Personalised Support for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME . FIBROMYALGIA
At the Autoimmune Clinic, we specialise in chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/ CFS) and fibromyalgia, through a functional medicine approach.
WE GO BEYOND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT TO UNCOVER AND SUPPORT POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSES OF YOUR CONDITION, HELPING YOU REGAIN CONTROL OVER YOUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING.
Fatigue, pain, and brain fog are not diagnoses – they’re signals.
We are here to help you uncover what's actually going on.
Living with chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia can feel overwhelming, isolating, and misunderstood. Many of our clients come to us after years of unanswered questions, only to be told that “nothing is wrong.”
We take a different approach – identifying hidden factors driving your symptoms, so that you can finally begin to heal.
Fatigue Is a Symptom – Not a Diagnosis
Fatigue is often the body’s way of signalling that something is out of balance. While it’s one of the most common complaints, it’s rarely explored thoroughly in conventional settings.
We take a systems-based view to identify possible root causes and patterns behind low energy. This may include:
-
Undiagnosed autoimmunity – early or evolving immune dysregulation can present with fatigue before overt disease.
-
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) – triggered by biotoxins, leading to persistent immune activation and neurological symptoms.
-
Long COVID and post-viral syndromes – where viral reactivation, mitochondrial damage and immune dysfunction persist.
-
Gut dysbiosis, leaky gut or SIBO – contributing to inflammation, malabsorption, and systemic symptoms.
-
Nutrient depletions – including iron, B12, CoQ10, magnesium, often missed in standard blood panels.
-
Environmental and mould exposures – ongoing triggers for inflammation and oxidative stress.
-
Nervous system dysregulation – chronic fight-or-flight states deplete energy and reduce resilience.
“Chronic fatigue isn’t in your head. But it may be in your immune system, gut, or environment.”
What Are the Mitochondria?
– AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?
Mitochondria are the energy-producing organelles found in every cell of your body. They convert nutrients into ATP – the fuel your body uses to perform every task, from thinking and walking to healing and detoxifying. When mitochondria are under stress or damaged, energy levels drop, and symptoms appear across multiple systems.
In chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, mitochondrial dysfunction is often central to symptoms. But the key question is: is it about supporting the mitochondria, or identifying what’s damaging them?
We believe in doing both. Supporting mitochondrial health with key nutrients can help restore function – but we must also remove what’s impairing them in the first place.
Common factors that can damage mitochondria include:
-
Chronic inflammation (especially driven by environmental exposures, hidden infections or autoimmunity)
-
Oxidative stress and low antioxidant defences
-
Environmental toxins such as mould mycotoxins or heavy metals
-
Nutrient depletion (e.g., CoQ10, B vitamins, magnesium, carnitine)
-
Viral reactivation or unresolved post-viral syndromes
-
Medications (e.g. statins, certain antibiotics, PPIs)
-
Emotional or physical trauma and sustained stress response
While mitochondrial supplements can help, a true recovery plan addresses the underlying drivers of mitochondrial injury. At our clinic, we explore both – stabilising your system while investigating what’s depleting your cellular energy in the first place.
Fibromyalgia: More Than Just Pain
Fibromyalgia is often defined by widespread musculoskeletal pain, but for many, it also includes poor sleep, unrefreshing rest, cognitive difficulties (often described as "fibro fog"), digestive symptoms like bloating or IBS, heightened sensitivities, and profound physical exhaustion. These symptoms can be debilitating and affect quality of life just as much as the pain itself.
Fibromyalgia is now understood to be a condition of central sensitisation – where the brain and nervous system become hypersensitive to stimuli that would not normally cause discomfort. This includes touch, light, noise, stress, and even internal bodily signals such as digestion or hormonal shifts. Essentially, the volume knob of the nervous system is turned up far too high, causing normal sensations to be perceived as exaggerated or painful.
But central sensitisation doesn’t arise in isolation. It is often the downstream effect of other stressors or imbalances in the body. We call it "Brain on Fire".
