Some causes of fatigue that aren’t related to disease may be part of aging, jet lag, poor diet and sleep.
Four Causes of Non-Disease Related Fatigue
Poor Quality Sleep Many people struggle with getting enough sleep. They tend to go to bed too late or may be looking at devices that emit too much light (TV, tablets or cell phones). Try doing a device detox. Download a blue light app that helps to dim the light to lessen circadian rhythm disruption and create a calming bedtime routine. Make sure to sleep in the darkest room possible with minimal light.
Inactivity Many people don’t take the time to exercise because of time limitations or stress. Inactivity can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and inflammation. Moderate exercise and body movement three to five times per week for 20 minutes can release natural endorphins, balance your mood and benefit your overall health.
Hormone Imbalance Stress, adrenal fatigue, low thyroid, low female and male hormones, low Vitamin D, blood sugar dysfunction and liver congestion can all affect your energy levels. If you are feeling sluggish, get your hormones tested and then optimize your hormones to improve your health and vitality!
Allergies Food sensitivities and environmental allergies can often take their toll and make you feel sluggish. Food allergy sensitivity testing for IgG and IgE blood serum reactions can show mild, moderate or severe sensitivities to foods that might be contributing to issues with your weight, digestion, skin and energy.
Traditional Treatments
If fatigue is caused by a disease, certain medications to manage the disease may improve energy levels. For example, if you have an underactive thyroid, you might be given synthetic thyroid, like Synthroid. Your fatigue may or may not get better. Unfortunately, traditional medicine doesn’t offer much supplemental advice to improve energy levels.
Natural Treatments
Diet Eat a more whole food based clean diet. Eliminate food allergies/sensitivities and correct nutritional imbalances. If you have food sensitivities, you may not have an anaphylaxis response, but you may have symptoms of leaky gut that presents with skin issues, digestive issues (loose stools or constipation), fatigue, hormone imbalance, joint/muscle aches, anxiety, and depression. By eliminating the offending foods and healing the gut lining for three to six months, the body will heal itself and your symptoms will disappear.
Movement Daily body movement, even if you don’t feel like it, will move stuck energy. Start slow if you are extremely fatigued. Go for a brisk walk, practice Qigong exercises or go hiking or biking. Here is a quick and easy Qigong exercise you can try: Shake your whole body for a couple of minutes to get the Qi moving (“Shaking the body pose”). You can also rub your hands and fingertips together up and down in a clapping motion to stimulate Qi.
Mindset Saying affirmations, surrounding yourself with like-minded people and setting outcomes can help you feel as if you already have energy. Try this visualization exercise: Close your eyes and visualize yourself sitting under a tree or on a beach. Visualize the sun and its bold, strong, fire energy. Allow the sun’s warm rays to shower all over you, energizing you. Do this visualization until you feel more energy.
Try one of these grounding exercises: Walk barefoot in the grass, sit under a tree or spend some time to connect with nature. Take five to 15 minutes per day to ground. The earth’s energy can help you feel more grounded and connected, helping to ease stress and improve energy levels.
Beneficial Supplements and Herbs:
Always check with your health care provider before starting any supplements. Also make sure you take a good quality supplement that is GMP certified or organic herbs, not something you can just grab at a pharmacy or chain supermarket.
Adrenal support: Adrenal glandular from a trusted source of cows or pig adrenal glands will give you that boost that you are looking for while allowing your adrenals to restore. I often supplement glandulars with herbs like ashwagandha, rehmannia, licorice, skullcap, schizandra, rhodiola, and melissa to regulate the hormones and adrenal systems.
CoQ10: 100mg a day. This is important in energy metabolism at the cellular level.
Green food powder: 1 scoop daily of spirulina, chlorella, kelp, vegetable, fruit and antioxidant blends can improve energy levels. It also improves alkalinity in the body. Most people are too acidic, which increases pain, inflammation and fatigue.
Methylated B complex: 1-2 caps daily with meals to boost energy levels, decrease stress and support blood production.
Power mushrooms: Reishi, shitake, and maitake mushrooms boost the immune system and improve energy levels that are depleted by aging, chronic fatigue and illness.
Vitamin C: 1,000-3,000mg daily in divided doses or to bowel tolerance. A strong antioxidant to scavenge the free radicals of the day-to-day toxins.
Vitamin D: 5,000-10,000iu daily depending on blood levels. Low Vitamin D is associated with hormone imbalance, fatigue, osteoporosis, cancer and depression/anxiety.
Whole foods-based multivitamin: Take a good quality, whole foods-based multivitamin with meals.
Glutathione: an antioxidant that benefits the liver, lungs and brain function. *most beneficial
Additional Treatments
Journal what you eat and drink. You are what you eat! If you feel tired after eating certain foods, think about what you ate and make the connection. People often skip meals or eat the wrong type of food. If you eat a fatty or high carb imbalanced meal, no wonder you feel tired. Focus on eating whole foods with a balance of healthy fats, proteins and good carbs (vegetables, quinoa, brown rice).
Drink water Many people don’t drink enough water and are chronically dehydrated. Drink half your body weight in ounces each day at minimum; more when it is hot out. If you don’t like water, try adding a slice of lemon, cucumber or mint.
Test for food sensitivity Consider having food sensitivity testing (Immunoglobulin E and G testing). There are 150-450 different foods, additives, herbs, medications, molds and chemicals that can be tested.
Have your urine tested for neurotransmitter imbalances, including serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, Gaba, glutamate, epinephrine, and amino acids-glycine. This can give you important information about what is causing your altered mood and fatigue.
Hair analysis can test mineral balance on the body systems and how it is affecting your thyroid, pancreas, female hormones, adrenals and metabolism at the cellular level before seeing changes on a blood test.
Acupuncture treatments on a regular basis can improve energy levels, boost the immune system, reduce stress, regulate hormones and stimulate movement of Qi in the body.
Not sure where to start? Follow up with a hormone health specialist or naturopath to address any underlying deficiencies that may be leading to your fatigue. With the right supplementation and treatments, you can feel your best and have more vibrant energy to do the things that you desire to do in life. FBN
By Christina Kovalik
Dr. Christina Kovalik NMD, LAc, The Vitality Doctor, is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist specializing in hormone optimization, optimal health and vitality. She is a new Flagstaff resident, practicing since 2004, and opened her second location in Doney Park in 2020. For more information, visit thevitalitydoctor.com or call 928-863-6086.
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