May 2008. Does this sound like you?
Dear Angela,
I cannot seem to get the energy to work out lately. I either don't sleep well or sleep like a rock and feel exhausted and
totally worn out each morning. The workouts I used to get energy from seem to deplete me. I don't have any bounce in my step any more.
I don't seem to want to be around people. I can't keep my head up off of the pillow. I can't keep up with my children. Life's normal demands
seem completely overwhelming and my husband worries that something is wrong with me, but the doctor keeps telling me that my blood
work is perfectly normal. How can I get my energy back?
The human body is an amazing machine. It is built to withstand a lot, and it will last for years and years given the right care and feeding.
Lately, however, our bodies seem to be wearing down in ways we haven't seen before. We feel like we are aging faster, need more sleep,
lose our tempers quicker, and come down with more illness and disease.
I think we are experiencing greater levels of decline than we have ever experienced before. Our careers are threatened, our children's worlds
are more worrisome, our financial security has flown the coop, our marriages are constantly stressed and we are required to do more than ever
before with career, family, and society and the nutritional value of our food and water has suffered greatly. Our bodies weren't meant to endure
so much, especially in the face of lower quality sleep and fuel.
That being said, there are several things we can do to reverse the cycle. Yes, you can get your energy back! Yes, you can get the bounce
back in your step! Yes, you can keep up with your children again! But, it will take some discipline and diligence. I suspect, however, that once
you get a taste of it again, the journey to it will be easier. Those of us who have found vibrance again seem to want to run towards those things which
sustain it and run quickly from those things that rob it.
Sleep and Rest. First and foremost, it is absolutely essential that your body get the opportunity to rest when it is tired. Since you
are reading this article, my guess is that you are very tired and looking for answers. Rather than find ways to keep yourself awake, as much
as possible, look for ways to ly your self down as often as you feel the need to. If you need to schedule a weekend alone or take a week off
from work to rest and recover, do it. If you are wracked with daytime sleepiness, then you absolutely need to get some more sleep, and perhaps
even an excessive amount as much as possible over a period of several months depending on how great your exhaustion. Plan naps, plan to be in
bed by 9pm, plan to stay in bed at least until 6am. And if you need it, see your doctor about sleep medication. Sometimes the body is too stressed
to rest fully and using medicine while it is needed is better than not sleeping.
Food. Somewhere along the line we forgot that "food is fuel." Just as bad, our American diets rob us of essential nutrients which
are essential for energy and vitality. Your best bet is to forego food that is purchased in plastic bags and boxes, and opt for food that is in the same
form it is in when it is harvested. That means fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and whole meats if you are not a vegetarian --
chicken, turkey, eggs, etc. If you are mildly exhausted then adding in as many raw foods as possible will energize you. If you are extremely
weak with exhaustion, digesting those raw foods will be too much for your system. You'll do better with cooked, wet and soft foods. Remember,
if God made it, it is good for you, if man has been involved in its production it is less good for you. Choose the better options.
In addition to the choice of food type, eating organic as much as possible it important for energy. Chemicals can wreak havoc on your organs and
systems and run you down. The most heavily contaminated produce item in our United States today are strawberries. According to a 1993 study by the Environmental
Working Group, strawberries in California are treated with more than 300 pounds of pesticides per acre, and some areas of the country
use up to 500 pounds per acre! As a comparison, conventional farming uses about 25 pounds of pesticides per acre on the average food crop. This
is just one example where something that is supposed to be good for you can be responsible for making you sick, severely handicapping your
body's systems, and for making you weak and tired. Elson Haas, MD, of "Staying Healthy With Nutrition," lists these top 10 foods as being the
most highly contaminated in our food supply: baby foods, strawberries, milk and butter, bananas, stone fruits like peaches and cherries, leafy greens,
grapes, green beans, apples and rice. These are important foods for us to consume, so be sure to get them organic. In fact, it is a great idea
to eat as little non-organic foods as possible.
