Shortness of Breath in CFS/FMS and Post-COVID

Published: August 29, 2022
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Vitality101 Newsletter

Man Having Difficulty Breathing

Hello Reader,

Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia suffer with intermittent unexplained shortness of breath. This is becoming especially common with post-COVID.

If you are experiencing this, begin by seeing your family doctor. Unfortunately, most physicians are exceedingly unfamiliar with long COVID or CFS/FMS, so you are only looking for them to rule out heart or lung problems (which medically is straightforward), and any other medical issues they are familiar with. If they aren't able to pinpoint the problem, the information below may help.

Use a Pulse Oximeter

Even before seeing your physician, you can begin to self-examine by using a home pulse oximeter. These are small devices you clip onto your fingertip that can measure your blood oxygen saturation levels, pulse rate and pulse strength. They typically cost $20-$50 and can display results on an LED display in about 10 seconds or so. I would note, however, that there is a lot of variability with how reliable they are. (I bought this one on Amazon and it seems to work fairly well.)

Impact of Sleep on Weight Loss

Woman Sleeping

A JAMA study shows that in people sleeping 6 ½ hours or less nightly, counseling to increase sleep by two hours a night resulted in an average two pound weight loss after two weeks

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Q&A With Dr. T

Question: I recently started taking ribose in a relatively low dose and did well on it. I then increased to the recommended 5-gram serving size, but after about a month I began to experience sweating, shaking and a racing heart. What do you think caused this?

Answer: When ribose makes people over energized or anxious, it's often due to adrenal fatigue, because ribose lowers blood sugar while your adrenal works to prevent blood sugar from dropping. Taking ribose with food often resolves this. Taking adrenal support (e.g., Adrenaplex) can also help, and can help you feel much better overall if this was the problem.

Do you have a question for Dr. T? Visit Ask Dr. T at our website and send it to us (if a generally helpful question, we may ask for your permission to publish it here anonymously).

From the "What Will They Think of Next?" File...

Pixy

Meet Pixy, the flying camera that follows you, circles around you, and makes taking selphies with your outstretched arm a thing of the past.

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD

is one of the most frequently quoted post viral CFS, fibromyalgia, energy, sleep and pain medical authorities in the world. He is the author of 12 books including You Can Heal from Long Covid, the best-selling From Fatigued to Fantastic!, Pain Free 1-2-3, The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction, Real Cause Real Cure, The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution, and the popular free Smart Phone app Cures A-Z. He is the lead author of eight research studies and three medical textbook chapters on effective treatment for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Teitelbaum appears often as a guest on news and talk shows nationwide, including past appearances on Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah & Friends, CNN, and FoxNewsHealth.

Websites: Vitality101.com | EndFatigue.com
Facebook Support Group: Recovering from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, and Long COVID
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