Are you exhausted? Discouraged? Feel like you just can’t get your energy back no matter what you do? Many people with Chronic Fatigue (CF) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) have tried everything from, visiting doctor after doctor, herbal remedies, vitamins, Lyme Disease treatments and so on, but don’t ever feel like themselves. 
I remember one of my patients explaining to me how they don’t have the energy some days to properly take care of their kids, their home or even themselves. It’s truly terrible for some. The first step in understanding how someone with Chronic Fatigue or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be helped, is to understand how the body makes energy and where the body’s energy production system is breaking down (more on that later).
For starters, your body generates energy by producing a chemical called ATP. ATP gives energy to your body and is produced by a part of your cell called the mitochondria. Every cell in your body has a mitochondria and the mitochondria make energy.
However, in the Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Case, the mitochondria are either not working properly or there are not enough of the mitochondria present in the body. That’s right! You could actually have not enough mitochondria, which is like trying to drive a big 18-wheeler truck on a moped engine. It might move, but it will be slow and have all kinds of problems.
There are several things that can stop the body from making enough mitochondria or simply stop the mitochondria from working properly. Let’s take a look at some potential connections to CF and CFS.
Potential Connections to CF and CFS:
- Adrenal Fatigue-the adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and make hormones that help the mitochondria work properly.
- Thyroid dysfunction–certain thyroid hormone controls the size and number of mitochondria.
- Hormonal imbalances–there are many others hormones that can go out of balance or become deficient that can effect the mitochondria.
- Intestinal problems–can stop the absorption of key nutrients that the mitochondria need for proper function.
- Neurotransmitter deficiencies–certain neurotransmitters such as, the catecholamines stimulate the mitochondria into action.
- Liver dysfunction–can cause too many toxins to be present in the body that will interfere with mitochondrial production as function.
- Nutritional deficiencies–a diet void of proper nutrients could stop the body from making the correct number of mitochondria, as well as, could stop the ones that are being made from working properly.
- Host of other toxic compounds from mercury to bromide toxicity all of which have their own affect on the production of energy through the mitochondria.
- Autoimmune condition in the body–this is most commonly seen with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, although it can be present with Chronic Fatigue.
Any of the above situations can shutdown your mitochondria and stop your ATP production. This robs your body of energy and leaves you feeling dead. Now Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has it’s own unique issues, as it has an autoimmune component to it that Chronic Fatigue doesn’t necessarily have. So in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome you have to not only find what has gone wrong in the body that has stopped the mitochondria from working properly but you also need to discover why on earth the immune system has gone a bit bonkers.
Symptoms For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
Chronic Fatigue suffers may also experience some or all of the below. (Taken directly from Mayo Clinic):
- Fatigue
- Loss of memory or concentration
- Sore throat
- Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits
- Unexplained muscle or joint pain
- Headaches
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise
The Real Questions that Need to be Answered:
The thing that we have to understand is that there is a cause to Chronic Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you just have to find it. The symptom that come with CF and CFS are not the cause they are the effect. Kind of like when you step on a dog’s tail, where does the bark come from? In CF and CFS you need to identify the cause!
- Why is this condition present?
- What broke down in your body to produce this condition?
- What can be done to support your body so it can heal itself from this condition?
These are the real questions that need answering.
The first step in finding and addressing the cause to CF and CFS is to fill out my Free Online Health Evaluation. This is a very important tool and the first step that we use at AlternaCare to identify the root cause of this or any condition. Just remember, everything has a cause. The Free Online Health Evaluation only takes about 2 minutes to complete and moves us in the direction of identifying that cause.
Much Love, Dr. Rob
