Category Hide from Subnav November 16, 2016 RHR: Chronic Fatigue—Treating the Cause Not the Symptoms Symptoms are important because they can give us clues to what the underlying mechanisms might be that are contributing to a health problem. However, if you focus on the underlying mechanisms and causes, the symptoms tend to resolve on their own. When treating a nonspecific symptom like fatigue, you have to investigate all seven of the primary mechanisms that lead to disease.