As you might expect, fatigue is a fairly common reason people visit doctors. Feeling tired is vague symptom and can be linked to dozens of possible diagnoses, plus there\u2019s a need to differentiate between physical fatigue and mental fatigue (brain fog) or consider both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When your doctor or nurse practitioner starts to ask questions, she\u2019s looking for associated symptoms that will narrow down the diagnostic possibilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In seeking an answer for fatigue, you\u2019ll likely receive a battery of medicine\u2019s most common blood tests. Just a single blood draw will screen you for an impressive number of possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A CBC (complete blood count)<\/u> checks mainly for anemia, common in menstruating women, and early cancers and leukemia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CMP (comprehensive metabolic profile)<\/u> checks for diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and electrolyte imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone)<\/u> check may pick up thyroid problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At WholeHealth Chicago, we tack on vitamin levels (B-12, folate, and D), adrenal fatigue (see below), and, if there\u2019s a hint of possible exposure, a screen for Lyme disease even if you don\u2019t remember a tick bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think it\u2019s reassuring to know that most causes of fatigue are not disease-based, but rather inadvertently unhealthful lifestyle choices. Keep in mind that with \u201clifestyle fatigue\u201d your tests will return negative results. Disease-based fatigue returns positive test results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I prefer to call lifestyle fatigue benign personal neglect and having it places the ball squarely in your court. Sleep longer, eat healthier, move around every day, and so forth, and you should start feeling better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut,\u201d you protest, \u201cI do live a healthful lifestyle. I\u2019d exercise more if I weren\u2019t so tired. Don\u2019t I deserve some credit for shopping at Whole Foods? I\u2019m still tired all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s where the relatively new field called Functional Medicine<\/a> can be useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The routine blood tests your doctor orders are basically snapshots of you at the moment of the blood draw. For example, a blood sugar drawn at 8:00 am will be completely different an hour later after you eat. It\u2019s also important to note that all screening tests tell your doctor nothing about how your body is actually functioning<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several dozen functional tests ordered by physicians (MDs, DOs), chiropractors, and nutritionists who have taken some training in functional medicine. These functional tests group together a number of individual tests (blood, urine, stool, saliva) and the specimens are taken at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results convey an idea of how a particular system in your body is functioning. For example, a comprehensive digestive analysis<\/a> will, by testing your bowel material, determine if you are digesting and absorbing what you eat (yes, you mail vials of poop to the lab, which is easier than it sounds, plus we give you instructions). A detoxification profile<\/a> can check to see if your liver is clearing toxins absorbed from the environment. Measuring cortisol levels in your saliva over a single day<\/a> will establish whether or not you have an issue with adrenal fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patients are always pleasantly surprised to learn that when ordered through a doctor\u2019s office, their health insurance does contribute something toward these tests, sometimes up to 70 to 80% of the charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with normal functional tests you might still be feeling fatigued. You\u2019ve cleaned up your lifestyle transgressions. You\u2019re no longer a Twinkie and diet cola vegetarian. You\u2019re no longer rehydrating with chardonnay and jumpstarting yourself with Starbucks. You\u2019re actually saying no to those weeknight dance club outings that get you in bed just before sunrise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to lifestyle improvements, you could try traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture, herbs) or homeopathy. Each treats fatigue as an imbalance of your subtle energy. Balance this and your old energetic self is restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You could also add one or both of these supplements<\/a>. Both were designed by MDs recognized as pioneers in the treatment of chronic fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Corvalen <\/strong><\/a>(D-Ribose) was first introduced by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD<\/a>, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic<\/em>, as part of his program for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)\/fibromyalgia. Although hi<\/a>s<\/a> research was directed specifically at the fatigue accompanying these related conditions<\/a>, D-ribose helps all fatigue. It works by stimulating production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule found in every cell and the source of what we know as energy. With Corvalen, your cells function more efficiently and most chronically tired people report improvement. K-PAX MitoNutrients<\/a>, <\/strong>created by CFS researcher Jon D. Kai<\/a>s<\/a>er, MD<\/a>, is a combination of several molecules that enhance the efficiency of your mitochondria, the microscopic cellular energy factories that produce ATP. The D-Ribose boosts cellular ATP by increasing the raw materials. K-PAX MitoNutrients increases ATP by enhancing its manufacturing processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re tired all the time and your doctor hasn\u2019t suggested lifestyle changes, functional testing, or nutritional supplements, but instead says \u201cYou\u2019re probably depressed\u201d (though you know you\u2019re not) and refers you to a therapist or tries to push some antidepressants, politely but firmly disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re witnessing blame-the-patient physician slothfulness. As she hands you a therapist\u2019s card or a prescription for Prozac, she\u2019s thinking \u201cI can\u2019t figure out what\u2019s wrong with her. Her tests are normal, so she must be depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You deserve better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be well, As you might expect, fatigue is a fairly common reason people visit doctors. Feeling tired is vague symptom and can be linked to dozens of possible diagnoses, plus there\u2019s a need to differentiate between physical fatigue and mental fatigue (brain fog) or consider both. When your doctor or nurse practitioner starts to ask questions, she\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,209,2333,2335,3,34,62],"tags":[179,1917,1918,192,175,208,852,366,1919],"class_list":["post-7925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue","category-functional-medicine","category-homeopathy","category-knowledge-base","category-mental-health","category-t","tag-adrenal-fatigue","tag-corvalen","tag-dehydration","tag-depression","tag-fatigue","tag-fibromyalgia","tag-heart-disease","tag-hypothyroid","tag-k-pax-mitonutrients"],"yoast_head":"\r\nNormal tests, other options<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dose<\/u>: Corvalen comes as a powder. Take one scoop in water twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dose<\/u>: two tablets twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA word to the fatigued<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"