ME, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a serious, long-term chronic illness that impacts the sufferer, leaving them often suffering from extreme exhaustion. ME has for a long time been under-researched, but as awareness of the condition grows, more people are coming forward for help. As a grouping of symptoms, instead of a clearly identifiable illness, ME is very hard to diagnose and thus people can suffer for years before getting help for it. Symptoms can include exhaustion, digestive issues, muscle weakness, shortness of breath and irregular heart rate. But how do you know if you are suffering with ME, or are just really exhausted? Overlapping symptoms Covid has made ME more prevalent, but people still find it so difficult to know what may just be tiredness. “It is really difficult to tell the difference. ME and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) have a lot of overlap [with tiredness] and there have been a lot of issues with long covid with these long persisting post-viral malaise, where even if people sleep well, they may still feel exhausted,” says GP and men’s health specialist Dr Anand Patel. If you have had covid or another viral illness, this may increase the likelihood of having ME. Get checked out “If you have had persisting symptoms for more than a few weeks or they are really severe, speak to your GP,” says Patel. Particularly if “you are sleeping okay, your diet, caffeine and alcohol intake are okay, but your symptoms are persisting. They may check your thyroid and blood count”, he explains. “A quarter of our appointments these days are classed as ‘tired all the time’. It is very difficult to weed out what is what when ME and CFS are groups of symptoms that are bundled together. It is not necessarily something that will cause medical harm, but will cause really significant symptoms to sufferers,” says Patel. “With ME, you may be so tired you can barely stay awake in the day. We are still in the exploratory stage of what does cause it, but if you have had psychological trauma or illness it is more likely to be ME that has caused these prolonged symptoms. It can be hard to find things during tests and scans, but of course, there are conditions we don’t have tests for or are hard to identify,” he explains. Be clear of your symptoms “It is really difficult to diagnose something if you can’t find it, so a patient needs to explain symptoms and how they are feeling. Many people with it don’t feel seen, and a doctor may be struggling to find a specific answer,” Patel explains. Keeping a diary of symptoms may help to make it clear. Vitamin deficiencies Consider what the other causes may be. “Tiredness could be caused by blood count and anaemia, thyroid function and deficiencies, dietary changes and vitamin deficiencies,” says Patel. “If you have a varied diet, these are unlikely. B12 and folic acid deficiency are common, they make blood make new cells and are important in nerve function. Also, it could be vitamin D deficiency, a lot of people need to take a vitamin D tablet every day in the UK because we don’t get enough sun and slap on factor 50 as soon as it does come out,” Patel says. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dr Alex George: Five months of sobriety has made a ‘huge difference’ Everything you need to know about Sophie, the new Duchess of Edinburgh Beyonce kicks of Renaissance tour in string of glamorous outfits

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Michael Schumacher’s family lawyer Felix Damm has revealed the reason no “final report” has been publicised on the F1 star’s health: “It’s all about protecting private things.” The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has not been seen publicly since suffering a near-fatal brain injury while skiing in December 2013 in Meribel, France. His wife Corinna has insisted on protecting Schumacher’s privacy in the near 10 years since, with his medical condition shrouded in secrecy as he continues to recover at home in Switzerland. Damm, who acts as a representative for the Schumacher family, has now given more detail as to why those close to the Ferrari icon don’t want to publicise details about his health. “It was always about protecting private things,” Damm told German outlet LTO. “We considered whether a final report about Michael’s health could be the right way to do this. “But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be constantly updated ‘water level reports’ and it would not have been up to the family when the media interest in the story stopped.” The lawyer also emphasised how the precedent of “voluntary self-disclosure” would have made the past 10 years even more difficult for the Schumacher family should intricate health details be made public. Damm added: “They [the media] could pick up on such a report again and again and as ‘and what does it look like now?’ one, two, three months or years after the message. If we then wanted to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-disclosure. “If it is not the person concerned himself but friends or acquaintances who disclose private information, it is not a case of ‘voluntary self-disclosure’ of privacy. “Therefore, the data subject can defend himself against disclosure of private circumstances even if the information comes from an acquaintance.” Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has a close relationship with the Schumacher family, revealing last year he has seen the German three times a week on some occasions – adding that the 54-year-old is in the “best of hands… surrounded by people who love him.” Todt also said as recently as last July that he still watches F1 races with Schumacher despite the German’s unknown medical state. “I don’t miss Michael, I see him,” Todt told German broadcaster RTL. “Yes, it’s true, I watch grand prix with Michael. But sure, I guess what I miss is what we used to do together.” Schumacher’s son Mick lost his F1 race seat at Haas last year and is now a reserve driver at Mercedes, who Michael drove for from 2010-2012. Todt is a close friend of Schumacher’s since their time working together during a successful era at Ferrari, when the German won five of his seven world titles from 2000-2004. In April, an editor of a German magazine was sacked after the Die Aktuelle publication used artificial intelligence to produce fake quotes from Schumacher. The magazine was labelled “disgraceful” by fans online for depicting the AI responses as an “exclusive interview” on their 15 April front cover. In a Netflix documentary which aired in 2021 titled Schumacher, Corinna detailed how his family have dealt with the situation and continue to “get on with their lives.” “Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find,” Corinna said. “We’re together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. “We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. ‘Private is private’, as he always said. “It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael.” Corinna was in attendance to collect an award last July on behalf of husband Michael, with daughter Gina and Todt joining her to collect the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia - the highest civilian honour available to those born within the region. Schumacher holds the joint-record for the most Formula 1 world titles with Lewis Hamilton. Read More Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin and a ‘miserable’ decline which could have consequences Max Verstappen gives blunt verdict on Sergio Perez’s Mexican Grand Prix crash Christian Horner drops Daniel Ricciardo hint as pressure mounts on Sergio Perez Kevin Magnussen’s car catches fire after high-speed crash in Mexico F1 fan banned for life after attacking Ferrari supporters in Mexico Sergio Perez lasts just 14 seconds in home race as Max Verstappen wins in Mexico

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