling fatigue, and other symptoms such as musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, impaired concentration and headaches.

The prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome has been estimated to be from 0.007% to 2.8% in the general adult population, and from 0.006% to 3.0% in primary care, depending on the criteria used. Chronic fatigue syndrome imposes substantial economic costs on society, mainly in terms of informal care costs and lost employment.

The cause of the syndrome remains poorly understood, but hypotheses include endocrine and immunological abnormalities, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, abnormal pain processing and certain infectious illnesses, such as Epstein-Barr virus and viral meningitis. People who have had a prior psychiatric disorder are nearly three times more likely to have chronic fatigue syndrome later in life than those who have not.

How acupuncture can help
There are consistent positive results from observational studies, but very few randomised controlled trials as yet. In the meantime, given the often unsatisfactory outcomes from conventional treatments, acupuncture may be a worthwhile option to consider, probably as part of a combined approach. There is evidence to support its effectiveness for some of the common symptoms - chronic pain, insomnia, depression, but for chronic fatigue syndrome as a whole there is a need for more, and higher quality, research.

In general, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurotransmitters. Stimulation of certain acupuncture points has been shown to affect areas of the brain that are known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the 'analytical' brain, which is responsible for Insomnia.

Acupuncture may help to relieve symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome such as musculoskeletal pain, Headache, sleep problems, tiredness and depression by:
-- stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, which leads to release of endorphins and other neurohumoral factors, and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord.
-- stimulating opiodergic neurons to increase the concentrations of beta-endorphin, so relieving pain.
-- reducing inflammation, by promoting release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors.
-- improving muscle stiffness and joint mobility by increasing local microcirculation, which can reduce swelling and pain.
-- reducing insomnia through increasing nocturnal endogenous melatonin secretion.