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Question: If I have chronic fatigue, should I exercise? If so, what kind of exercise can I do? I tire easily and cannot do aerobics or anything strenuous or I end up in bed for several days.

Answer: Strenuous exercise can trigger a flare-up of viral symptoms in people with Chronic Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

When you are symptom-free, the trick is to determine, through cautious experimentation, exactly what is an acceptable level of exercise for you at any given time. The benefits of exercising when you can — even walking counts — are far-reaching and you want to do it as regularly as possible. And remember, your stamina and tolerance for stress can ebb and flow, sometimes quite dramatically, over the course of this disease.

Chinese medicine practitioners often recommend medical Qi Gong, a form of Chinese healing exercises. At Quan Yin Healing Arts Center in San Francisco, Qi Gong master Larry Wong has been teaching classes for people with hepatitis C, AIDS, cancer and chronic fatigue for many years.

The energy conserving, Qi-channeling, practice of Qi Gong is perfectly designed to keep you in shape without causing stress and exhaustion.

Chronic illness can make you feel like you body is beyond your control: appropriate exercise and meditation can help you reassert your ability to shape the quality of your life and the vitality of your mind/body/spirit. The specific benefits include:

• Control cholesterol levels and reduce fat in body
• Keep blood pressure low
• Strengthen cardiovascular system
• Reduce stress
• Reduce depression
• Maintain muscle mass