Brain retraining trial aims to ease chronic fatigue and long COVID symptoms

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older; * Individuals diagnosed with ME/CFS, according to the Institute of Medicine (2015) criteria, for more than six months. Exclusion Criteria: Individuals who: 1) are too ill to participate; 2) lack reliable internet; 3) cannot communicate in English; 4) Presently have or ever had inflammatory bowel disease; and/or 5) Have been prescribed or used an oral or systemic (infusion) antibiotic in the past one month-;; 6) are participating in a concurrent study; 7) are participating in a concurrent mind-body intervention during the study period including * Art Therapy * Autogenic training * Biofeedback/neurofeedback * Breathing exercise * Cognitive restructuring * Dynamic Neural Retraining System * Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) * Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) * Guided imagery * Hypnotherapy/self-hypnosis * Meditation (mindfulness, mantra, guided, transcendental) * Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) * Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) * Music therapy * Neurolinguistic programming * Psychological flexibility * Qigong * Relaxation therapy (relaxation response, progressive muscle relaxation) * Tai Chi * Visualization * Yoga and/or starting any other new treatment during the study period, including any mind-body therapy, psychotherapy, prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, etc; 8) have any active medical condition (untreated/uncontrolled) that may explain the presence of fatigue including: * untreated hypothyroidism (including Hashimoto's disease) * hyperthyroidism * diabetes mellitus * iron deficiency anemia * other treatable anemia * iron overload syndrome * adrenal insufficiency * Cushing's syndrome * anorexia nervosa * iatrogenic conditions such as side effects or interactions of medication(s) or supplements • Rheumatological disorders: * rheumatoid arthritis * lupus * polymyositis * polymyalgia rheumatica * Sjogren's Syndrome * Ehlers Danlos Syndromes \[Hypermobility type\] • Other heritable disorders of connective tissue: * Marfan syndrome * Stickler syndrome etc. * Multiple sclerosis * Celiac disease * Note: Patients with celiac disease can present without gastrointestinal symptoms • Immune disorders * such as HIV/AIDS • Sleep disorders * including obstructive sleep apnea • Prior illnesses may relapse or may not have completely resolved during treatment. * Examples are certain malignancies * leukemia * infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis • Active primary psychiatric disorders * eating disorders * alcohol * substance use disorder