Through our work, we commonly identify the following underlying drivers:
-
Neuroinflammation – often fuelled by immune activation, unresolved infections, or gut-brain axis dysfunction. Inflammation in the nervous system contributes directly to pain sensitivity, fatigue, and cognitive changes.
-
Mast cell overactivation – which can cause a wide range of systemic symptoms including pain flares, rashes, digestive upset, sleep disruption, and sensitivity to foods, smells, or chemicals. Mast cells interact closely with the nervous system and may worsen both pain and brain fog.
-
Hormonal imbalances – including oestrogen fluctuations in perimenopause, low cortisol from chronic stress, or thyroid dysfunction. These imbalances affect pain signalling, mood, tissue repair, and overall energy.
-
Unresolved trauma or early life stress – which can sensitise the limbic system (the emotional part of the brain), making the body more reactive to perceived threats. This often shows up as chronic anxiety, hypervigilance, or nervous system instability – all of which can intensify pain perception.
-
Low-grade autoimmunity – where the immune system is mildly but persistently activated, even in the absence of a formal diagnosis. This may contribute to low-level inflammation, pain, and fatigue that traditional tests overlook.
At the Autoimmune Clinic, we look at fibromyalgia as a multi-layered condition – not just a pain disorder, but a complex interaction of immune, neurological, hormonal, and emotional systems.
By working collaboratively to identify and address these contributing factors, we help clients reduce pain, restore sleep, and regain their resilience.
Could it be CIRS?
CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE SYNDROME
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is a frequently overlooked condition that can underlie persistent fatigue, brain fog, chemical or food sensitivities, and systemic inflammation. It occurs when the body is unable to clear biotoxins—often from mould in water-damaged buildings, Lyme disease, or other environmental exposures—leading to chronic immune activation.
While not everyone exposed to mould becomes unwell, those with certain HLA-DR genetic variants may struggle to detoxify these toxins effectively. This can result in ongoing inflammation affecting multiple systems: brain, gut, lungs, hormones, and skin.
You may suspect CIRS if you:
-
Feel worse in certain buildings or damp environments
-
Have unexplained symptoms that don’t improve with typical treatments
-
Developed new sensitivities to foods, chemicals, or supplements
-
Have a history of mould, tick-borne illness, or post-viral fatigue
-
Experience cyclical or migratory symptoms
At The Autoimmune Clinic, we use:
-
VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) Testing – a quick, low-cost screening tool for biotoxin-related neuroinflammation
-
HLA-DR Genetic Typing – to determine your susceptibility
-
CIRS biomarkers
-
Symptom-based screening using Shoemaker criteria to guide further investigation
Identifying whether CIRS is at play can be a crucial turning point. With the right support, it’s possible to reduce inflammation, support detox pathways, and help the immune system reset.
To learn more, visit our CIRS page:
Chronic fatigue and chronic pain, could it be early stage of autoimmunity?
Autoimmune conditions such as Hashimoto’s, Sjogren’s, lupus, or coeliac disease can develop gradually, often presenting with vague symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, gut disturbances, skin issues, or low mood long before a formal diagnosis is made. These early signs are frequently overlooked or misattributed to stress, hormones, or ageing.
At the Autoimmune Clinic, we take a broader view. Our functional assessments look beyond conventional test results to identify subtle patterns of immune dysregulation — including early antibody changes, inflammation, gut permeability, nutrient status, and environmental or infectious triggers that may be silently fuelling the process.
We also explore contributing factors such as mould exposure, viral reactivation, hormone shifts, and chronic stress, all of which can accelerate immune dysfunction and symptom progression.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition or simply suspect something deeper is going on, we aim to detect imbalances early and reduce the triggers driving immune activation.
Chronic Fatigue, Long COVID, and the Innate Immune System
Long COVID and other post-viral syndromes have become increasingly common, and for many individuals, they present with symptoms strikingly similar to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and CIRS. Persistent fatigue, brain fog, breathlessness, and post-exertional crashes are hallmarks of this complex condition — yet the underlying mechanisms are only just beginning to be understood.
