Neurasthenia Health Dictionary

Neurasthenia: From 6 Different Sources

A vague term now superceded by ‘debility’ and ‘depression’. The condition usually responds well.

Symptoms: loss of appetite, weight, energy and sleep. Often follows the toxaemia of faulty nutrition and metabolism. Sexual abuse, mental or physical shock. Feeble mental health. May herald the onset of chronic illness. Blood pressure may be low (Hawthorn, Broom, Kola). Treatment should be directed towards building up the consitution by a healthy lifestyle and wholesome mental habits.

Alternatives. Teas. Betony, Hops, Oats, Skullcap, Passion flower (undue restlessness), Lime flowers (easily stimulated). Gentian or Mistletoe: 1-2 teaspoons to cup cold water allowed to steep overnight; half cup morning and evening the following day.

Decoction: combine: Oats 2; Skullcap 1; Peruvian bark half; Hops half. 1oz to 1 pint water; bring to boil; simmer 2 minutes. Drink cold, 1 cup before meals, thrice daily.

Tablets/capsules. Combination (Kola, Damiana, Saw Palmetto). Gentian. Ginseng. Ginkgo.

Powders. Combine: Kola 2; Peruvian bark 1; Fringe Tree half; Liquorice half. Dose: 300mg thrice daily. Liquid Extracts. Combine Valerian 1; Hops 1; Wild Yam half; Oats 2. Dose: 1 teaspoon thrice daily. Tinctures. Combine: Peruvian bark 2; Valerian 1; Pulsatilla half; Fringe Tree half. Dose: 1-2 teaspoons thrice daily.

Diet. Oatmeal porridge. Cider vinegar. High protein.

Vitamins. B-complex, B6, B12, C, E.

Minerals. Dolomite. Iron complex. Zinc.

Note: Some authorities believe neurasthenia and chronic fatigue syndrome are the same.

Health Source: Bartrams Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine
Author: Health Encyclopedia

An outdated term that literally means “nervous exhaustion”. It was once used to describe a number of physical and mental symptoms, including loss of energy, insomnia, aches and pains, depression, irritability, and reduced concentration.neuritis A term that literally means inflammation of a nerve. True nerve inflammation may be caused by infection (for example by a virus in herpes zoster or by a bacterium in Hansen’s disease). The term neuritis is also often applied to nerve damage or disease from causes other than inflammation. It has become virtually synonymous with neuropathy. neuroblastoma A tumour of the adrenal glands or the sympathetic nervous system (which is part of the autonomic nervous system). Most neuroblastomas develop in the adrenal glands or in the sympathetic nerves along the back wall of the abdomen. Less commonly, tumours develop in the sympathetic nerves of the chest or neck.

Neuroblastomas are the most common extracranial (outside the skull), solid tumour of childhood. Most cases develop during the first 10 years of life, especially in the first 5.

Common symptoms include a lump in the abdomen, tiredness, weight loss, aches and pains, paleness, and irritability. Diarrhoea, high blood pressure, and flushing of the skin sometimes occur.

The diagnosis of a neuroblastoma is from MRI and CT scanning, blood tests, urine tests, and biopsy of the bone marrow and any accessible tumours. Treatment consists of surgical removal of the tumour, followed by radiotherapy. Anticancer drugs and a bone marrow transplant may also be required. The outlook varies because neuroblastomas range from being relatively harmless to aggressively cancerous.

Health Source: BMA Medical Dictionary
Author: The British Medical Association

Tiredness or exhaustion, often in excess of what would seem appropriate from purely physical causes.

Health Source: Herbal Medical
Author: Health Dictionary

An out-of-date term that was used to describe an ill-de?ned state of nervous exhaustion in which, although the patient suffers from no de?nite disease, he or she becomes incapable of sustained exertion. The condition which it represented is now believed to be a form of NEUROSIS or psychosomatic disease. It was also used in the past to describe what is now called CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS).

Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary

Nervous debility

Health Source: Medicinal Plants Glossary
Author: Health Dictionary

n. a set of psychological and physical symptoms, including fatigue, irritability, headache, dizziness, and intolerance of noise. It can be caused by organic damage, such as a head injury, or it can be due to anxiety. —neurasthenic adj., n.

Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (cfs)

See also MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (ME). A condition characterised by severe, disabling mental and physical fatigue brought on by mental or physical activity and associated with a range of symptoms including muscle pain, headaches, poor sleep, disturbed moods and impaired concentration. The prevalence of the condition is between 0.2 and 2.6 per cent of the population (depending on how investigators de?ne CFS/ME). Despite the stereotype of ‘yuppie ?u’, epidemiological research has shown that the condition occurs in all socioeconomic and ethnic groups. It is commoner in women and can also occur in children.

In the 19th century CFS was called neurasthenia. In the UK, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is often used, a term originally introduced to describe a speci?c outbreak such as the one at the Royal Free Hospital, London in 1955. The term is inaccurate as there is no evidence of in?ammation of the brain and spinal cord (the meaning of encephalomyelitis). Doctors prefer the term CFS, but many patients see this as derogatory, perceiving it to imply that they are merely ‘tired all the time’ rather than having a disabling illness.

The cause (or causes) are unknown, so the condition is classi?ed alongside other ‘medically unexplained syndromes’ such as IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) and multiple chemical sensitivity – all of which overlap with CFS. In many patients the illness seems to start immediately after a documented infection, such as that caused by EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS, or after viral MENINGITIS, Q FEVER and TOXOPLASMOSIS. These infections seem to be a trigger rather than a cause: mild immune activation is found in patients, but it is not known if this is cause or e?ect. The body’s endocrine system is disturbed, particularly the hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis, and levels of cortisol are often a little lower than normal – the opposite of what is found in severe depression. Psychiatric disorder, usually depression and/or anxiety, is associated with CFS, with rates too high to be explained solely as a reaction to the disability experienced.

Because we do not know the cause, the underlying problem cannot be dealt with e?ectively and treatments are directed at the factors leading to symptoms persisting. For example, a slow increase in physical activity can help many, as can COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY. Too much rest can be harmful, as muscles are rapidly weakened, but aggressive attempts at coercing patients into exercising can be counter-productive as their symptoms may worsen. Outcome is in?uenced by the presence of any pre-existing psychiatric disorder and the sufferer’s beliefs about its causes and treatment. Research continues.... chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs)

Neurasthenia Health Dictionary

Neurasthenia: From 6 Different Sources

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