Counseling Sheet

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

Without question, the commonest complaint heard in physician's offices today is that of fatigue. Fortunately, there are a number of simple causes; if we eliminate these, the fatigue will usually disappear. A rarely understood cause of fatigue is that of overeating. It would seem that a snack, or between meals feeding would be the very thing to help cure fatigue, but the reverse is actually the case. Never should one overeat, use between meal snacks, or have heavy suppers. While a heavy supper may enable one to sleep the sleep of the drugged, it does not cause refreshment, and the next morning the person awakens feeling in a partial stupor.

Similarly, too little exercise is a common cause of fatigue. Again it would appear that exercise would cause fatigue in itself; but the reverse is actually true. As the out-of-conditioned person begins to exercise, chronic fatigue disappears like magic.

The use of too little water is a common source of weakness and fatigue. Drinking water will perk you up just like a wilted flower being placed in water. Chronic dehydration is often caused by diuretics, such as coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate. Eating concentrated, rich, or heavy foods promotes chronic dehydration. Protein food supplements can cause chronic dehydration.

There are certain conditions of the body associated with fatigue, which must be diagnosed by chemical tests. If the thyroid is either overactive or underactive a sense of fatigue may result. The same thing can be said of the blood sugar if it is up or down. The ideal blood sugar range in the fasting state is 70 to 85. Any deviation from the ideal may mean a trend toward an error in metabolism. A special program should be followed. Write for our "Health Recovery Program" counseling sheet on this subject.

If the hemoglobin (blood iron) is either too high or too low the person can experience fatigue. Almost everyone is aware that a low hemoglobin level is associated with fatigue, but it is the rare person who understands that rich, heavy blood can also cause fatigue. Pushing around the heavy blood is a tax on the heart and arteries, uses up energy, and results in fatigue. Often the true source of fatigue in cases of high hemoglobin is not even understood in the physician's office. In order to bring the hemoglobin down one should take more exercise, eat more fruits and vegetables prepared simply or eaten raw, avoid all rich or concentrated foods, avoid overeating, drink plenty of water, and avoid stresses. Very high levels of hemoglobin may represent a serious disease of the blood-forming organs.

A class of stressful stimuli can be listed as fatigue producers. These include working around a lot of noise, being in a stressful or anxious state, having periods of lack of rest, or depression. All of these are stress factors for the body and can bring on a state of chronic fatigue. Often one of the first indications of depression is that of fatigue. On the contrary, depression is not only a cause of fatigue, but fatigue can bring on depression. Many times a person would be able to cope with all of life's stresses were it not for the fact that there are certain factors in the life that are bringing on excessive and "cumulative fatigue," causing the person to have inadequate strength left over to resist depression or cope with situations.

Overweight and overwork are often related, and both cause fatigue. If one has an irregular schedule, the body does not have the ability to control the expenditure of energy, and the loss of energy with resultant fatigue is a frequent companion of an irregular schedule. One should schedule all major events of the day and stick to the schedule. Especially eating on time and getting to bed on time are important ways to combat fatigue.

Constipation can cause fatigue by the constant transmission of electrical signals from the gastrointestinal tract to the central nervous system, which are unrelieved by the normal evacuation. These electrical signals utilize energy, as does the muscular work of the full bowel.

Poor air, especially in the bedroom while sleeping, is a common cause of early morning fatigue as well as headache. If a person awakens regularly with either a headache or a sense of fatigue, he should check the freshness of the air which he is breathing during his sleep. Impurities from the blood are thrown off into the air. If these impurities are taken in again into the blood, the body must again go to the trouble to throw them off, using energy and producing fatigue. Air deficient of oxygen is as important a cause of fatigue as is a diet deficient in nutrients. Foods that are concentrated, which include those with high nutrient density per unit of volume, require more energy of the body to metabolize them; one's energy is used and fatigue results. Such concentrated foods as oils, sugars, wheat germ, all animal products (meat, milk, eggs, and cheese), and any other concentrated food can put a tax on the body to metabolize the food, bringing with it fatigue.

Excesses of one's pleasures is a sure producer of fatigue. Whether one's pleasures consist of sewing, music, sexual pleasures, movies, or any other thing, their excessive indulgence can lead to nervous system exhaustion. The person who suffers unduly from fatigue should make a self evaluation and correct all those things that are known to be causes of fatigue. If fatigue continues after correcting all known causes, then one should select a good physician and receive an evaluation of their thyroid, blood sugar, hemoglobin levels, etc. It is always possible that a chronic physical condition could be the cause of fatigue.