Dr. A. Martin Lerner: Protecting the Heart

When it comes to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS), exercise is a contentious subject. That's because of a symptom called post-exertional malaise; exertion makes symptoms worse. Still, some doctors, researchers, and official organizations recommend graded exercise therapy (GET) as a front-line treatment for the condition -- sometimes ignoring all other treatment options other than possibly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Some people say GET has worked for them, while others say they've been made worse by it.

Dr. A. Martin Lerner, an infectious disease specialist who himself recovered from ME/CFS, says anything that raises the heart rate of someone with this condition is dangerous, unless they're well on their way to recovery (at a 7 on his EIPS chart.) He says this is because, in his practice, he's seen that ME/CFS does involve the heart.

Dr. Lerner says people with ME/CFS have a rapid heart rate when they're at rest, on top of low blood volume. As the disease progresses, he says, the heart muscle becomes weaker.

Dr. Lerner has published studies about an abnormal heart function in people with ME/CFS, showing dysfunction even at normal daily levels of exertion, abnormal movement both at rest and under stress, and T-wave abnormalities distinct enough to provide a diagnosis.

To check for those heart problem in his practice, Dr. Lerner uses ECG (electrocardiogram) and a Holter monitor (a portable monitor you may wear for a couple of days.)

For those in the early stages of recovery, Dr. Lerner says, "Certainly, it is helpful to not just let the muscles atrophy, but sitting up is actually a muscular activity." He adds, "Walk, live, but no exercise until you're at a 7, because if you exercise before that you're going to go backwards."

When it comes to gentle exercise that doesn't raise the heart rate, Dr. Lerner seemed fairly neutral, and I spoke to one of his patients who says he did grudgingly OK yoga for her even though she's nowhere near a 7 on the scale. However, she's careful not to do anything that will raise her heart rate.

So should you follow some doctors' recommendations to exercise, or heed Dr. Lerner's warnings about cardiac problems? That's a tough question, especially since most doctors wouldn't know what to look for on tests even if they agreed to perform them. Dr. Lerner recommends acquainting doctors with the published, peer-reviewed work done by him and others. If you go to pubmed.gov and type in Lerner AM cardiac, you'll get a list of research abstracts to take to your doctor. You'll also find information on some of Dr. Lerner's heart-related work on his website: Treatment Center for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I know -- a lot of doctors will never take the time to educate themselves on this. Here's my idea: start keeping a record of your resting heart rate. If it's high (more than 100 beats per minute), talk to your doctor about the possibility of heart problems. At least that's something that usually gets their attention! Your test results could help you make some very important decisions.

Source: About.com