Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers ‘can overcome symptoms of ME with positive thinking and exercise’

Sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can overcome symptoms by increasing exercise and thinking positively, Oxford University has found.

A study which followed hundreds of sufferers for two years found that those who were encouraged to be more active and alter their mind-set suffered less fatigue and were able to cope with daily life more easily – to read the full article go to –

The Telegraph – By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor

A landmark study which followed hundreds of sufferers for two years found that those who were encouraged to be more active and alter their mind-set suffered less fatigue and were able to cope with daily life more easily.
The condition, also known as ME and once dismissed as “Yuppie flu”, is a recognised illness which affects around 250,000 people in Britain.

In the new study, 481 people were followed for around two years to see how they benefited from four different treatments. It was found that neither standard medical treatment, including medication to control pain, nausea and sleeping problems, nor “adaptive pacing therapy”, which helps patients adapt to their disabilities, had little long-term impact.

But gradually increasing exercise and therapy to remove patients’ negative thoughts that they would never get better seemed to work.

Sufferers report extreme fatigue, joint pain, headaches and memory problems, but doctors still do not know the cause or cure.But the new study found that graded exercise therapy (GET), in which sufferers gradually increase activity levels, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which encourages positive thinking and behaviour, had an impact.