Exercise and positive thinking 'can help overcome' Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Positive thinking and increasing participation in exercise could help cure Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a new study has found.

The research from Oxford University, in conjunction with King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London, followed up a previous study published in 2011 which looked at four potential treatments for CFS, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET).

Participants in the original study were contacted two and a half years after starting their treatments to see how they were faring.

Professor Michael Sharpe said people being treated with CBT or GET as opposed to standard medical care (SMC) or adaptive pacing therapy (APT) saw long-term improvements in fatigue and physical functioning.

He said: “The finding that participants who had cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise therapy had maintained their improvement over two years after entering the trial, tells us that these treatments can improve the long-term health of people with CFS.”