Non-Pharmaceutical Remedies

For General Well-Being
Meditation - Several people have talked about how they struggle to meditate with CFS. Listening to a guided meditation, or a subliminal meditation are two suggestions that have been helpful to people.

Healing Yoga dvd
Do you miss exercising desperately? I know that I do.
I found this excellent dvd of 8  minute yoga practices that are directing at healing the body. "Healing Yoga" by Rodney has a mild and short practice for:
stress
fatigue
back pain
indigestion
headaches.


I know, we have all of them. I think it's great.

For Jangled Nerves and Sleep:
calms forte, a homeopathic remedy
This has been a life saver for me. It works similarly to the benzodiazepines and has helped me reduce the amount of ativan I need. - Amberlin

Kava Kava, an herb that's been around forever, kava is super calming. There are suspicions that kava can be hard on the liver, but my med/researcher friends have assured me that this has not been proven. I ran it by Dr. Kogelnik and he encouraged me to take it if it helped. - Amberlin



For Pain
Ginger poultice
I often make a mix of ginger powder, water, and if it's convenient some kind of oil, like flaxseed or coconut (the oil isn't necessary). I rub it into the area that hurts and let it sit. It will start to get warm so that's when you should rinse it off. If you wait longer, it will begin to burn. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and the heat eases my pain. It's easiest to do this next to or in the tub for easy rinsing.

Cramp Bark Tincture
When I take it it's usually for aches and pains before bed, in tincture form. It helps leg pains too. You can experiment with the dose, starting off with five or ten drops but in the past I've taken up to one or two teaspoons.
It works by relaxing muscles, and the more you take the more relaxed it makes them. It doesn't always get rid of pain but it's the most effective herb I've used for pain relief so far.