Chronic Fatigue

While some people acknowledge when they’ve reached their physical and mental limits, most do not.  They work hard, have families and try to run their households when they might be running on empty when it comes to sleep, adrenal gland reserve, critical micronutrients and immune system strength.  Fatigue can creep up and become a chronic condition in factors of health and lifestyle if not addressed properly.  Chronic Fatigue leads to premature aging, shortened immune functionality and a higher risk of disease, and since the fatigue starts out mildly, many people do not realize they have fatigue until it has gotten to a full-blown, chronic state.  It can be caused by a combination of inadequate and or interrupted sleep patterns, chronic stress, dietary inadequacies, adrenal fatigue, low level viral and other infections, hormone imbalances, chronic systemic inflammation, food intolerances, dehydration and inactivity. As usual it is never just one thing. 

Though the common thought is that consistent nights of good sleep will reverse chronic fatigue, it is far more complicated.  Because fatigue is a common symptom in many diseases, chronic fatigue is not always thought of as the initial culprit.  An extensive panel of blood work (as well as in some cases salivary hormones and urine metabolites) should be done to figure out exactly what kind of imbalances are going on or; whether there is a low grade infection, adrenal fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, hypothyroidism and any of the other combined causes of this most vague and nebulous chronic complaint.

Symptoms of chronic fatigue include:

• Persistent feelings of exhaustion
• Waking up tired, despite a night of good sleep
• Depression
• Joint pain and muscle soreness
• Loss of energy
• Feeling rundown
• Poor short term memory, confusion or irritability
• Strong food cravings, specifically for salty foods
• Caffeine dependence
• Lightheadedness

At Sanctuary Medical Center, our functional medicine physicians perform extended history and physical examinations and meticulously check your blood and if need be saliva and urine diagnostics to see exactly what may be causing the chronic fatigue.  Most doctors do simple and conventional blood work and overlook the faintest clues that your body is sharing about why you are so tired, but Dr. David Blyweiss’ in-depth, investigative approach finds out what the cause (or causes) of each patient’s chronic fatigue is.  Chronic fatigue can be linked with many things, including menopause, thyroid and adrenal gland functionality, food and chemical sensitivities and low level infection.

To schedule an appointment or to speak with a functional medicine specialist about chronic fatigue, call 561.886.0974.