Chronic Fatigue
An Answer?
Two recently published studies suggest that a possible organic
explanation for Chronic Fatigue exists.
British scientists report that low levels of magnesium may
play a part in this illness of unknown cause. Although it is
unclear whether magnesium injections reported improvements in
their condition. The findings were published in the March 30
issue of "The Lancet" a renowned British medical journal.
The studies were conducted by Dr. Michael J. Campbell, a
medical statistician at Southampton General Hospital. Ivan M.
Cox, a medical student at the University of Southampton and Dr.
David Dowson, a Southampton physician.
"This study shows a dramatic improvement in a small group of
people with this illness, but it is too soon to say that this is
an appropriate treatment that will be of help to the vast
majority of patients," said Dr. Jay A. Levy, a professor of
Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, who
has been searching for a possible viral cause of the disease.
Chronic fatigue patients usually complain about malaise
lasting several months or years and nonspecific flu-like
symptoms, including headaches, fever and muscle pain. They also
suffer from an inability to think clearly, irritability and
depression.
The researchers said they had decided to explore magnesium
levels in patients with chronic fatigue because malabsorption of
magnesium had been associated with lethargy and weakness. They
did a case study and found that 20 patients suffering from
chronic fatigue had slightly lower red-cell magnesium
concentrations than did 20 healthy subjects matched for age, sex
and social class.
In a clinical trial involving 32 patients with chronic fatigue
syndrome, 15 patients were randomly given intramuscular
injections of magnesium sulfate every week for six weeks and 17
were given shots of water.
The patients were not aware which treatment they were
receiving. Before and after the treatment, patients completed a
questionnaire asking about their energy levels, pain, perception,
sleep patterns, sense of social isolation, emotional reactions
and physical mobility.
Twelve of the 15 patients treated with the magnesium said they
had benefited and reported higher energy levels, better emotional
states and less pain: just three patients who received the dummy
shots claimed any improvement.
Yet to be determined is why magnesium levels were so low in
these patients and if this is the case in the majority of chronic
fatigue patients. Doctors have only recently started to take
chronic fatigue syndrome seriously after years of dismissing it
as little more than a figment of a patient's imagination.
This page was first uploaded to The Magnesium Web Site on
November 22, 2002
http://www.mgwater.com/
Healthy Water
Association--USA