"Alternative approaches cured my chronic fatigue"

Heather Anderson's life came to a halt when she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Nothing she tried made a dent in her symptoms— until she met a doctor who suggested a remedy that changed everything

- Gina Roberts-Grey

TERRIFIED SHE WAS close to dying, Heather Anderson feared standing up, as even the slightest physical effort sent her heart racing. “I can’t live the rest of my life lying down scared that standing up might kill me,” she tearfully told her husband as she prayed for a way to reclaim her once-active life.

“At the time, we were living in Chicago, enjoying an active lifestyle, walking everywhere, including the grocery store where my husband and I went every day to grab a few things and have coffee,” she recalls. “That was our time to unplug, soak up fresh air or talk about where our next travel adventure would take us.

“But in 2018, the quick stroll I'd been making for years became nearly impossible as I struggled to summon energy, often needing to stop and rest or turn around and go home. Feeling guilty I wasn’t able to partake in our daily ritual and frustrated that despite being in my early 50s, I felt decades older, I tried to push myself to at least make it to the store, then sit in the store’s café while my husband shopped alone.

Barely getting by