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Fatigue and AK

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

 

            The most common health problem is Americais not cancer or heart disease, it’s the fact that so many Americans so tired all of the time. There are so many causes for fatigue, some of them serious. Diseases like diabetes and cancer can have fatigue as part of the symptom picture. If fatigue is a problem for you, you should get a thorough physical examination. Below are some common causes of fatigue:

 

Anemia:

 

            Anemia is when there isn’t enough blood in your blood. In other words, you do not have enough red blood cells. The red blood cells carry oxygen (and therefore energy) to the other cells. There are many causes for anemia. It is wise to get a proper physical exam. Some of the causes include: nutritional deficiency, blood loss (from menstrual cycle, GI bleeding etc.), poor absorption of nutrients and sometimes it is caused by serious pathology. Sometimes something as simple as poor eating habits can cause anemia.

 

Sleep disturbance:

 

            Poor sleep habits or disturbance of sleep cycles can create fatigue. If you do not allow yourself adequate time to sleep, you will be tired. Lack of sleep is becoming a national epidemic.

            Some people suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea happens when snoring is interrupted by pauses in breathing. It is very stressful to the heart. People who have sleep apnea do not dream and wake up from a full night’s sleep not feeling rested. They have fatigue that sleeping does not seem to relieve.

            Medical treatment includes a device that opens the airways. Sleep apnea sufferers often respond well to proper nutrition, weight loss and having their allergies addressed. The chiropractor practicing applied kinesiologyis well equipped to address this issue.

            Sometimes people do not sleep well because of vitamin deficiency (especially B vitamins). They tend to wake up in the middle of the night, having difficulty falling back to sleep. These patients respond amazingly well to treatment with nutrition, chiropractic and applied kinesiology.

 

Structural imbalance:

 

            Spinal subluxations and muscle imbalances can interfere with how much the rib cage can expand during breathing. This can lead to poor breathing habits and poor oxygenation of the blood—ultimately resulting in fatigue.

            Muscle spasm robs the body of energy. Your body does not know the difference between a muscle that is working and a muscle that is in spasm. Poor posture can rob your body of energy, creating muscle spasm and poor breathing patterns. Poor posture can even affect your mental attitude. Applied kinesiologyand chiropractic are very effective methods for reducing muscle spasm and restoring balance to create more energy.

 

Low blood sugar:

 

            In order to have enough energy, you need normal blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar creates fatigue. Eating sugar and refined carbohydrate will create problems in maintaining blood sugar levels—ultimately resulting in fatigue.

 

Thyroid:

 

            The thyroid is the thermostat for the body. Low thyroid function can lead to fatigue and lack of motivation, among other things. Although controversial, many believe that hypothyroidism is underdiagnosed and that many people who have had blood tests indicating normal thyroid function may actually suffer from hypothyroidism. One possible explanation is that many patients with normal test results have some thyroid hormone that isn't active. In other words there is enough hormone to make the test result appear normal even if the person is actually deficient in active hormone.

        One possible explanation for this is the existence of molecules of thyroid hormone that are the mirror image of the active hormone. Compare the active hormone to a left-hand glove and the inactive hormone to a right-hand glove. Only the left glove is useful, but the test counts the total number of gloves, both right and left. If you have a lot of right-hand gloves, the test will show that everything is normal when, in fact, it is not.

          Broda Barnes, MD, was perhaps the first to come to the conclusion that many people suffering from chronic illness had underfunctioning thyroids. In his book, Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness (HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1976), he states that hidden hypothyroidism is responsible for many chronic health problems including heart disease, immune system problems and chronic fatigue. He also felt that laboratory tests miss many cases of hypothyroidism.

 

Adrenal function:

 

            Adrenal hypofunction is when the adrenals are not adequately responding to stress and could possibly begin to fail  People who have adrenal hypofunctionmay suffer from allergies, asthma, back pain, knee pain, muscle tightness (sometimes so severe as to be called “fibromyalgia”), fatigue and depression. There may be other symptoms as well, stress can trigger almost any disease or set of symptoms, or at least make any health problem worse.       

 

Nutrition:

 

            The most common cause of fatigue is poor nutrition. Consumption of refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils and chemical additives rob the body of energy. Sometimes energy can increase by something as simple as drinking enough water. Contact the office for a consultation and learn how improving nutrition can increase your energy.

Exercise and deep breathing:

 

            Exercise increases the delivery of oxygen to the tissues, increasing energy. Exercise should increase your energy. Exercise increases fatigue in certain health problems, like anemia. If exercise does not make you feel better, get a proper physical examination and find the cause of the problem.

            Deep breathing moves the lymphatic system and helps oxygenate the tissues.  Yoga and various martial arts recognize the importance of breathing. In Yoga there are a variety of breathing exercises such as the cleansing breath or the breath of fire. In Yoga, Pranayama is the rhythmic control of breath. According to the book, Light on Pranayamaby B.K.S. Iyengar, during normal inhalation, an average person takes in about 500 cubic centimeters of air. During deep inhalation, the volume is six times as great. The Yogis believed that deep breathing energizes the body and cleanses the nadis, which are organs of the “subtle” body. In other words there are not only physical and mental benefits to deep breathing, but also spiritual benefits.

            Most of us breathe too shallowly and do not get good oxygenation of our tissues with each breath. Deep breathing can, at the same time, relax you and energize you. Try it now. Exhale and force all of the air out of your lungs. Slowly, deeply breathe the air back in. Use your diaphragm and fill your lungs to capacity. Pause for a few seconds with your lungs full. Exhale, even more slowly than you inhaled; take twice as long to exhale as you did to inhale. Force all of the air out of your lungs. Slowly inhale again and repeat the process. Do this for 10 breaths.

            Notice the difference in how you feel after doing the deep breathing. If you didn’t do the exercise, please do it now. It will make a difference in how you feel, and it will demonstrate to you just how much deep breathing can energize you. Deep breathing does two things. It delivers oxygen to the tissues and it increases lymphatic circulation.

            Lymph is fluid that seeps from the capillaries and bathes all of the cells. The lymphatic system is sort of a storm sewer for the blood stream and is also a key part of the immune system. It removes waste products from the cells like a storm sewer, gathering runoff from the bloodstream and wastes from the cells. It is also one of the major routes for absorption of nutrients from the digestive system. If lymphatic flow is sluggish, your body’s cells sit in their own waste. The cells also do not receive sufficient oxygen or nutrients.

            Deep breathing increases the flow of lymph. When you breathe deeply, you get oxygen to your cells and you help them to remove waste. The effects are felt almost immediately.

 

 

            There are many possible causes for fatigue. The most important thing is to find the cause and correct it. Balancing the body’s structure and chemistry utilizing applied kinesiology and chiropractic can solve many health problems by addressing the cause. Please feel free to call our office to schedule a consultation to discuss this or any other health issues you may have.