With today’s busy lifestyle, more and more people are suffering from chronic fatigue. The good news is, with some help, you can conquer the fatigue and be vibrant again! All symptoms have a root cause, and working with a functional medicine doctor can help you uncover what’s causing your ailments. At my clinic, we work hard to find what is causing your symptoms so you can live your best life. There are only so many causes to illness, and when you address the root cause, you can heal!
Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for at least six months and isn’t fully explained by an underlying medical condition. The fatigue doesn’t improve with rest, and actually worsens with mental or physical activity. Other symptoms include sleep that is not refreshing, difficulty with memory, focus, and concentration, and dizziness.
Chronic fatigue can be life changing, and some people experience fatigue so severe they are bedridden. The good news is, you can heal! By uncovering the cause and then working on addressing it, you can support your body and conquer chronic fatigue.
What are Some Causes of Chronic Fatigue?
Here are some of the top causes of chronic fatigue that you should be aware of.
1. Chronic Stress
Stress can impact so many functions of the body. The body wasn’t made to sustain itself in fight or flight mode. It was meant to stay in rest, repair, and digest mode. In ancient times, when being chased by a tiger, your body would switch over to fight or flight mode, and then when the threat was gone, it would go back to rest and digest.
Nowadays many people are stressed daily, and their body never gets back to rest and digest mode. When your body is constantly in fight or flight, all your energy is going to produce cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. When your body is in rest and digest mode, it focuses energy on digesting food, repairing cells, and functioning as it is meant to.
Chronic stress also affects the GI tract in the following ways:
2. Underlying Infection, Virus, or Bacteria
A bacterial infection, virus, mold, or Lyme can all cause chronic fatigue in a patient. Epstein Barr Virus can also be a common virus responsible for zapping a person of energy. By treating the infection, virus, mold, or Lyme, you can eliminate the root cause of chronic fatigue, which will help your body get stronger and you will start to feel immensely better. When you treat these causes, you may find yourself feeling even better than you have in years!
3. Parasites or Other Pathogens
It’s been said if you have a pulse, you have parasites. Parasites want to steal your nutrients, energy, and stay alive in your body. They usually are more active during a full moon, so by doing parasite cleansing at that time, you can eliminate many parasites. Parasites can harbor bacteria, viruses, mold, heavy metals, which can really have a negative effect on your health.
4. Depression
Depression can cause fatigue in people, and by addressing it, you can help improve not only your mental health, but also your physical health. Your brain can influence your health positively or negatively, and working on neuroplasticity is an inexpensive and easy way to have a positive impact on your health! There are many testimonies of people healing from all sorts of chronic illnesses using neuroplasticity in conjunction with functional medicine treatments.
5. Poor Diet
A poor diet can negatively impact your health and cause many different issues. Eating a variety of good quality pastured meats, rainbow of organic vegetables, and delicious fruits, can help you feel better quickly. I can help develop a diet specific to your needs to help you succeed.
6. Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrients are the driving force for energy production in the body. If your body is low in vitamin D, magnesium, iron, B vitamins, or other nutrients, you can suffer from chronic fatigue. We can run certain tests to tell exactly how your body is processing nutrients and tell where the deficiencies are. A simple blood or urine test can help us get a great idea of exactly how your body is working.
7. Thyroid Issues
If you suffer from hypothyroidism (sluggish thyroid), you may notice a decrease in energy, mood, and other symptoms. By running a complete thyroid panel, we can see exactly what is going on and then work on improving your thyroid’s health. If you have Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroid), we can tell with a series of blood tests. By properly diagnosing thyroid issues with blood work, we will develop a plan to improve your individual symptoms that may include dietary, supplement, and detoxification strategies.
8. Mitochondrial Damage
The mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells. Over the years, they can become damaged by many factors including antibiotic usage, environmental toxins, viruses, bacteria, parasites, heavy metals, severe oxidative stress, and medications. When the mitochondria are damaged, they can cause many issues in your body – namely a decrease in ATP generation which leads to lower cellular energy. There are many ways to repair the mitochondria through nutritional support and lifestyle changes by understanding the biochemical ‘blindspots’ and correcting them.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Energy
Discovering your root cause of chronic fatigue is the first step in improving your energy. By uncovering any imbalance your body may be experiencing, we can develop a plan to get you on the track to full recovery. Through many different testing methods, we can tell exactly what’s going on to cause chronic fatigue, and can tailor your individual healing plan.
Detoxing your body, killing parasites, adding vitamin and nutritional support and removing heavy metals are all modalities that can help increase your energy. For example, if testing reveals you are low in iron or certain B vitamins, supplementing with the correct form can be life changing.
By working with a functional medicine doctor, you can be assured that you’re getting to the bottom of the chronic fatigue and solving it once and for all, without resorting to a band-aid approach.
Call us Today to Being Your Healing Journey
Give our office a call today to schedule your first appointment. Or sign up for a free 15 minute strategy session with me. Don’t suffer from chronic fatigue a day longer. We are ready to help you live your best life!