Drink. Let's face it, there is no nutritional value to sodas. There is absolutely nothing in a soda that contributes to your good health. The
caffeine robs you of long-term energy for a short-term boost. The only good drink is a water-based drink like herbal and green tea, or water itself; otherwise,
again, you are consuming chemicals that will rob you of your vitality and health over time. In addition, it is important to note that 95% of municipal
water supplies contain traces of pesticides like atrazine. Other very common drinking water contaminants are lead, mercury, DDT, PCBs, chloroform,
gasoline, benzene, herbicides, and more. Be sure the water that you drink has been filtered.
Play. My husband and my favorite slogan is "Live, Love, Laugh!" He is very, very funny and our house is full of laughter. We giggle so hard
on most days that we cannot breathe. It is cleansing. It is energizing. When was the last time you were absolutley tickeled about something, or by
someone? Didn't you feel amazingly vibrant? It is important to work the things that you love, those things that make you laugh, into your life. The joy
that surges through your body is cleansing and energizing. "Live, Love, Laugh!"
Energy Robbers. Just as important is to minimize or remove those things which cause you sadness, frustration, anger and / or resentment.
Stress is an energy robber. Those people and things that make you feel bad are energy robbers. Just having one strong energy robber over days and weeks
and months is as bad as having all of these other issues combined. Do your best to resolve them or move away from them or change your perception of
them so that they don't beat you up as badly.
Supplements. There are many nutritional supplements that can contribute to improving chronic fatigue,
cleansing contaiminants and increasing the energy in your mind and body, and you can find each of them at your neighborhood health food store, or on
many sites on the internet. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Magnesium Malate. Krebs cycle nutrients including malic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid and others can improve your energy.
Our energy supplies can become deficient when these nutrients are not found. This particular formula combines magnesium, a mineral
that most fatigued people are deficient in, with malic acid, a krebs cycle (energy cycle) nutrient. I have found this product to be very
helpful with increasing energy when taken 3 times a day with food and water.
- L-Tyrosine. This nutrient is a simple amino acid, found in natural proteins, and is a precursor to adrenal and thyroid hormones (your metabolic
glands). Taking 125 - 1500 mg a day, depending on your size and tolerance, can be very energizing. I have found that 250 mg or more gives me so much energy
that I do not sleep at night, but my husband does very well on 1000mg a day. We take it first thing in the morning as it has the same sort of
stimulating effect as a strong cup of coffee, but without the negative effects of caffeine. This nutritional supplement works with your
body's natural rhythms as opposed to forcing it to provide something it is struggling with providing.
- Adrenal and Thyroid Glandulars. Dessicated glandulars have some use in supporting and strengthening overworked systems. Glandular
therapy has been used since ancient Greek and Egyptian times. The glands from cows (usually) are freeze-dried and defatted and formed into
capsules which are then taken as supplements to support our own weary glands. Both adrenal and thyroid glandulars are often suggested for
people who experience fatigue, stress, environmental senstivities or allergies, infections and hypoglycemia. I took thyroid glandulars for 4 months until
one day I had so much energy that I could not contain myself. Then I backed off of them because my thyroid was obviously happily working again. My
husband and I both take adrenal glandulars as we have clinically low adrenal function. These products have been extrememly helpful to us.
- What Germ. With energizing B Vitamins and natural vitamin e, both of which contribute to energy, wheat germ is considered one of our planet's
superfoods. I add 2 heaping tablespoons to my protein drink each day and feel an immediate boost of energy.
- Vitamin C, Selenium, Milk Thistle. In addition to the many nutrients provided with each of the listed items above, these additional supplements
will round out your detoxification and energy program.
Exercise. Lastly for now, a note on exercise. If you are experiencing chronic day time drowsiness and are living a stressed life which
involves some level of insomnia, you probably don't need to be doing any more exercise than a 20 minute mild walk 2-3 times a week. Yes, even exercise
is a stressor. If your body is weak from exhaustion, you need to give it a break from exercise. You are best served by sleeping in and preserving your
strength until it starts to build again.
Your Whole Program. Remember, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recommends one month of treatment for every year that
it took to contribute to the ailing condition. If your fatigue has been building for 5 years, you are going to need to at least 5 months of treatment to
begin to heal. Be patient. Be kind to yourself and before you know it, as time moves forward, you'll begin noticing small improvements which add
up to very large improvements over time.
To talk at length about your specific condition, please consider a phone consultation.
