Skip to content
Surprising Science

Brain & Body Training Best for CFS

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is best treated with cognitive behavioural and graded exercise therapies, say British scientists writing in The Lancet. But some support groups disagree.
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as ME, should be treated with a form of behavioural therapy or exercise, say British scientists. Writing in The Lancet, they argue that the approach preferred by some charities, managing energy levels, is less successful. A quarter of a million people in the UK have the condition, yet its cause remains unknown. The authors say cognitive behavioural and graded exercise therapies were the most successful, both at reducing fatigue and increasing physical function. The authors suggest that poor advice, such as suggestions to just go to the gym, could be responsible for bad experiences with the exercise therapy.

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

Up Next
Morality is not like some kind of cosmic bank, where you can deposit good deeds and use them to offset future misdeeds. People ignore heroic pasts when assigning blame.