I did not choose this specialism. It chose me.
In 2013 I came home from several years working overseas as a contractor. Twelve to fourteen hour days, seven days a week. In the last six months of that contract I skipped my rest break and pushed through.
What I came home to was not the recovery I had planned. It was exhaustion that sleep did not touch, a brain that would not hold a thought, and a body that had simply stopped cooperating. My bloodwork was normal. Nobody could tell me what was wrong.
The answer came from an acupuncturist trained in both Eastern and Western medicine, who examined me properly and named it: chronic fatigue syndrome. Building a way through took three more years — nutrition, nervous system work, pacing, and genuine rest. By 2016 I was symptom-free, and I have stayed that way.
I want to be careful about what that means. My recovery is my recovery. Bodies differ, histories differ, and I will never tell you that what worked for me will work for you. What I can offer is somebody who understands this from the inside and will not rush you.