A Minor Miracle

I want to take a few minutes out from poli-blogging to tell you about a minor medical miracle.

My wife has, for years now, suffered from gradual-onset Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It meant constant pain in her limbs and back, constant physical exhaustion, worry about what would happen if it worsened and she became bed-ridden. We did the best we could with as much rest as possible, massage, diet, stress-reduction techniques. Still, it was a constant feature of our lives.

Then, last month, while I was trawling the NewsNow aggregator for bloggy news I came across an article in the Belfast Telegraph. It told of a woman who had gone from bed-ridden with CFS to running races inside two months. The magic ingredient in her cure was roasted flaxseed.

We did some more research and discovered that flaxseed is rich in certain essential fatty acids, especially Omega3 fatty acids - and that medical tests in Belgium and eslewhere have discovered that CFS sufferers are defficient in Omega3.

So we got some, in the meal form although it also comes as oil capsules, and she began taking it daily.

Within a week her symptoms had almost entirely disappeared and now a month later she says she feels fitter, more awake, more energetic, more alive than she has been since before I met her.

CFS is an incredibly common ailment and the chances are that you know someone who suffers. If so, pass this news on and while you're at it let them know about the various support groups that exist if they don't already. I'm not saying it will help in every circumstance or even as much as it has helped my beloved wife. I'm not a doctor and can't make those kinds of pronouncements. But I am saying it seems to have helped her in an almost miraculous way and that it is worth a try.