Treating Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome with Evening Primrose Oil, L-Carnitine, and Coenzyme Q-10

Enduring the many physical pains and problems that come with Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) is enough for any person. Adding in the side effects of prescription drugs can sometimes make things overwhelming. Both prescription drugs and natural remedies that cause no side effects for most people are almost guaranteed to cause them for people with CFIDS, since we tend to be hypersensitive in our responses to everything. Several different "natural" remedies have been recommended to me by everyone from physicians to beauticians. The three most commonly suggested are Evening Primrose Oil, L-Carnitine, and CoEnzyme Q-10, or CoQ-10.

The Evening Primrose is a plant native to North America. It has lovely yellow flowers that bloom in the evening (thus the name). Its oil contains gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, an essential fatty acid considered an omega-6 fatty acid. Essential fatty acids are used by the body for growth and development, and are usually obtained through what we eat; however, most modern diets don't contain sufficient Omega-3 or Omega-6 fatty acids, so supplementation is often recommended. Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) has been studied since the 1930s for eczema, and seems to have beneficial effects for that condition; it is not "approved" for anything in the U.S., but has been approved for eczema in several other countries. Since GLA may help reduce the body's production of chemicals that produce inflammation, it has been used in the treatment of some inflammatory conditions, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis; some small studies have also indicated that adding Evening Primrose Oil as a supplement to other treatments may help diabetes or scleroderma.