FATIGUE

What is it?

Fatigue, tiredness and lack of energy - these are probably the most common symptoms that patients complain of to their general practitioner.

Possible causes

Fatigue may be a symptom of an underlying disorder such as iron deficiency, viral infections, thyroid problems, diabetes, heart or lung disorders to name a few. However, most people complaining of fatigue have none of these problems and all investigations are normal. In this situation the cause is likely to be related to lifestyle factors including a poor diet, a toxic liver and stress. Other possibilities include chronic fatigue syndrome or adrenal exhaustion (see Adrenal Insufficiency / Exhaustion; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

Treatment and general recommendations

Avoid smoking and alcohol.
Regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging, swimming or cycling is important.
Stress reducing measures like relaxation exercises, yoga or meditation may be beneficial.

Recommended books

"Boost Your Energy" - Fine Tune Your Body and Mind With Natural Anti Ageing Hormones and Immune Boosting Nutrients. Includes the 14-day Energy Diet with your 'fine tuning' energy cocktail.

"MAGNESIUM The Miracle Mineral You won't believe the DIFFERENCE it makes to your HEALTH!" This is my latest book and discusses Magnesium as being essential for hundreds of chemical reactions that take place in the body every second, with recent findings also indicating that it offers a wide range of important health-promoting benefits. See page 9 for these benefits.

Diet

Give your liver a boost by following “The Liver Cleansing Diet”
In general, avoid refined sugars, white flour products, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, dairy foods, salt, fatty foods and fried foods.

Raw juicing

Recommended juice recipes from"Raw Juices Can Save Your Life" - "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Juice" recipe on page 68 & "Nervous Exhaustion Juice" recipe on page 123.

Orthodox Medical Treatment

Fatigue is a common symptom of depression, so if there is no improvement with nutritional medicine and other investigations are negative, improvement may be seen with an anti-depressant medication like fluoxetine or moclobemide.

Recommended supplements:

Magnesium powder or tablets

Take 2 tablets twice daily or 1 teaspoon powder daily in water or juice . Magnesium is essential in the production of energy and performs a critical role in the activation of four of the nine enzymes in the Tri-carboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA cycle). This cycle is at the very center of all cellular metabolism involving protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

Selenium tablets

Take 2 tablets daily just before meals. - Selenium is specifically designed to boost energy production from the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the energy factories inside every cell in the body and they produce the natural energy chemical called ATP. If the mitochondria are not producing sufficient ATP, the cells will not have the energy to perform their vital functions. This can lead to many symptoms of poor health.

A multivitamin, minerals and herbal tablet for women

Take 1 daily - A good combination with iron will help provide an extensive range of natural ingredients designed to prevent nutritional deficiencies and increase general wellbeing. It may also assist in balancing of the female hormones.