Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME/CFS
Exhaustion is
a symptom.
Not a diagnosis.
When you are so tired that sleep does not help — and the world tells you it's all in your head — we believe you. Sierra treats the biological drivers of ME/CFS, not the label.
Or call us directly: (775) 828-5388 · Mon–Thu 9am–5pm
More than
being tired.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome — now formally recognized as myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) — is a complex, multisystem disease affecting an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million Americans. It is not a psychiatric condition. It is not deconditioning. It is not laziness. It is a biological disease with measurable abnormalities in energy metabolism, immune function, and neurological regulation.
The hallmark symptom is post-exertional malaise (PEM) — a profound, often delayed worsening of symptoms after even minimal physical or cognitive exertion that can last for days or weeks. ME/CFS patients are not simply tired; their cells cannot produce energy the way healthy cells can. This is a problem of mitochondrial function, and it requires a biological solution, not a pep talk.
Despite affecting millions, fewer than 20% of ME/CFS patients receive a formal diagnosis — and those who do wait an average of four years. The condition is routinely dismissed as depression, anxiety, or stress. Standard medicine offers no lab test, no treatment protocol, and often no belief that the illness is real.
At Sierra, we take a different view. ME/CFS is an intelligible disease driven by identifiable biological mechanisms: mitochondrial dysfunction, HPA axis dysregulation, chronic infection, neuroinflammation, and toxic burden. We test for these drivers systematically, and we treat them directly.
Mitochondria, HPA axis,
and the energy crisis.
Sierra's three decades of clinical experience have identified three interconnected biological systems that are almost universally dysregulated in ME/CFS patients. They do not operate in isolation — dysfunction in one amplifies dysfunction in the others, trapping the patient in a vicious cycle of energy failure.
Mitochondria are the power plants of every cell in your body. In ME/CFS, these organelles are impaired — unable to efficiently convert oxygen and nutrients into ATP, the energy currency of life. The result is a cellular energy crisis that no amount of rest can solve. Research has confirmed reduced mitochondrial enzyme activity, abnormal mitochondrial morphology, and impaired oxidative phosphorylation in ME/CFS patients.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis governs your body's stress response and cortisol rhythm. In chronic fatigue, this axis becomes dysregulated — cortisol levels are flattened, the normal circadian rhythm is lost, and the body can no longer mount an appropriate response to physical or emotional stress. This contributes profoundly to fatigue, sleep disruption, brain fog, and immune dysfunction.
Chronic infections — Epstein-Barr virus, CMV, HHV-6, Lyme, and post-COVID — are among the most common triggers of ME/CFS. Heavy metals and environmental chemicals accumulate in neural and mitochondrial tissue, impairing energy production directly. Mold toxins disrupt immune regulation and neurological function. These burdens create a perfect storm that traps the body in a state of energy debt.
Mitochondrial support,
adrenal restoration, detox.
Sierra's approach to ME/CFS is built on three decades of clinical experience treating patients with complex, undiagnosed fatigue. We do not offer a generic energy-boosting protocol. We diagnose the specific biological failures driving your fatigue and treat them in a targeted, sequential manner.
We target mitochondrial function directly using a combination of IV and oral therapies — including NAD+, CoQ10, acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, and B-complex vitamins. These nutrients are the essential cofactors and substrates your mitochondria need to produce ATP. For patients with severe dysfunction, IV administration bypasses absorption barriers and delivers therapeutic doses directly to the cells that need them most.
We assess adrenal function through salivary cortisol rhythm testing — a four-point diurnal profile that reveals whether your HPA axis is producing cortisol normally. Based on the pattern, we employ adaptogenic herbs (ashwagandha, rhodiola, licorice root), glandular support, targeted amino acids, and lifestyle protocols to restore the natural cortisol rhythm and improve stress resilience.
Toxic burden and chronic infections are among the most common upstream drivers of mitochondrial failure and HPA axis dysregulation. We use advanced diagnostics to identify heavy metals, mycotoxins, environmental chemicals, and persistent viral/bacterial infections. Treatment follows with targeted detoxification protocols, antiviral and antimicrobial therapies, and immune modulation to remove these energy-robbing burdens.
Restoring energy
at the cellular level.
Our treatment protocols address the underlying biological drivers of ME/CFS — supporting mitochondrial energy production, restoring HPA axis function, clearing toxic burden, and resolving chronic infections. Every plan is personalized to your specific diagnostic profile.
Real patients,
real recovery.
"I spent six years being told I was depressed. Every doctor ran a CBC and a thyroid panel, said everything was normal, and referred me to a psychiatrist. I knew my body was not working. Dr. Fong ran an EBV panel and found an active reactivation that had been missed for years. The mitochondrial IV protocol and adrenal support changed everything. I am not back to where I was before I got sick — but I am functional, I am working again, and I am no longer living in a nightmare of exhaustion."
"After COVID, I never recovered. Every morning I woke up feeling like I had run a marathon in my sleep. The brain fog was so bad I could not finish a sentence. Conventional medicine offered no answers — just referrals to specialists who had no idea what to do with me. Sierra was the first place that tested my cortisol rhythm, found it was completely flat, and treated the adrenal dysfunction directly. After eight months of treatment, I have energy for the first time since I got sick. I still have limits, but I have my life back."
"For years I was told my fatigue was stress-related and that I needed to sleep better and exercise more. Nobody tested me for anything. Sierra found heavy metal toxicity — mercury and cadmium — that had been accumulating for decades. The detox protocol was challenging, but the mitochondrial support made it possible. My energy levels improved steadily over a year. I have not felt this good since my twenties. I am grateful every day that I found this practice."
Take the first step
toward real energy.
New patients are typically seen within 2–4 weeks. Initial consultations are $550; labs and treatments are quoted separately. Remote consultations with Dr. Fong are available for out-of-state patients.