I’ve had an interesting comment on my recent blog post about chronic fatigue that has got me seriously thinking about what is on my bathroom shelf. Here is the comment from Matt.

“I think that a lot of chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs) is caused by exposure to hydrocarbons. In my case minor dizzy spells induced by levels of 4-6ppm formaldehyde produced cfs and sleep disorder symptoms.”

I googled formaldehyde to see if there were potential exposures that would be specific to my teenage daughter.

I found that formaldehyde is used in “cosmetics and personal care products, such as cleansers, fingernail varnishes and hardeners, shampoos and conditioners and toothpastes” as well as dozens of other products.

At a quick count my daughter uses 15 different products. Not sure yet which contain formaldehyde but I am certainly keen to find out.

If you are interested in finding out more about the commercial uses of formaldehyde you will find a worryingly long list at Product Safety Australia.

I also noted with concern that Wikipedia Formaldehyde entry says that “On 10 June 2011, the US National Toxicology Program has described formaldehyde as “known to be a human carcinogen”.”

While healthy people might be able to deal with a toxic chemical load it seems logical that bodies with existing health stress may be overwhelmed by additional challenges and shut down.

That’s what it looks like when chronic fatigue syndrome happens – like a shut down.

So I guess if you or your child suffers from chronic fatigue it might be a useful strategy to lighten the chemical load a bit.

It isn’t going to do any harm and hey it might just help.

I suppose in a general sense the message for all of us is – do your homework, read labels and choose your products with great care.

For no reason that I understand my daughter gets hit with periods of extreme fatigue. These episodes make it difficult for her to function.

Being unable to get out and about can lead to feelings of isolation and frustration. Where does this fatigue come from?

Fatigue is an issue for people who suffer chronic pain. I’ve noticed that it is common for parents to report that their children have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well as pain issues.

If this is you, I thought you might be interested in some new research into chronic fatigue that just cropped up on the ABC News Website.

“Virus theory for chronic fatigue” by Nonee Walsh (ABC News 6/1/12) explains that the theory that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was caused by a virus has now been abandoned.

While this isn’t exactly a break through or great news at least one avenue of thought has been explored. Looking at it positively we are one step closer to working out what it really is.

Don Staines, from ME/CFS Australia points to some other possiblities on the horizon.

Dr Staines says it is not all bad news for CFS sufferers though, because of a new study from Norway.

“The whole scene has now changed direction markedly, as they are now suggesting this could be an autoimmune disease,” he said.

The Norwegian study used a drug already in use for autoimmune diseases, reporting it was also effective in treating chronic fatigue syndrome.

“It is probably the best evidence that anyone has come up with ever in this,” Dr Staines said.

So maybe 2012 will be the year when those suffering from chronic fatigue see some solutions emerging. Fingers crossed.

I want to arrange some training and support for parents who support a child living with chronic pain.

Apparently there is research showing that how we parent can influence our children’s perception of pain.

I am curious about how we track down this type of valuable information and make it accessible and practical for parents.

These days there is a lot more known now about pain and how best to treat it.

How best to manage pain medications and side effects is also practical information that could help parents.

Maybe parents who are better informed will feel more confident to manage flareups at home and so reduce the demand on emergency departments.

There really is information that can help parents care for a child experiencing chronic pain.

I wonder what we can do to make that more accessible? Is this something that interests you?