Windthorst, Petra, Mazurak, Nazar, Kuske, Marvin et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2017 · DOI
This study tested two different treatments for ME/CFS in 28 women: heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF), which uses technology to help regulate breathing and nervous system activity, and graded exercise training (GET), which involves gradually increasing physical activity. Both treatments reduced fatigue, but they helped in different ways—HRV-BF appeared to help more with mood and depression, while GET seemed to improve physical functioning more.
This study provides preliminary evidence that different therapeutic approaches to ME/CFS may target distinct symptom domains—mental versus physical health—suggesting that personalized or combined treatment strategies could optimize patient outcomes rather than using one-size-fits-all interventions.
This pilot study does not establish that HRV-BF or GET is definitively effective for ME/CFS, as the small sample size (n=28) and lack of control group limit statistical power and generalizability. The findings do not clarify which treatment is superior overall, only that they may have different profiles of benefit. Long-term effectiveness beyond the 5-month follow-up period remains unknown.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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