Fatigue- what can be done?

How common is fatigue?

Fatigue affects over 25% of clients I see in my clinic. Over 50% of those clients have no explanation from their Dr’s. I used to think this was adrenal fatigue, but have now discovered it’s more to do with the brain than the adrenals. You see the brain’s hormonal release functions control the adrenals. And our brain , weighing only 2% of our body weight, use 20% of our energy needs. So if we are fatigued, its our brain that suffers first.

How many people suffer with fatigue?

By the use of coffee, sugar and nicotine, I would say it it pretty much across the board. In my clinic , I also see the extreme cases of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
The drivers of fatigue are stress, digestive issues, nutritional deficiencies, oxidative stress, inflammation and toxicity. Often clients will report their fatigue started after a viral infection. “I haven’t felt right since……..” is a common complaint.

The digestive contribution to fatigue.

We rely on our gut to absorb our micro nutrients that supply our mitochondria ( energy powerhouses). Therefore if our gut is not working optimally, our energy suffers. Nearly 30% of chronic fatigue sufferers experience some sort of gastro intestinal tract illness prior to their fatigue onset.

Why is intermittent fasting so good for us?

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) , produces bloating, pain, flatulence, and in extreme cases malabsorption, malnutrition and joint pain. All of which can lead to significant fatigue. I knew fasting was good for us, but I never really understood why. The small intestine and its resident microbes can cause low grade inflammation, gut motility disturbances and malnutrition. All of which contribute to fatigue. The small intestine has 2 function, the 1st function is digestion and absorption, which we are most familiar with. But the 2nd function , involves complete cleaning out of the small intestine to stop bacterial and fungal overgrowth. This only happens during fasting! Amazing, now I finally understand why fasting is so good for us!

High levels of bacteria and fungal growth in the small intestine are linked to IBS, acne rosacea and restless leg syndrome and many nutritional deficiencies.