Chronic Fatigue and Acupuncture
Chronic Fatigue, also known as Post-Viral Syndrome, is one of those persistent conditions that, as far as I know, Classical Acupuncture is the only modality I’m aware of that can reliably and effectively treat, offering consistent improvement where many other approaches fall short.
Chronic fatigue is a persistent, overwhelming sense of physical and/or mental tiredness that is not substantially relieved by rest or sleep and that lasts for at least six months. It significantly reduces the ability to carry out ordinary daily activities, work or social tasks
Key features:
Duration: symptoms persist for six months or longer
Can be bought on by blood loss, overwork, emotional exhaustion, sexual exhaustion, miscarriage, childbirth and more.
Severity: fatigue is substantial enough to cause a marked reduction in previous levels of activity.
Lack of sleep or rest. Even if one does sleep or reduce exertion they can not reliably restore energy.
Multi‑system impact: brain fog, poor concentration, memory problems, unrefreshing sleep, lightheadedness or dizziness such as POTS, muscle or joint pain, headaches, sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes, and a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion.
Fluctuating course: symptoms often vary in intensity day to day and can be worsened by stress, poor sleep, infections or physical exertion.
Assessment requires a thorough clinical history, review of medications, physical examination and appropriate investigations to exclude or identify underlying medical causes.
Chronic Fatigue Defined
From a Classical acupuncture perspective, chronic fatigue represents a state in which the body has weakened to the point of a deficiency of both Yang qi and Yin qi. The remaining Yang qi that the body retains is often too weak to circulate evenly throughout the body, instead tending to pool in the upper portions around the head and shoulders. This imbalance can produce a wide range of upper‑body symptoms, and if the underlying energetic deficiencies are not addressed properly, those symptoms will frequently worsen over time rather than improve.
Alongside varied upper‑body complaints such as sinus congestion or persistent headaches, the middle and lower parts of the body commonly become chilled. Cold in the middle burner often leads to significant digestive disturbances: bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and poor appetite are common features of this pattern. Women are also particularly affected during menstruation; cold in the lower abdomen can easily provoke pelvic pain, clotting, looser stools, and irregular cycles if the root cold and qi deficiency are not treated, and these reproductive symptoms may become more severe or chronic without proper energetic support.
Classical Acupuncture treating Chronic Faigue
As I stated earlier, only classical acupuncture can treat this condition effectively. This practice of Classical acupuncture can utilise a light touch called Contact Needling, and also uses simple Moxibustion techniques — together these gentle methods are often all that is needed to help restore the body’s natural vitality. As with any chronic condition, multiple treatments are usually necessary, but when you notice you feel progressively better after each session, I am confident you will be eager to continue and experience further improvements.
Treatments for this condition tend to be briefer than with other conditions and this is because that body is generally too weak to accept either strong pressure or extended times on the treatment bed. The overall approach is very gentle as pain can cause the treatment to backfire. The shallow needles are retained only for a short time, and with some only lasting as long a a few breaths. In this way the body can be bought back to a good health quite quickly, even when people have been suffering from this condition for years.