It just got a little easier for the estimated 1 million Americans — mostly women in their 40s and 50s — with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to be diagnosed and treated. New federal guidelines aim to educate doctors and the public, as well as legitimize the illness. CFS is defined as profound, debilitating fatigue that lasts at least six months, doesn’t improve with rest and often is accompanied by concentration problems, muscle and joint pain, headaches or tender lymph nodes. To find out more, visit: www.cdc.gov/cfs/.

Tags: Chronic fatigue syndrome, Clinical descriptions of chronic fatigue syndrome, fatigue, headaches, Health, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, illness, Medicine, muscle and joint pain, Neurological disorders, Pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome, Syndromes