Holistic Support for Chronic Pain, Fatigue, and POTS – Melbourne & Online

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread pain, persistent fatigue, and sleep disturbances, often leaving individuals feeling unrefreshed despite rest. It can also present with other symptoms, including cognitive challenges (often referred to as "fibro fog"), emotional difficulties, and heightened sensitivity to various stressors.

This complex condition is often misunderstood, but it can profoundly impact your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Symptoms may worsen with excessive physical activity, mental strain, emotional stress, sensory overload, or social pressures, making day-to-day life feel overwhelming.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), is a complex and debilitating condition that affects multiple body systems. It is characterised by persistent, unexplained fatigue that does not improve with rest and can significantly impact daily life.

A hallmark symptom of ME/CFS is Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), often referred to as a "crash." This occurs when symptoms suddenly worsen after even small amounts of physical, cognitive, or emotional exertion. PEM can leave individuals bedbound for days, weeks, or, in severe cases, months.

Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than 3–6 months, continuing beyond the typical healing period for an injury or illness, even when no active tissue damage is present. It often starts as an acute injury but can develop into a long-term condition due to changes in how the nervous and immune systems process pain signals.

This process, known as sensitisation, means the body becomes more sensitive to pain over time, even in the absence of an active injury. Chronic pain can affect every aspect of life, from physical functioning to emotional well-being, making it a challenging condition to manage without the right support.

Long COVID, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), describes ongoing symptoms that persist after the acute phase of a COVID-19 infection. These symptoms can occur regardless of how mild or severe the initial illness was. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, joint pain, and chest discomfort.

Emerging research shows that Long COVID shares many similarities with ME/CFS and may have overlapping mechanisms. Contributing factors can vary greatly between individuals and are often complex. There are also strong links between Long COVID and conditions such as dysautonomia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and hypermobility syndromes.

Dysautonomia is a condition that affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls automatic functions like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. When the ANS is disrupted, it can cause a range of symptoms that significantly impact daily life.

Common forms of dysautonomia include Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Orthostatic Intolerance (OI), and Orthostatic Hypotension (OH). These conditions often overlap with other chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and Long COVID, contributing to their complexity and the challenges of management.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that typically affects a limb after an injury, surgery, or trauma. It is characterised by severe, persistent pain that is often out of proportion to the original injury.

What makes CRPS unique is its complex nature, which can cause changes in skin colour, temperature, and swelling in the affected area. These symptoms may fluctuate or worsen over time. Adding to its challenges, CRPS often doesn’t appear on traditional imaging, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult.

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is a condition that affects how the brain and nervous system send and receive signals, leading to symptoms that can mimic neurological conditions like seizures, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. Unlike these conditions, FND occurs without structural damage or disease in the nervous system, making it a functional issue rather than a structural one.

Common symptoms include weakness or paralysis, tremors, non-epileptic seizures, speech difficulties, and sensory changes. These symptoms can vary greatly between individuals and may fluctuate over time. FND is often associated with stress, trauma, or other co-existing conditions, and it can significantly impact daily life.

Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to recover adequately from excessive physical training or prolonged stress. This results in a state of chronic fatigue and impaired performance, even with rest. While it often begins with overloading the body through intense training, it can also be influenced by other stressors, such as insufficient sleep, poor nutrition, and emotional or psychological strain.

OTS shares many similarities with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), with hallmark symptoms including persistent fatigue, post-exertional malaise (PEM), unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive difficulties (commonly referred to as "brain fog"). Symptoms can worsen with continued physical or mental exertion, leading to a prolonged recovery process.

Managing OTS involves identifying and addressing all contributing factors, including reducing training load, prioritising rest and recovery, and optimising nutrition, sleep, and stress management.