By Dr. Larry Wilson

 

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints reported in doctor's offices today. What most people do not realize is that fatigue is not just an isolated symptom that should be treated like another illness. Fatigue is indeed a basic energy imbalance in the body. This can be due to glandular imbalances, toxic metals, nutrient deficiencies, improper bowel flora, chronic infections and other metabolic disturbances.

 

The body is an energy-producing machine. Energy is required for all bodily functions and for the regeneration of all body tissues. When the body's energy production decreases, all body functions are affected. Fatigue is an outward symptom. However, it is really a basic metabolic derangement that affects all body systems, from the nervous system to the immune system.

 

 

Fatigue vs. Burnout

 

Most people are not simply fatigued. Fatigue is a condition that is relieved with a good night's sleep. Most people are actually in a state of burnout. The difference is that burnout is a deeper derangement of body chemistry in which the body cannot regenerate itself during sleep. This causes a chronic and often relentless type of fatigue that is not corrected by just a few nights of deep sleep. In fact, many people in burnout just keep going using stimulants and without much sleep because they realize that sleeping does little to correct their problem.

 

 

Reducing Stress To Correct Fatigue And Burnout

 

Our bodies are self-correcting organisms. If one takes enough stress off the body, and assuming the body is not damaged beyond repair, it can and will rebuild and heal itself. However, this may require many healing modalities.

 

Nutritional balancing science focuses on the correction of the energy system of the body. It is designed to reduce biochemical stress on the body. Stress can be from outside the body or from within. External stress can include financial, social, work and family stress. Internal stress factors can include lack of sleep, nutrient deficiencies, toxic metals in the body, infections, and negative thoughts and emotions. To correct most cases of fatigue at the deepest level involves reducing all these types of stress.

 

 

Nutritional Balancing And Fatigue

 

Analytical Research Labs' nutrition programs are specifically designed to rebuild and restore a person's energy system. It is important to realize this is a very different focus from most nutrition programs that primarily are designed to correct symptoms.

 

By focusing on the body's energy system, we correct at a deeper level. Often the program will head off or correct latent conditions that the patient is not the slightest bit aware of. Our only difficulty is explaining this idea and convincing patients to stay with the program while these deeper corrections take place. Fatigue, in other words, is often just the tip of the iceberg. It is often a symptom of much deeper imbalances that need attention so that major conditions do not develop later.

 

 

Dual Focus Nutritional Correction

 

In addressing fatigue, our nutritional programs address many aspects of the problem. These include improving the diet, improving the digestive process, toxic metal elimination, and most importantly, balancing and strengthening the energy production system. A unique feature of the Analytical Research Labs nutrition programs is they always address two key aspects of the body's energy system. These are the oxidation rate and the energy pathway.

 

The oxidation rate has to do with the rate of all chemical reactions in the body, and is intimately related to thyroid and adrenal glandular activity and the balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. To assess this rate, we use the hair mineral analysis. Without the test, this assessment is difficult or impossible to determine. Others use questionnaires, blood tests or other means to assess the metabolic type. We do not find these as useful as a properly performed and properly interpreted hair mineral analysis. Balancing the ratios of calcium/potassium and sodium/magnesium is like tuning up an engine or running the engine at the best possible speed to obtain the most power. Dr. Paul Eck researched these ratios and how to adjust them with diet, nutritional supplements and lifestyle correction.

 

The energy pathway are all the steps required for food to be digested, absorbed, metabolized in the liver and finally utilized in the cells as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This pathway requires sufficient digestive enzymes, detoxifying the liver, proper cell permeability, and adequate amounts of a wide variety of nutrients. It also requires removing toxic metals, toxic chemicals, infections and other blockages that damage the energy pathway.

 

 

Other Aspects Of Fatigue Correction

 

In addition to the nutritional balancing program, other factors at times are of critical importance as well. These include lifestyle, detoxification, mental and emotional factors and at times a need for other forms of therapy.

 

Lifestyle. Fatigue may be due in part to doing too much, not sleeping enough or working at a job that is inappropriate for oneself. The most important lifestyle factor for most people is to get more rest and sleep. Many people who are fatigued do not sleep well, which just compounds their problem. A vicious cycle occurs in which as the body becomes imbalanced, calcium and magnesium become biounavailable, so that one cannot rest and relax well. Also, toxic metals including copper, mercury lead and others build up, which also interfere with nervous system relaxation. The lack of rest in turn causes more imbalances and toxicity, which makes deep sleep even more difficult.

 

Developing healthful eating habits is another important lifestyle factor. Additional lifestyle factors needed to recover from burnout include simplifying one's life to reduce pressure and stress, not living beyond one's means and living in a quiet, clean and healthful environment.

 

Also important, and often overlooked, is avoiding too much exercise, as most often this just makes one more tired in the long run. Deep breathing, stretching and other gentle practices such as yoga or tai chi are far better than vigorous exercise to help recover from chronic fatigue.

 

Detoxification. Our nutritional programs help detoxify the liver, kidneys and other organs by improving the energy level and supporting the function of these organs and tissues. We have also found that other detoxification methods can be most helpful. The most impressive is sauna therapy, which helps remove toxic metals and toxic chemicals through the skin. It also helps clear chronic infections, vastly improves circulation and helps relax the sympathetic nervous system.

 

Mental and Emotional Factors. Psychological or emotional imbalances can at times override the benefits of any nutritional program. Attention to one's thoughts and emotions can be another important way to reduce stress on the body to allow healing to occur. Negative attitudes and damaging emotions such as fears, anger, worry and guilt have profound effects on one's health. This is a topic that cannot be overlooked for the best results.

 

Other Therapies. Depending on the cause, other therapies such as chiropractic, energy balancing, bodywork and other types counseling can also help overcome some causes of fatigue. The benefit of a comprehensive approach is that as all these imbalances are corrected, not only fatigue, but many, other symptoms disappear all on their own.