Natural treatments for fatigue
Natural treatments for fatigue encompass a variety of strategies aimed at increasing energy levels for individuals experiencing both acute and chronic low energy. Fatigue is a prevalent issue in modern society, often exacerbated by sedentary lifestyles, stress, and insufficient sleep. Addressing fatigue may involve a multifaceted approach, beginning with lifestyle adjustments such as ensuring adequate sleep, engaging in regular physical activity, and eliminating detrimental habits like excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.
Nutrition plays a crucial role, with iron deficiency being a notable contributor to fatigue; however, supplementation should be approached with caution and under medical supervision. Other suggested natural treatments include a range of herbs and supplements, such as ashwagandha, ginseng, and various vitamins, though evidence supporting their effectiveness is limited. Additionally, practices from alternative medicine—like yoga, Tai Chi, and massage—are often recommended for their potential benefits in enhancing overall well-being and energy levels.
Ultimately, combating fatigue may require a holistic lifestyle strategy that prioritizes healthy habits and addresses individual challenges, recognizing that there is likely no singular solution.
Natural treatments for fatigue
- DEFINITION: Treatment of acute and chronic low energy.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENT: Iron
- OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Adrenal extract, ashwagandha, Ayurveda, bee propolis, carnitine, chiropractic, chromium, coenzyme Q10, Cordyceps, dehydroepiandrosterone, Eleutherococcus, exercise, ginseng, guarana, homeopathy, L-citrulline, maca, maitake, massage, naturopathy, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, pregnenolone, pyruvate, Reiki, reishi, Rhodiola rosea, royal jelly, schisandra, suma, Tai Chi, traditional Chinese herbal medicine, vitamin B12, vitamin C, yoga
Introduction
Many people feel that they do not have as much energy as they would like. Fatigue is one of the most common complaints that people bring to their physicians. It seems that almost everyone today has low energy, is stressed, and is worn out much of the time.
There are no easy solutions to this common problem. While many medical conditions can cause fatigue, the overwhelming majority of people who experience fatigue do not have an illness that can be diagnosed. It seems most likely that the cause of this widespread problem is modern life itself.
The body was not designed for a sedentary life. Whereas today, most people might consider one hour of exercise daily to be ideal, in the past, eight hours of daily exercise was not uncommon. Before modern times, humans lived much of their lives outdoors and walked many miles every day. In the twenty-first century, especially in developed countries, humans live indoors, sit in chairs during the workday, and seldom walk more than one mile per day. Modern humans also live in a fast-paced, noisy world with constant interruptions. This way of life simply violates the body’s design principles.
Furthermore, with the invention of the electric light, the body’s normal sleep habits were replaced by progressively longer periods of wakefulness. Few people today get eight hours of sleep regularly, much less the ten to twelve hours that some experts believe people ordinarily enjoyed in the past. Tiredness, in other words, is a consequence of numerous factors, and for this reason, it is not easy to treat or prevent.
Persons who frequently feel tired should get a medical exam to rule out identifiable medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic viral hepatitis, and anemia. Problems such as these need to be addressed specifically to make any progress.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Nutrient deficiencies can also cause fatigue, and for this reason, it may be useful to take dietary supplements. One nutrient, iron, requires special attention. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, which in turn can cause fatigue. Certain manufacturers of iron supplements made a causal leap (that was unsupported at the time) and concluded that iron supplements were useful treatments for general fatigue. This recommendation worried many experts because there is some evidence that taking too much iron can be harmful.
On this basis, many physicians recommended that their patients avoid iron supplements if they were not anemic. More recent evidence, however, suggests that the promoters of iron may have been partially right. Several studies indicate that marginal deficiency of iron, too slight to cause anemia, may decrease physical performance capacity.
In addition, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 144 women with unexplained fatigue who also had low or borderline-low levels of ferritin (a measure of stored iron) found that the use of an iron supplement enhanced energy and well-being. Nonetheless, it is not advisable to take iron simply because one feels tired. Instead, one should first get tested to check for iron deficiency and treat the deficiency under the supervision of a physician.
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
People with inadequate energy should increase the time they give themselves to sleep, should exercise daily (as much as possible), and should reduce or eliminate bad habits, such as cigarette smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. Cutting down on caffeine consumption may help, too, by improving sleep and decreasing stress. In addition, it is important not to neglect such fundamentals as enjoyable work, healthy relationships, and adequate recreation. Even very unhealthy people tend to have more energy when they love what they are doing with their lives.
Many alternative practitioners recommend reducing the intake of sugar and other simple carbohydrates or going on a low-carbohydrate diet, but there is no scientific evidence to show that this will increase a person’s energy. Similarly, it is unclear whether eating organic or pesticide-free foods or becoming a vegetarian (or its opposite, going on a so-called caveman diet) will make a difference. Still, there is nothing wrong with trying these methods, and some people feel that they help.
Despite widespread claims, no herbs or supplements have been proven to enhance overall energy and well-being. Some of the natural products claimed to have this effect include adrenal extract, ashwagandha, bee propolis, carnitine, chromium, L-citrulline, coenzyme Q10, Cordyceps, dehydroepiandrosterone, Eleutherococcus, ginseng, guarana, maca, maitake, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, pregnenolone, pyruvate, reishi, Rhodiola rosea, royal jelly, schisandra, suma, vitamin B12, and vitamin C. The supplements tyrosine and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide have shown promise for enhancing wakefulness under conditions of sleep deprivation, but they have not been investigated for treating ongoing fatigue.
Most systems of alternative medicine, including Chinese medicine, chiropractic, Ayurveda, homeopathy, and naturopathy, claim to be able to improve overall health and enhance energy. Therapies such as massage, Reiki, and therapeutic touch and exercise systems such as yoga and Tai Chi make the same claim. Furthermore, based on the theory that toxins in the environment are a major cause of illness, some alternative practitioners recommend detoxification methods. However, there is no meaningful supporting evidence to indicate that these approaches actually improve overall energy.
People who are tired because they do not sleep well might find benefits by trying natural therapies for insomnia. Similarly, people who feel overwhelmed by life may benefit from natural treatments for stress. In addition, many people with low energy report that they feel better when they use natural treatments for food allergies, candida, or low immunity; whether this is caused by the placebo effect, however, remains unclear.
In most cases, fatigue is a complex problem that does not respond to simple treatment approaches. Simply making it a priority to feel better may eventually lead to improvement. Many causes of fatigue can, therefore, be attributed to lifestyle. These include alcohol intake, poor sleep, diet, stress, and levels of exercise. Fortunately, these conditions can oftentimes be improved with a dedicated focus and changes in habit patterns. These can be done without medical interventions or ingesting unproven substances. Benefits can be derived from improved dietary intake, better hydration, relaxation exercises, and physical activity. Most likely, there is not a single cause or cure for fatigue. A holistic lifestyle strategy would likely achieve the most positive results.
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