Emergency research is now pointing toward chronic activation of the innate immune system — the body’s first line of defence. In long COVID, this part of the immune system may remain activated long after the initial viral infection has passed, leading to ongoing inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue sensitivity. This immune dysregulation closely mirrors what we see in CIRS and may point to shared biological pathways.
For some, long COVID may also lead to reactivation of other latent viral infections, such as Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), or herpes viruses. These secondary viral loads can further overwhelm the immune system, drain mitochondrial function, and perpetuate fatigue and neuroinflammation.
We also frequently observe overlapping features between long COVID and biotoxin-related illness — especially when there is a history of mould exposure or susceptibility via HLA-DR genes. In these cases, symptoms are often multisystem and poorly responsive to conventional care.
If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms after a viral illness, particularly if you have a history of environmental exposures or multisystem sensitivities, our team can help you explore whether innate immune activation or CIRS may be underlying factor to your fatigue.
The role of early stress and trauma
Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, autoimmunity, and chemical sensitivities often don’t arise in isolation. Research and clinical experience show that early life stress, trauma, or nervous system dysregulation can lay the groundwork for chronic health issues. The body holds the memory of unresolved emotional experiences, shaping how our immune, hormonal, and neurological systems respond to stress.
For some, trauma may be overt — illness, loss, or abuse. For others, it may be more subtle — emotional neglect, chronic overwhelm, or feeling unsupported during key developmental stages. These experiences can sensitise the nervous system and contribute to long-term vulnerability.
t the Autoimmune Clinic, we understand this complex interplay. Addressing the nervous system is often a crucial part of recovery, as chronic illness can place the body in a prolonged state of stress or hypervigilance. Alongside functional medicine, approaches such as therapy, counselling, or other body–mind modalities can be extremely valuable in supporting emotional regulation and resilience. These interventions help the body feel safe enough to heal, creating the foundations for deeper and more lasting recovery.
Our Approach to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
✔️ 90-minutes initial consultation
We take time to hear your full story and begin mapping out your case.
✔️ Identify your possible root causes
Using detailed history-taking and advanced functional testing, we assess gut health, nutrient status, mitochondrial function, immune and inflammatory markers, hormonal balance, and environmental exposures. For clients with relevant symptoms, we include screening for mould illness and CIRS.
✔️ Personalise your nutrition plan
We create anti-inflammatory, energy-supportive dietary strategies to support cellular repair, while guiding you on lifestyle adjustments around sleep, pacing, rest, and gentle movement.
✔️ Support your energy systems
We use targeted nutritional interventions and nervous system support to rebuild resilience and help restore vitality at a cellular level.
✔️ Nervous system & pacing support
We give you the tools to regulate your nervous system and rebuild resilience through strategies such as limbic system retraining, vagus nerve support, pacing, stress reduction, and trauma-informed care — helping your body move out of survival mode and into a state where true healing can begin.
✔️ Ongoing support
We support clients over a period of 3–6 months or longer if needed, offering monthly reviews to monitor progress, adjust interventions, and ensure you feel understood and supported at every step.
If you’re struggling with persistent fatigue, post-viral symptoms, widespread pain, or unexplained multi-system symptoms, we are here to support you with a holistic, science-based, and compassionate approach.
At The Autoimmune Clinic, we understand that chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia are complex, multifactorial conditions that require a personalised and layered approach. Rather than focusing solely on symptom relief, we work with you to uncover and address the deeper drivers of your illness — including immune dysregulation, nervous system sensitisation, hidden infections, environmental triggers, and trauma history.
Our functional medicine approach consists of:
How we work
*Alternatively, you’re welcome to email our reception team if you’d like more information about our packages, pricing and availability.
Meet Muriel & Claire,
your expert practitioners
Our practitioners are BANT registered nutritional therapists and functional medicine practitioners, with a real passion to help others achieve optimal health.
You can read more about Muriel and Claire on our Meet the Team page.
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand you may have questions about managing fibromyalgia with our approach. Below are some common queries we receive: